On this day (December 1) in 1983, Kenny Rogers was at the top of the country albums chart with Eyes That See in the Dark. It spent 16 weeks at No. 1 and produced one of the biggest hits of his career. The album featured “Islands in the Stream,” a now-iconic duet with Dolly Parton.
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Eyes That See in the Dark marked a shift in Rogers’ career. He released his first nine albums with United Artists. Then, he moved to Liberty Records for four releases. The 1983 release marked his first with RCA Records, where he would remain until 1989. There, he found a production team that played to his strengths.
Gibb-Galuten-Richardson–the production team consisting of Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten, and Karl Richardson–produced the album. They were best known for working with major pop acts like Frankie Valli, Dionne Warwick, and Barbara Streisand. Rogers’ middle-of-the-road pop-leaning sound was a perfect fit for the team.
Gibb and other members of the Bee Gees wrote the album’s songs. While it seems like an odd pairing on paper, the resulting album was more than enough to prove that Rogers, the Bee Gees, Galuten, and Richardson were a match made in musical heaven.
Kenny Rogers Scores a Career Hit
Eyes That See in the Dark was one of Kenny Rogers’ most successful albums. It also produced multiple hit singles. The title track peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. “Buried Treasure” went to No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart. “Evening Star” narrowly missed the top 10 of the country chart. “This Woman” was a top 40 hit on the Hot 100 and a top five hit on the AC chart. However, none of them were as successful or enduring as “Islands in the Stream.”
Rogers’ duet with Dolly Parton topped the country, adult contemporary, and Hot 100 charts in the United States. It also topped charts in Australia, Austria, and Canada. Moreover, it started a friendship between Parton and Kenny Rogers that lasted until he passed away in March 2020.
Featured Image by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.
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