The '90s charts were not as kind, and Rogers hit a patch of bad luck. Rogers continued to have big records throughout that decade, as well as a platinum-selling Christmas collection. In fact, his songs' story lines are so strong that two of them - 'The Gambler' and 'Coward of the Country' - were turned into made-for-TV Westerns in the mid-'80s. The comforting timbre of Rogers' singing voice carries with it a hushed paternal calm that seems to naturally warm up the narratives of his songs and give them a quiet authority. He became a country pop hitmaker in the 1970s with 'The Gambler' and 'Lucille,' among others. 1 hit with 'Lady,' a duet with Lionel Richie, and his second with 'Islands in the Stream,' which found him paired him with Dolly Parton. After the First Edition broke up, Rogers had his first No. From there, Rogers started the First Edition, who had their first hit with a rocking, psychedelic, fuzz-guitar-laden version of Mickey Newbury's 'Just Dropped In' only a month after signing to Reprise in 1968. Rogers first found success in the 1960s with the New Christy Minstrels, a prefab lite folk vocal group that also boasted one-time members Roger McGuinn and John Denver. This pop icon has had a career that has thrived for more than 30 years.
