As everyone in their right mind knows, you’ve got to know when to walk away and when to run. And Kenny Rogers, the man who sang The Gambler, is heeding his own advice by announcing that he will retire after his next tour.
The country legend appeared on the Today show in the US, where he said: “I’ve done this long enough. There’s a fine line between being driven and being selfish, and I think I crossed that line when I was younger. I really want to be there with my kids and my wife. I don’t see enough of them. And I have some things on my bucket list.”
He added: “‘I am gonna hang it up. I’ve done it long enough. I thought I would go out with a flurry. I have had a really good time. Make it a world tour.”
Rogers who, his 77, has 11-year-old twin sons by his fifth wife, Wanda, along with three children from his previous marriages.
Rogers first began recording in the 1950s, with a rockabilly band called the Scholars, but didn’t achieve success until 1967, when he co-founded the First Edition, who had hits such as the ersatz psychedelia of Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) and Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town. He went solo in 1976, becoming a major star worldwide with his such as Lucille, The Gambler and Coward of the County.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, the same year he made a hit appearance at the Glastonbury festival.
