'Biography: Kenny Rogers': The truth behind the country star's much-publicized relationship with Dolly Parton
A&E documentary 'Biography: Kenny Rogers', which was recently telecast on Monday night, takes an in-depth look at the life of the late country music icon and some of the key moments and relationships that contributed to his success over the years.
Although he passed away on March 20, 2020, Rogers is an immortal name in the American music industry and he will be revered for many decades hence - he had 24 Number 1 hits throughout his illustrious career and was a genre-hopping, show-stopping phenomenon.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest names in the music industry that has become synonymous with Kenny Rogers is the fun-loving, spirited country music diva Dolly Parton. Both Parton and Rogers worked amazingly well together - they often dueted, recorded and toured together, and their chemistry was so great that people began to assume that their close bond had deepened into a romantic relationship. However, both stars were happily married and denied that this was the case, although Dolly certainly did help fan the flames by flirting with Rogers whenever she was in a mischievous mood.
Parton herself admitted in the A&E documentary that she was quite feisty back in the day, often pinching Kenny's backside and making sexually-colored remarks to catch him off guard.
Rogers was a kindhearted, articulate gentleman, but Parton was a force of nature who often rendered him speechless. The tale of how they met itself is a testament to their enduring relationship. As the famous story goes, Rogers and Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees fame were busy working on a new song in a Los Angeles studio, but after four days of frustration, they were unable to make the track 'Islands In The Stream' work out to their satisfaction.
Then Gibb had a brainwave and called in a favor from his friend, the '9 to 5' singer Parton, who lived close by. Within an hour, she marched into the studio in her high heels, was introduced to Kenny Rogers, and everything instantly clicked. Her initial vocal take was spectacular, and both Gibb and Rogers knew that they had a sure-fire hit on their hands.
'Islands In The Stream' would go on to become a number one hit in 1983, and sparked a magical showbiz relationship between Kenny and Dolly that had the whole country enamored. "These two voices were meant to be together," said Parton, and judging by their hit records, legendary duets, and flirty bond as they toured the world together, they clearly loved one another deeply, but in a platonic way.
Dolly never spared Kenny any blushes when they were out on tour. "I've been on tour with Kenny for several weeks now... Here we are, both of us lonely, and Marianne [Kenny's wife] out there somewhere," Dolly Parton would quip coquettishly on stage. "Don't you start that with me!" said a clearly flustered Kenny, while the mischievous Dolly laughed heartily with a glint in her eye, much to the audience's amusement.
They both were born entertainers and played their respective roles to the hilt. He was the refined Southern gentleman, and she was the sassy, impish belle of the ball. One of their funniest moments onstage came when Rogers announced that he was retiring from the music industry. At his 2017 farewell concert in Nashville, Dolly made a special appearance and made a hilarious proposition to Kenny. "We've been accused of it all through the years. You are retiring, you wanna hold 'em now?" said Dolly Parton, referring to her infamous bosom. As Kenny blushed beetroot red and the crowd hooted their approval, Parton cackled in glee, ever the mischief-maker. That same concert featured Parton singing her famous hit 'I Will Always Love You' to Kenny Rogers, before a deeply moved Kenny collected himself and reprised his famous duet 'Islands In The Stream' with Dolly Parton one last time.
Perhaps the best song to remember Kenny & Dolly by is 'You Can't Make Old Friends', which was written specifically with their relationship in mind by the same man who wrote 'The Gambler', Don Schlitz. The lyrics take on a particularly poignant meaning now that Kenny Rogers has passed - "You can't make old friends / Can't make old friends / It was me and you, since way back when / But you can't make old friends / How will I sing when you are gone? / 'Cause it won't sound the same / Who'll join in on those harmony parts / When I call your name?"
It's the perfect song to remember their cherished friendship by, and Dolly admitted that Kenny Rogers was "one of the greatest people I've ever met, and I'm proud to call him my friend."