STAR-STUDDED CONCERT IN NASHVILLE CELEBRATING 60-YEAR CAREER
“ALL IN FOR THE GAMBLER:
KENNY ROGERS’ FAREWELL CONCERT CELEBRATION”
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAMERS KENNY ROGERS AND DOLLY PARTON TO SHARE STAGE IN LAST PERFORMANCE TOGETHER EVER
EVENT WILL ALSO FEATURE PERFORMANCES BY AN ALL-STAR LINEUP INCLUDING
LITTLE BIG TOWN, ALISON KRAUSS, THE FLAMING LIPS, IDINA MENZEL, & MORE WITH VERY SPECIAL GUESTS TO BE ANNOUNCED
OCTOBER 25, 2017 – BRIDGESTONE ARENA – NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
TICKETS ON SALE JULY 21 AT 10AM CT VIA TICKETMASTER
an all-star concert event taping at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville,
Tennessee on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 7PM CT. This
once-in-a-lifetime concert event will honor Kenny Rogers’ historic
60-year career and will feature the final performance together by Kenny
Rogers and Dolly Parton, one of popular music’s most beloved duets of
all time.
“As I’m bringing this chapter of my career to a close, this will be
an unforgettable way to celebrate with my talented friends, who I’m so
grateful to have crossed paths with,” says Kenny Rogers. “It means so
much that they would feel compelled to do this for me. Of course, the
night would not be the same without Dolly Parton being part of it. We’ve
enjoyed a special friendship for decades, and I’ll forever look back
fondly on the many collaborations, performances, and laughs we’ve shared
as some of the most extraordinary moments of my career. I know it will
be a moving experience for us standing on that stage together for one
last time.”
This one-night-only concert event taping will bring together fans, friends and music icons to celebrate Kenny Rogers. “All In For The Gambler” will feature performances by Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Little Big Town, Alison Krauss, The Flaming Lips, Idina Menzel, Jamey Johnson, Elle King and many other special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.
“Kenny is like a family member to me. We have been friends for over
30 years and made musical magic together. Since 1983, when we released
‘Islands In The Stream,’ everyone has had an expectation to see Kenny
everywhere I go and me with him wherever he goes,” says Dolly Parton.
“Well, I guess for many of those fans that wanted to see us together,
this will be that night. Performing with Kenny for the last time ever on
October 25th is going to be emotional for both of us, but it’s also
going to be very special. Even though Kenny may be retiring, as he fades
from the stage, our love for each other will never fade away.”
Tickets go on sale July 21, 2017 at 10AM CT online at
Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, all Ticketmaster locations
and the Bridgestone Arena box office. A portion of the proceeds will
benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation and the Kenny Rogers Children’s
Center.
In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Kenny Rogers has
left an indelible mark on the history of American music. His songs have
endeared music lovers and touched the lives of millions around the
world. Chart-topping hits like “The Gambler,” “Lady,” “Islands In The Stream,” “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me,” and “Through the Years”
are just a handful of Kenny Rogers’ songs that continue to inspire new
generations of artists and fans alike. Rogers, with twenty-four
number-one hits, is a Country Music Hall of Fame member, six-time CMA
Awards winner, three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, recipient of the CMA
Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, CMT Artist of a
Lifetime Award honoree in 2015 and has been voted the “Favorite Singer
of All Time” in a joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.
Blackbird Presents’ Keith Wortman, creator and executive producer of
Nashville’s recent highly acclaimed “Sing Me Back Home: The Music of
Merle Haggard,” is the creator and executive producer of “All In For The Gambler.”
GRAMMY® Award Winner Don Was will serve as music director, and preside
over a stellar house band backing the performers at this historic
concert event taping. Kenny Rogers’ manager, Ken Levitan, also serves as
executive producer. The event will be filmed and recorded for
multi-platform distribution throughout traditional media (worldwide
broadcast, music, and digital).
“Like millions of fans around the world, Kenny Rogers has been the
soundtrack of my life. As he finishes out this beautiful victory lap of
touring life, I am honored and privileged to create and produce a show
celebrating this special artist on this monumental occasion.” says Keith
Wortman, CEO of Blackbird Presents.
FOR COMPLETE SHOW DETAILS, VISIT THE OFFICIAL CONCERT WEBSITE:
allinforthegambler.com
#allinforthegambler
# # #
About Blackbird Presents:
Blackbird Presents is a global media company that produces premium
content via a range of strategies including large-scale concert events
and festivals, broadcast series and specials, and music releases
featuring major music stars across all genres and demographics.
Blackbird’s recent concerts, broadcast specials and releases include
“Sing Me Back Home: The Music of Merle Haggard,” “The Life & Songs
of Kris Kristofferson,” “Imagine: John Lennon 75th Birthday Concert,”
“Outlaw: Celebrating The Music of Waylon Jennings,” “I’ll Take You
There: Celebrating 75 Years of Mavis Staples,” “The Life and Songs of
Emmylou Harris,” “Lynyrd Skynyrd: One More For The Fans,” “The Musical
Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac and His Music,” and “All My Friends:
Celebrating The Songs and Voice of Gregg Allman,” the latter of which
earned a 2014 GRAMMY® Award nomination for Gregg Allman and Taj Mahal’s
awe-inspiring performance of “Statesboro Blues.”
Blackbird Presents is also creator and producer behind the Outlaw
Music Festival Tour, in partnership with Willie Nelson; the American
Roots Music & Arts Festival, in partnership with Eric Church; and
The Last Waltz 40 Tour.
Visit us at www.blackbirdpresents.com
About Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers began recording in the late 1950s, notching a local hit
in the Houston, TX market with “That Crazy Feeling” that resulted in a
national TV appearance on “American Bandstand.” After stints with the
jazz group the Bobby Doyle Three and folk favorite The New Christy
Minstrels, Rogers formed The First Edition in 1967. As the lead singer
of the group, Rogers sang on the band’s biggest hits, such as “Just
Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” and “Ruby, Don’t
Take Your Love To Town.” The group, who hosted their own syndicated
television series, “Rollin’”, stayed together through 1975.
In 1976, Rogers signed a deal in Nashville with United Artists. With
the help of producer Larry Butler, Rogers released “Lucille” in early
1977, his first No. 1 hit. The singer would tally many classics through
the decade, including “Love Or Something Like It,” “Sweet Music Man,”
“The Gambler,” and “Every Time Two Fools Collide,” which he recorded
with the late Dottie West. Rogers was named Male Vocalist of the Year by
both the CMA and the ACM, being also recognized as Entertainer of the
Year by the latter in 1979.
In 1980, Rogers made musical history with his cross-over success of
“Lady.” The Lionel Richie composition netted the singer a hit in the
Country, Pop, AC, and R&B fields. The album from which the song was
pulled, Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits, was certified
Diamond for sales of over ten million units. In the 1980s, he stayed on
top of the charts with hits like “I Don’t Need You,” “We’ve Got
Tonight,” and “Morning Desire,” and sang on the GRAMMY® winning USA For
Africa charity single, “We Are The World,” joined by an unprecedented
number of music legends. He also established a successful career as an
actor – with roles in The Gambler movie series – and as a photographer, with several published books of photos to his credit, including “This Is My Country.”
Rogers has sold over 120 million albums worldwide during his career,
making him one of the best-selling male artists of all-time according to
the RIAA, with twenty Platinum albums and eleven Gold. He has won
awards from every organization imaginable, including multiple GRAMMY®
Awards, as well as CMA, ACM, CMT, TNN, Music City News, and American
Music Awards. In 2012, Rogers released his successful memoir, “Luck or
Something Like It” and became a New York Times Best-Selling
Author. In the fall of 2013, Rogers was bestowed with his biggest honor,
being inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
in Nashville. He continues to endear himself to audiences through his
timeless music, and appearances on television – including a
well-received Geico commercial in 2015.
In the fall of 2015, Kenny Rogers made headlines with the
announcement that he would soon embark on a farewell tour – after one of
the most successful and iconic careers in the history of show business.
The spring of 2016 saw the singer begin that process with his “The
Gambler’s Last Deal” Final World Tour, saying goodbye to his loyal
legion of fans one city and one night at a time in what has been a
critically-acclaimed night of music and memories.