Kenny Rogers underwent several iterations throughout his six-decade career—from teenage icon to psychedelic rocker to country music crooner. He enjoyed enormous crossover success throughout the late 1970s and 1980s with hits like “Love Will Turn You Around” and the Dolly Parton duet “Islands in the Stream”. Inevitably, however, his chart success began slipping with the shifting cultural tides of the late 1980s and 1990s. Rogers regained his footing on this day (May 16) in 2000, topping the country singles chart with “Buy Me a Rose”.
This Song Marked Kenny Rogers’ First No. 1 in a Decade
By the turn of the millennium, Kenny Rogers hadn’t sat atop the country singles chart for 13 years. His most recent number-one hit had come in 1987 with the Ronnie Milsap duet “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine”.
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Rogers scored his last solo number-one in 1986 when “Tomb of Unknown Love” reached the top of the chart.
“Buy Me a Rose”, released in October 1999 as the third single from Rogers’ album She Rides Wild Horses, offered the six-time CMA Award winner a much-needed career resurgence.
Written by Jim Funk and Erik Hickenlooper, the classic ballad centers on a man who has tried to impress his wife with material extravagance, only to learn that what she really wants is simplicity: Buy me a rose, call me from work / Open a door for me, what would it hurt?
At 61 years of age, Rogers became the oldest country singer to ever score a number-one hit. He held that record until 2003, when a 70-year-old Willie Nelson reached the top with the Toby Keith duet “Beer For My Horses”.
Additionally, “Buy Me a Rose” is the only career number-one song for country singer-songwriters Alison Krauss and Billy Dean. The pair received credit for singing backup.
It Was the End of an Era
Finally, the song would also become Rogers’ final career chart-topper. He continued releasing new music until his deteriorating health forced him to step back in 2017.
Kenny Rogers died on March 20, 2020, at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia. He was 81 years old.
Throughout his illustrious career, he picked up more than 120 charting singles across various genres, spending more than 200 individual weeks on the U.S. pop and country charts alone.
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