20 Greatest Hits (Kenny Rogers album)
Encyclopedia
20 Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Kenny Rogers
released by Liberty Records
in 1983.
Among the 20 tracks on the album is Rogers' early smash hit "Lucille
", which made Rogers a world famous solo superstar. "The Gambler
" - Rogers' chart topping story song - also makes an appearance. The single that first appeared on Rogers' first solo Greatest Hits collection in 1980, "Lady
" also makes it onto the album, as does "Love Lifted Me" from 1976 (his first solo single in ten years following his split with The First Edition
).
Also included are popular duets with Sheena Easton
("We've Got Tonight"), Kim Carnes
("Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer
"), and Dottie West
("Till I Can Make It on My Own").
Based on hit singles from the Billboard charts
, this is the strongest Kenny Rogers single disc compilation album released. Another version came in 1987 (see below). It was also re-released on CD in 1994.
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
released by Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
in 1983.
Overview
20 Greatest Hits marks Rogers' third compilation album as a solo artist. This compilation covers the entire span of Rogers' glorious chart run through the late 1970s and early 1980s.Among the 20 tracks on the album is Rogers' early smash hit "Lucille
Lucille (Kenny Rogers song)
"Lucille" is the title of a ballad written by Roger Bowling and Hal Bynum, and recorded by Kenny Rogers. It was released in January 1977 as the second and final single from the album Kenny Rogers. The song is about a man in a bar that meets a woman who has left her husband...
", which made Rogers a world famous solo superstar. "The Gambler
The Gambler (song)
"The Gambler" is the title of a song written by Don Schlitz and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in November 1978 as the title track from his album The Gambler which won him the Grammy award for best male country vocal performance in 1980. Bobby Bare had...
" - Rogers' chart topping story song - also makes an appearance. The single that first appeared on Rogers' first solo Greatest Hits collection in 1980, "Lady
Lady (Kenny Rogers song)
"Lady" is the title of a song written by Lionel Richie and recorded by American country artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1980 as the only single from the album, Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits....
" also makes it onto the album, as does "Love Lifted Me" from 1976 (his first solo single in ten years following his split with The First Edition
The First Edition
The First Edition was a country music/rock band. Its stalwart members being Kenny Rogers , Mickey Jones and Terry Williams...
).
Also included are popular duets with Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
("We've Got Tonight"), Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice....
("Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer
Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer
"Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" is the title of a song written by David Ellingson and Kim Carnes and recorded by Kenny Rogers and Carnes as a duet. It was released in March 1980 as the first single from Rogers' album Gideon. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and #1...
"), and Dottie West
Dottie West
Dottie West was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and co-recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists...
("Till I Can Make It on My Own").
Based on hit singles from the Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, this is the strongest Kenny Rogers single disc compilation album released. Another version came in 1987 (see below). It was also re-released on CD in 1994.
Track listing
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 22 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 29 |
Reissue
In 1987, Liberty issued a new disc featuring five additional tracks, covering Rogers' newest hits up to that point. The new tracks are the last five, including the title single "Love Is What We Make It" and "Sweet Music Man", the latter penned by Rogers himself.Track listing
- Track times differ from the 1983 release and all tracks are re-presented here.
- Lucille
- Lady
- Love Lifted Me
- We've Got Tonight
- Scarlet Fever
- Love or Something Like It
- She Believes in Me
- Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
- Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer
- You Were a Good Friend
- Gamber
- Through the Years
- Daytime Friends
- You Decorated My Life
- 'Til I Can Make It on My Own
- Reuben James
- Coward of the County
- I Don't Need You
- Something's Burning
- Love Will Turn You Around
- Abraham, Martin and John/Precious Memories
- Love Is What We Make It
- Green, Green Grass of Home
- Desperado
- Sweet Music Man