A Collection of the GRAMMY® Award-Winning Country and Pop Music Icon, Renowned Actor, Philanthropist, Businessman and Photographer Featuring Memorabilia, Awards, Jewelry, Wardrobe, Personal Items and More from “The Gambler’s” Legendary Six-Decade Career in Music and Entertainment to be Presented in Three-Day Auction Event,
Friday, October 21, Saturday, October 22 and Sunday, October 23, 2022
A Portion of the Proceeds to Benefit Music Health Alliance
Beverly Hills, California – (August 8, 2022) – Julien’s Auctions, the world record-breaking auction house to the stars, proudly presents “PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF KENNY ROGERS,” an exclusive presentation honoring the legendary GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, and actor and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time who sold more than 120 million records worldwide, taking place live in a three-day auction event from Friday, October 21–Sunday, October 23, 2022 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online on julienslive.com. It was also announced today that a portion of the proceeds of the auction will benefit Music Health Alliance, whose mission is to provide compassionate advocacy and access to life-saving healthcare resources that protect, direct, and connect music professionals with medical and financial solutions.
A spectacular collection of over 1,200 lots featuring the country and pop music icon’s awards, wardrobe, equipment and memorabilia from his iconic recordings, live performances and films, as well as furnishings, artwork, jewelry, household and personal items from his beloved home in Sandy Springs, Georgia will take the auction stage.
Born August 21, 1938 in Houston, Texas in a family of eight children, Rogers grew up listening to and playing a wide range of music that encompassed country, bluegrass, R&B, gospel, pop, doo-wop, jazz and beyond which later informed his career trajectory as a crossover singer, musician and entertainer. After recording his first hit single in 1958, titled “That Crazy Feeling” as Kenneth Rogers and playing in the Bobby Doyle Three, who recorded for Columbia Records, Rogers moved to Los Angeles and joined the New Christy Minstrels which in 1967 evolved into the genre-defying First Edition founded by Rogers and some of the original Minstrels members. The group’s breakthrough hits included the Top 5 psychedelic rock hit single, “Just Dropped In (to See What Condition My Condition Was In),” their version of Mel Tillis’ “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” (from their eponymous fourth album), “Something’s Burning” and their version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee.”
In 1975, Rogers signed with United Artists and began his career as a solo artist with the album Love Lifted Me. In 1977, following the release of his album, Kenny Rogers, he earned his first No. 1 Country hit as well as his first Top 5 solo hit on the pop charts for his sing-along song, “Lucille,” which became an instant classic. In 1978, Rogers received his first GRAMMY® Award nomination and win for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for the song and CMA Award for Single Of The Year which would also go to No. 1 in the U.K. and many other countries. Throughout the decade, Rogers would record other hit singles such as the self-penned “Sweet Music Man,” “Every Time Two Fools Collide” (with Dottie West) and “Love Or Something Like It.” But it was his 1978 single “The Gambler,” the title track from his sixth studio album, that would solidify Rogers as a bona fide superstar and worldwide phenomenon.
“The Gambler” became Rogers’ signature story song, persona and one of his five consecutive hit singles to go to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Music chart. Additionally, it was a multiple-genre smash hit making the Top 10 across the pop and easy listening charts which earned him his second GRAMMY® Award and a CMA Award for Song of the Year in 1980. The popularity of the song led to the production of five television movies starring Rogers as “The Gambler” Brady Hawkes that aired from 1980-1994, a “Gambler” slot machine, book series and appearance in a popular 2014 GEICO commercial as well as other merchandise and pop culture moments. Rogers followed up “The Gambler” with three consecutive No. 1 hits: “She Believes In Me,” the GRAMMY® Award-winning “You Decorated My Life,” and “Coward Of The County.”
Throughout the ‘80s, Rogers dominated the international music charts, television and film screens, radio airwaves and arena concert tour circuit powered by several smash hits, including “Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer” (with Kim Carnes), “I Don’t Need You,” “Through The Years,” “Love Will Turn You Around,” “We’ve Got Tonight” (with Sheena Easton), “Crazy,” and the George Martin-produced “Morning Desire.” Rogers made history with his cross-over monster hit “Lady,” composed and produced by Lionel Richie, which hit No. 1 across the country, pop, AC, and R&B charts. Rogers starred in the 1982 motion picture Six Pack, and in 1983, Rogers and Dolly Parton recorded their iconic classic duet “Islands in the Stream,” written by the Bee Gees, that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The double platinum-certified single gave both artists their second No. 1 pop hit and also topped the country and AC charts. In 1985, Rogers was a featured vocalist on the GRAMMY® Award-winning supergroup USA For Africa charity single, “We Are The World,” the eighth best-selling single of all time with over 20 million copies sold, alongside other music legends, such as Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, and more. In 1987, Rogers earned his third GRAMMY® Award for the country and AC chart-topping duet “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine” with Ronnie Milsap.
Rogers is one of the few music artists who has charted a song within seven consecutive decades (1950s – 2010s). In the ‘90s until the close of his farewell tour, The Gambler’s Last Deal, in 2018, he recorded more hit songs and videos and sold out international tours, performing his classics and such critically acclaimed songs as “If You Want To Find Love,” “The Greatest,” the No. 1 Billboard Country chart hit “Buy Me A Rose” (with Alison Krauss and Billy Dean), “I Can’t Unlove You,” “Calling Me,” the GRAMMY®-nominated duet with Don Henley, and “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” the 2013 duet with Dolly Parton, for which Rogers received his 19th GRAMMY® Award nomination. In 2012, Rogers performed at the Bonnaroo Festival, making a surprise appearance on Phish’s festival-closing set, and headlined the Glastonbury Festival in 2013.
Rogers was a renowned philanthropist, businessman and photographer whose work includes the Kenny Rogers United Cerebral Palsy Center of Southeast Missouri (renamed the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center) in Sikeston, Missouri; the Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant franchise; and the publication of three photo books, including 2005’s This Is My Country, featuring portraits of Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton and many more. For his widely respected photography work, Rogers received an Honorary Masters of Photography from the Professional Photographers of America in 2014 and in 2017, he was honored with the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. Rogers’ autobiography, Luck Or Something Like It, quickly became a New York Times Bestseller upon its release in 2011. Rogers also co-authored the children’s book The Greatest and several other books including Making It With Music: Kenny Rogers’ Guide To The Music Business, Christmas In Canaan, The Toy Shoppe, The Gift: An Original Short Story and What Are The Chances.
Rogers’ numerous accolades and awards include, among others: 3 Grammy Awards, 21 American Music Awards, 11 People’s Choice Awards, 10 Academy of Country Music Awards (including the Career Achievement Award, Entertainer of the Year Award, multiple Male Vocalist of the Year Awards and the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award), six Country Music Association Awards (including the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award and Male Vocalist of the Year), two CMT Music Awards, the CMT Artist of a Lifetime Award, a Career Achievement Award at the TNN Music Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from IEBA (International Entertainment Buyers Association), an IEBA Hall of Fame Induction, the SESAC Legacy Award, and the Horatio Alger Award. He was voted the “Favorite Singer of All Time” in a USA Today and People joint readers poll. In 2013, Rogers received his highest honor with his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. “The Gambler” was entered in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry and inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame. Following Rogers’ death on March 20, 2020, the song hit No.1 again on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart and was followed by “Islands in the Stream” (with Dolly Parton) at No. 2.
“Kenny Rogers connected millions of people around the world with his distinctive voice, boundary transcending chart toppers, indelible performances and universally loved personality,” said Martin Nolan, Executive Director/CFO of Julien’s Auctions. “His classic hits ‘Lucille,’ ‘Islands in the Stream,’ and ‘The Gambler’ are part of the great American music canon and serve as cornerstones of his distinguished legacy as a global superstar, pop culture icon and one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time who helped propel country music to the mainstream. We are honored to work with the Kenny Rogers Estate in offering this exclusive collection featuring hundreds of his most cherished artifacts and personal mementos amassed throughout his groundbreaking six-decade career.”
EXHIBITION & LIVE AUCTION LOCATION
Julien’s Auctions
257 N. Canon Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Monday, October 17–Friday, October 21, 2022
Daily 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time
Free to the Public
JULIEN’S AUCTIONS LIVE ONLINE AUCTIONS
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF KENNY ROGERS
Friday, October 21, 2022
Session I: 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF KENNY ROGERS
Saturday, October 22, 2022
Session I: 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time
PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF KENNY ROGERS
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Session I: 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time
REGISTERING TO BID
Registration is required to bid in this online auction and can be done in person at the exhibition, or online before the sale at the JuliensAuctions.com Registration page to bid by phone, proxy or in person, or online at JuliensLive.com to bid live online, or by calling (310) 836-1818. For inquiries, please email info@juliensauctions.com or call (310) 836-1818.
PLACING BIDS
There are four ways to bid in Live Auctions:
- Bid with Julien’s Auctions online and live-in real time at JuliensLive.com or via our iPhone App.
- Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative.
- Bid in person in the room at our auction events.
- Bid in advance by absentee bid. Absentee bid forms are printed in the back of each catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien’s Auctions or online by visiting www.juliensauctions.com/register-to-bid.
MUSIC HEALTH ALLIANCE
Founded in 2013 and based in Nashville, Music Health Alliance (MHA) has provided free healthcare advocacy and lifesaving support and resources to more than 18,000 music industry members across 49 states in the non-profit’s first nine years. MHA has supported songwriters, musicians, performers, producers, engineers, venue operators, artist managers, agents, publishers, business managers, and more by providing access to medicine, mental health resources, COVID-19 relief, diagnostic tests, lifesaving transplants, end of life care, and many other necessary services, saving more than $85,000,000 in healthcare costs for the nationwide music community in less than a decade. Entirely funded through grants and individual and corporate donations, financial support from the music community is critical to continue MHA’s advocacy and free services. For every $1 donation, MHA is able to provide $30 in life-saving healthcare resources to Heal The Music. MHA fights so those in our industry never have to feel alone in a health crisis and removes obstacles so patients can receive lifesaving care. All MHA services are free to any person who has worked in the music industry for three or more years or who has credited contributions to four commercially released recordings or videos. Spouses, partners, and children of qualifying individuals may also receive access to the non-profit’s services from birth to end of life. More info at www.musichealthalliance.com.
JULIEN’S AUCTIONS
Julien’s Auctions is the world record-breaking auction house to the stars. Collaborating with the famous and the exclusive, Julien’s Auctions produces high profile auctions in the film, music, sports and art markets. Julien’s Auctions has received international recognition for its unique and innovative auction events, which attract thousands of collectors, investors, fans and enthusiasts from around the world. Julien’s Auctions specializes in sales of iconic artifacts and notable collections including Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Lady Gaga, Banksy, Cher, Michael Jackson, U2, Barbra Streisand, Les Paul, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Hugh Hefner and many more.
In 2016, Julien’s Auctions received its second placement in the Guinness Book of World Records for the sale of the world’s most expensive dress ever sold at auction, The Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress which sold for $4.8 million. Julien’s Auctions achieved placement in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for the sale of Michael Jackson’s white glove, which sold for $480,000 making it the most expensive glove ever sold at auction. In 2020, Julien’s Auctions received its third Guinness Book of World Record placement for the sale of Kurt Cobain’s “MTV Unplugged” 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, which sold for $6 million making it the world’s most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. In 2022, Julien’s Auctions sold the world’s second most expensive guitar ever sold at auction in the sale of Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video 1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar, which sold for $4.5 million. Based in Los Angeles, Julien’s Auctions has a global presence bringing their auctions and exhibitions to targeted destinations worldwide including London, New York, Las Vegas, Japan and China. Live auctions are presented for bidders on-site and online via live streaming video and mobile technology. For more information on Julien’s Auctions, go to www.juliensauctions.com. Connect with Julien’s Auctions at www.facebook.com/JuliensAuctions or www.twitter.com/JuliensAuctions or www.instagram.com/juliens_auctions.
PRESS CONTACTS
Julien’s Auctions
Mozell Miley-Bailey
(646) 653-3105
mozell@homagepr.com
info@juliensauctions.com
Music Health Alliance
Joseph Conner / Essential Broadcast Media / joseph@ebmediapr.com
Cindy Hunt / Monarch Publicity / cindy.hunt@monarchpublicity.com