Friday, July 3, 2026

Tribute to Kenny Rogers: Country Great’s Record Sales Soar as “The Gambler” and “Islands in the Stream” Take Over iTunes Charts

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What a nice tribute to Kenny Rogers, who passed away this weekend at age 81.

The country great’s record sales are soaring. His hits are all over the iTunes and Amazon charts. “The Gambler” is currently number 1 and “Islands in the Stream,” his famed duet with Dolly Parton (and written by Barry Gibb) is number 2.

“Lady,” written by Lionel Richie, is number 5. Fourteen– 14!– more tracks take up the top 100 for a total of 17. He has a fifth of the singles chart.

Rogers also has seven albums on the iTunes album charts including a greatest hits package at number 1. It’s the same on the country music charts.

On Amazon, many of the physical albums are completely sold out. And they won’t be replenished any time soon since Jeff Bezos said the company is only accepting shipments from vendors of medical supplies and other necessary items. CDs and vinyl aren’t going to the warehouses.

Here’s my favorite:


 

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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