Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir

by Kenny Rogers

A living legend of Country Music and a worldwide music icon, superstar Kenny Rogers has enjoyed a fascinating five decades in show business, and he tells the full story of his remarkable life and career in Luck or Something Like It. From his days with hit group The First Edition to his sterling solo work, the artist who "knows when to hold 'em and knows when to fold 'em" knows how to tell a captivating life story as well–bringing a golden era of Country Music to life as he recounts his remarkable rise to the top of the charts. An honest, moving, eye-opening view of a musician's life on the road, Luck or Something Like It is the definitive music memoir–a backstage pass to fifty years of performing and recording presented by the one and only Kenny Rogers, one of the bestselling artists ever.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Audiobook

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2011

About the author

Kenneth Ray Rogers was an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love some of Kenny Rogers' songs. They bring me back to my high school days. I wish I had liked this book. It wasn't like most autobiographies. I like when the author opens up and lets the reader in. This one was not that. It was more like, "This happened and then this happened, which led to this, etc, etc, etc." I never got a glimpse of who he was, only what others thought of him.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenny Rogers was a bright star who lived music, loved women and traveled among other stars. In Luck or Something Like It he tells the story of his life, how each song came about and a little about each of his (was it four or five?) marriages. From them he has a daughter, Carole, and four sons, Kenny Jr., Christopher Cody, his son with Mary Ann, and twin sons Justin and Jordan from his last wife Wanda, whom he declared to be the love of his life. Thankfully, all the boys were in his life in his later years because his music took precedence in his early years which was in part to blame for the failure of some of his marriages.

Kenny was always a class act. How can you not adore him? I first heard him in the 1970's when Ruby and Lucille were on the radio. By the early 80's his duets with Dottie West were on fire. Songs like Love or Something Like It and Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight summed up the seventies perfectly. When he paired up to sing and do shows with Dolly Parton, they were a glamorous (musical) couple.

Kenny was generous in his praise and in mentioning EVERYONE who helped along the way, which got a little monotonous but because of how much I admire him, I can't fault him trying to be so thorough. He will live on through his music always.

[Tommy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kenny Rogers has fallen ass-backwards into fame and fortune. Whether bragging about his multiple Rolls-Royces, scuba diving with Lionel Richie, or playing tennis with Robert Duvall, Mr. Rogers never fails to make you, the reader, feel like a pauper. Oh, and "The Gambler" is one of the worst songs ever. Kudos to my friend Ben for sending me a copy of this free of charge. I certainly couldn't imagine anyone paying money for this claptrap. Islands in the Stream my ass.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a memoir by Kenny Rogers. I would give this a 3.5. It is pretty good as memoirs go. He was born in Texas. He was one of eight kids. He writes about his childhood and what it was like to grow up poor. He got into the music business starting out in a jazz band than went on to be in the group New edition. The group had it's years of success but when it no longer had many bookings and recordings he became a country singer. His first big hit was "Lucille" that launched a long run of being very successful singer.
Kenny writes of his four marriages. Working with other famous country stars such as Dolly Parton. I was surprised he is also a very good photographer even publishing books on his photography.He even had a career as an actor based from his famous songs especially "The Gambler". He does not paint himself as perfect owning up to his own faults over the years. I liked this book for the most part. Fans of Kenny Rogers may enjoy his memoir.

[Jeff Grosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book yesterday, just before going to see Kenny on his farewell tour. It is filled with the two things I love in memoirs, humor and humility. Kenny is such a good storyteller and it was fascinating learning the history behind all of his great music. This is a must read for anyone who loves his storytelling style. Kenny is truly a treasure and has enriched just about every musical genre. I feel so blessed to have seen him perform live before he calls it a career.

[Jen K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up with Kenny Rogers and especially teamed with Dolly Parton. He was on our radio and on the television. When I went overseas, he was somehow even a bigger star. I've always loved his voice and story telling which he does so well. I did not know much else about Kenny. In this memoir, Kenny shares his story, career ups and downs, passions and hobbies, 5 wives and children. Kenny came from humble beginnings in Houston, Texas but he knew that music was his passion and plan. He started in local groups and on the radio as a deejay and then moved to LA going a group called New Edition which was not country, who knew. Eventually he landed in Nashville and started his way back to his Texan roots of country music, it took a push to get him singing on his own and as a lead but it clearly worked out for him. It was fun to hear about all of his hobbies and the charitable work that he's done to give back. I really appreciate that he led a clean living in a time of drugs and alcohol being the norm on the music scene. Some of his language and ideas are a bit outdated but there were some good stories that he shared.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kenneth Ray (Donald) Rogers tells the life story of Kenny Rogers. His first love, music, drives away four wives and two children before at 54 he meets a 26 yr old that he loves on site. Wives last as long as they can be on tour with him but when children come along that puts an end to travel.

That Kenny Rogers can stand out in so many different genres of music, can be a credible actor on TV movies and entertainment venues proves that when you love what you do you can do it forever.

The stories told here include a lot of big name stars of every entertainment stream and the adventures are often quite funny.

It was an interesting read and I was saddened when he died in March of 2020 at the age of 81.

Kenny Rogers didn't drink, do drugs, or smoke. His breakfast every day of a Diet Coke and a McMuffin still has me shaking my head.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
An honest & humble human being. Loved the book - an intimate look at his life.

[Vanessa Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some memoirs are about how an author feels about things. Others are about what happened. The latter can be interesting, as with this book, but the result is a little flat. What was it like to go from living in the projects to buying an 11 million dollar home in Bel Air? We may never know, only that it happened.

I did find it encouraging that he had a whole successful career that was over when he was 38 and started over and became even more successful.

My favorite part was probably:

"So now I'm making money, and I immediately start looking around for an entourage. Where to do you start? ... By the way, you're not allowed to count wives in your entourage... Everyone Kelly [his tennis pro] knew was either a tennis pro or had been a tennis pro. I knew that wouldn't work. After all, how much tennis could I play? Rob [hired for security on the assumption that surely someone wanted to hurt him, although they hadn't figured out who yet] also came up with the theory that the more people we had in our group, the more obvious we would be. "Really, Rob?" We now realized he had no clue what he was doing in the way of private security, but I had hired him and we were stuck with him."

[librarian4Him02 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenny Rogers tells his life story - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Why I picked it up: Way back in middle school I had a Kenny Rogers record I played to death. When I saw this book on my library's "new book" list I was intrigued and wanted to know more about his life and rise in the music industry.

Why I kept reading: His writing has a conversational tone, and he's a good storyteller.

In the end: I found this autobiography refreshingly honest. He tells it like it is from the early days of his career to the present day. Even when talking about his failed marriages and other unpleasant topics, he's honest without putting people down or bashing them. I recommend this to fans of Kenny Rogers and also those who like refreshingly honest autobiographies.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I like the music of Kenny Rogers, so I got something from this book. It ends there though. He's a very egotistical person (not that he hasn't earned that right) and his tone in the book is not enjoyable to read. He had a quote every 50 pages or so that was funny or memorable in some way but all in all I would not recommend that someone read this book. He is clearly better at the things he talks about in the book then he is at writing the book itself.

[Paul Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great autobiography from one of my favorite performers, with stories of his whole life and some behind-the-scenes anecdotes about his hit songs, concert tours, movies, Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton, We Are the World, and more. I also liked hearing about his charity work over the years and the motto "Success without sharing is unacceptable."

[Monsieur Rick Blaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't so much luck as who Kenny knew. Just read the acknowledgements. It is a who's who of show biz management and entertainment. When he had no hits coming and struggling in his late career in stepped Lionel Ritchie Dolly Parton and Barry Gibb of the BG's among others to write huge hit songs for him.

While seemingly keeping his feet on the ground and not losing his soul to stardom he did spend money like crazy. A 17 room mansion and then a farm and then came a professional golf course. Private jets, dozens of horses. 4 marriages with kids. The usual rock/country star wealth and extravagance. His last marriage was to a 26 year old waitress who at the end of the book was still with him.

The book never went into any show biz legal problems so I was spared that much. But the last 20% of the book I didn't care much about. Growing his last two boys in a petri dish was about as much as I could stand. His last wife couldn't have children so along came wealth to solve that problem.

On the whole this is both a sequential and anecdotal telling of Roger's life which career wise he had far more than just luck. He had low points but more show biz help along the way. It wasn't luck as much as networking with powerful people in the record and television industry.

I would recommend the book but don't be misled by the title.

[Melissa Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this one. It's not one you feel you have to read all in one sitting - - which is kinda nice. I started and stopped so many times - but it was nice to let his storyline sink in a bit. I grew up with my dad playing Kenny in our house all the time - so this was a truly enjoyable read for me. SOOOO many stories - and I can't believe he became a father so late in life! I also just watched the Bee Gees documentary on HBO - so it tied into Kenny and them writing with him for Islands in the Stream. That was pretty cool! If you are a Kenny fan - I think you would really enjoy this book!

[The Blind Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been wanting to read this for several years now and I'm so glad I received it as an early Christmas gift. Kenny Rogers is one of my favourite artists of all time and finding out about his life through the years — from growing up in Houston to forming the First Edition all the way through "Lucille" and raising his kids — was a lovely experience. It is also a book full of wisdom and humour, and a quote that will stay with me for a long time: "If you have five good friends when you grow up, even if you have no money, you will be a very wealthy man. Be friendly to everyone but be friends with only a few." RIP Kenny ❤️

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kenny Rogers songs have part of the sound track of my life, but I didn’t really know much about him other than his enduring success over many decades. He re-invented himself multiple times, moving seamlessly between jazz, soft rock and country. His memoir got rather repetitive and wasn’t told in a completely linear fashion which lead to some confusion and repetition. I’m not sure whether he had a ghost writer for this book, but it often had poor word choice and could have used some judicious editing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed hearing his stories and reliving some of his sings, some if which I played on Spotify while reading.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite all time Male vocalist!

I think this book is wonderfully written. It was a very easy read and was clean with very few cuss words. I went into memories I've had forgotten and was reminded of so many great songs Kenny performed. I've gone to several of his concerts In Buffalo and one in Clearfield, PA. I love Kenny and he my all time favorite Male singer. I do have his CD Water and Bridges and love it. I will be going back and viewing his 50 years show and retirement show.
Thank you for sharing your life with me and I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Dorothy J. Kasser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I love Kenny Rogers

The day he died was a sad day for
The music world. I ordered this book that day and am so glad I did. It told about some of my favorite songs and tv specials and how they came about. It also,of course told about happy times,sad times and failures in his music and personal life. If you are a fan and want to know more about his music and his life, read this autobiography..

[Arlene Welch · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book. I learned that Kenny Rogers dosen't do anything in a small way. Tennis courts, golf courses, photography and dark rooms, horses. He had many interests outside of music that surprised me. He kept himself so busy that he had little time for his marriages, hence 5 wives. I think that says a lot about someone who would rather work at stuff instead of marriage. I love his singing though, and the idea of him being a true gentleman. I will miss him.

[Dianne McMahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great memoir about one of my favorite singers.
Kenny was born into a very poor family & was one of eight children.
He was married five times & goes into quite a bit of detail about each one of his marriages.
He not only had an exorbitant amount of luck,but was undeniably talented.
He crossed over into several genres of music & starred in several made for television movies.
This is a very fast,entertaining read & one that you will enjoy.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the songs Kenny Rogers has sung. Each song telling a story. Here, just like his songs, Kenny weaves a story with heart, charm, and dedication. This is a very warm man with a compassionate heart for giving. Did his life have ups and downs? Sure, but he always used them to create a better version of himself. A very good memoir of a very honest life.

[Robert S. Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book

I really wanted to like this book, but the more I read, the more I disliked this guy. It became redundant with him name dropping,bragging on how good he was at this or that, and how much money he spent or donated. I'm certain his shoulder surgeries that he talked about were a result of him patting himself on the back.

[Gary Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fast read!

I learned a lot about the man and his life that is interesting. Being from Houston , I remember the First Addition from some night clubs we'd sneak in with fake ID's because they always drew the best looking girls! Being married so many times proves he was hard to please and had giant ego! Most singers do!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read by Traber Burns, who does a really nice job here. Definitely has an older, country vibe to him as you would have expected Kenny to have if he had read it himself. Kenny's story is interesting and kept me entertained throughout. I just wouldn't say it was outstanding. More of a straight forward life story. Nothing wrong with that.

[mlchael l. mosholder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for any music lover.

I always liked Kenny Rogers music. His book was a great read. He went through a lot in his lifetime coming from early childhood. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes music to find out what it takes to become as good as Kenny Rogers was. This would make a good movie.

[Barbara Langlois · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this was an incomplete memoir: all about Kenny Rogers, the performer and very little about Kenny Rogers, the man. Little insight into his personal life. A great deal of subtle and not-so-subtle bragging about his success, repeated references to his private plane, size of his home, the awards, so on. Got it, Kenny. You’ve been very successful and you’re friggin rich.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. I always believed by misinformation that he was an alcoholic. But in reading this book he didn’t do drugs or alcohol. It gave me a good glimpse at who he really was. I grew up listening to his music and I will always be a fan of his music. I was sadden by the fact he wasn’t family oriented. He did make excuses about abandoning his son. I believe a father should always fight to be a part of their children’s life. He did admit it was a mistake to not fight for his son.

[Robert Sparrenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir of the gambler is recounted by Kenny Rogers. I like music memoirs because they tell the stories behind the music and this one did as well. They all fall into the I did this and I did that from time to Time. Glad Kenny got it right after five marriages.

For fans of Kenny

[Gorman N. Findley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and entertaining

Very interesting and entertaining book. Makes me sad that we won't be able to see him perform anymore. If you are a fan of Kenny you'll love this book.

[Brenda Mcbryde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and I loved it. Kenny even had pictures of his family.

It's a good read of his career and through the start of his first bands and through all the tours and the good and bad times.