Remember When Blake Shelton Paid Tribute to Kenny Rogers?
A young Blake Shelton did his best to honor Kenny Rogers during a live performance of "The Gambler." A few hungry country fans may even have the recorded version.
In 2006, restaurant chain Cracker Barrel assembled an all-star cast of contemporary stars to record their version of songs that were named ACM, CMA or Grammy Song of the Year. Shelton chose Rogers' iconic song, a Grammy winner in 1980 four years after Shelton's birth and 26 years before he'd take the stage at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Hall to perform it.
Billboard previewed the project and concert, revealing that the above performance took place on Nov. 5, 2016. It later aired on GAC. "Thinking about Kenny Rogers tonight and remembered this. He was there that night," Shelton tweeted in sharing the video.
Rogers died at the age of 81 on March 20 after a period of illness. The Country Music Hall of Famer was honored by several stars from all eras of country music.
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Trace Adkins, Trisha Yearwood and Dierks Bentley were others who performed that night and who were recorded on the 12-song CD, which was only available at Cracker Barrel restaurants. “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down,” “Murder on Music Row” and “Back Home Again” were a few of the Songs of the Year honored.
Shelton has been sheltering at home with girlfriend Gwen Stefani since the coronavirus pandemic became serious in America. The pair have done several live streams together and even appeared on The Tonight Show from home. Shelton's current single is called "Nobody But You."
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