Luck or Something Like It (13 page)

I love the character Brady Hawkes and enjoyed playing him in the
Gambler
movies.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

Two women, Susan Bradley and Sharman Pirkle, have been to over one thousand of my shows and always hand me roses onstage.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

Lionel Richie is a master of making songs out of conversations, and “Lady” is no exception. Recording that song took things to a whole new level for me.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

My earliest exposure to music was to country, and I’ve always had an ear for it.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

Here I am at a backstage rehearsal going over a song.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

I’ve grown to love large crowds like this one. When they cheer for every song and laugh at my jokes, I know I’m doing my job right.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

Embarking on a solo career was a new and exciting challenge for me. These gold and platinum albums represent some of my successes as a solo artist. I feel so fortunate to have enjoyed such a long and fulfilling career that continues today.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

I’ve known Dolly for the better part of forty years, and I have yet to see her when she hasn’t been all dolled up. Even the one time I saw her dressed as an old lady so she could be incognito, she had a lot of makeup on.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

In my First Edition days I wore rose-tinted glasses and an earring, but here I’m back to being Kenny Rogers.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

I love to sing songs with lyrics that every man would like to say and every woman would like to hear.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

There is always the danger of being so closely associated with someone that you lose your own identity. If I’m going to lose mine, I want to lose it with Dolly.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann

Here I am with my friends Willie Nelson and Dolly rehearsing for a show in 1989.
Photo by Kelly Junkermann