Alas, we just dropped in to see what condition Kenny Rogers’ condition was in… and, the news wasn’t good. Last week, we lost a true music legend. At the age of 81, Houston-born Kenny Rogers passed away from natural causes. For more than 60 years, Rogers showed off his talent as a singer, actor and restaurateur (ok, it was fast food chicken, but it’s more of a restaurant than I’ll ever own).

In a 2014 Rolling Stone article, he explained that he originally called himself “Kenneth Rogers.” But, in an early interview with television host, Larry Kane (link is to a crappy show retrospective of a spectacular show .. Kenny not included), he was introduced as “Kenny.” Kenneth wasn’t crazy about the idea, but rolled with it, only to see his popularity with his female audience skyrocket — the girls went wild. In the interview, Rogers recalled his reaction to seeing a sea of swooning ladies, “I thought, ‘I could live with that.'”

You may not know that, before he became a crooner loved by many grandmothers across the U.S. (and probably Europe), Kenny Rogers was a stand-up bass player in a jazz group, The Bobby Doyle Trio, in the late ‘50s. In 1961, he joined The New Christy Minstrels where he sang and played double bass guitar.

SIDE NOTE: The New Christy Minstrels took their name from the Christy Minstrels, a popular, "blackface" minstrel show from the 1800s. This group introduced many of song writer, Stephen Foster’s, most popular tunes; "Swanee River, " "My Old Kentucky Home, " and "Camptown Races." For those of you not familiar with "blackface;" it is now a reviled style of music show where white men would dawn black stage make-up to look like a black performer. Minstrel shows were a mixture of music, dance, and comedy, with a majority of the material being deeply racist. No one knows exactly why Randy Sparks, the founder of The New Christy Minstrels chose this name… the zeitgeist of racism was a different animal in the ‘60s. #fuckracism

After his time with The New Christy Minstrels, Rogers grew out his hair, pierced his ear, and stepped into the role of front-man for The First Edition. The song we all know and love, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," was the first of Rogers’ songs to hit the Billboard charts in 1968.

SIDE NOTE:On Billboard’s all-genre, Hot 100 Songs chart, Rogers marked 42 titles between 1968 and 2006. After "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In), " hit number 5 in 1968, "But You Know I Love You" reached 19th place in 1969. Rogers scored 11 Hot 100 top 10s, including two first place rankings, "Lady, " in 1980, and, in 1983, "Islands in the Stream, " which he sang with Dolly Parton.

Now, brace yourself. Are you sitting down? Kenny Rogers has a connection to "The Eagles. " I know, right?! In 1970, Rogers discovered Don Henley’s band, Shiloh, and produced their debut record. Don Henley and the rest of the band lived with Rogers for six months. Just after that, Henley joined the Eagles.

"Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) " is said to be a warning about the dangers of LSD. It was first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, backed by The Memphis Boys,; and before that, it was recorded by Teddy Hill & the Southern Soul as a single. Since then, it has been recorded by more than 23 artists, from a terrible rendition by Willie Nelson, to an almost lounge music version by Tom Jones.

Rogers led a long, storied life, so here are the highlights: he kept a pet goat named Smitty, he was married five times and had five children and , On March 20, 2020, he died under hospice care at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Because of COVID-19, his family is planning a private service with a public memorial to be scheduled later.

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