Before His Passing, Kenny Rogers Shared One Of His Most Painful Romantic Regrets
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton were a match made in country music heaven, but many fans hoped that they would eventually become something more than just duet partners. After falling in love with the pair's performances, fans waited with great anticipation for the day Dolly and Kenny would announce they were finally an item. That day never came, of course, but there was a good reason why. Kenny himself once spoke out about the subject, and Then, after he’d passed away, Dolly knew it was time to tell the full story.
Lone Singer
The romantic tension between Kenny and Dolly first sparked in 1983 when the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb wrote and produced the song "Islands in the Stream." Originally, it was just Kenny singing alone on the track, but it soon became obvious that something was definitely missing.
Incomplete
Kenny and Barry recorded for four days with little success. No matter what they tried, the song just didn't sound complete. They needed a voice that was sweet, melodic, and wholly original. Yup, they needed Dolly! She was one of the biggest stars in the industry at that time, and a happy coincidence led her to the studio the same day.
Finding Dolly
Nope, no phone call was needed to schedule a meeting with Dolly. As luck would have it, Kenny's manager, Ken Kragen, had made a fateful observation. "I saw her downstairs," he'd told Kenny and Barry. Kenny immediately responded, "Well, go get her!"
Powerful First Meeting
So, Dolly was introduced to the song. And when she and Kenny recorded it for the first time, Barry knew they had found their missing piece. "Islands in the Stream" became a huge hit, with audiences taken in not only by Dolly and Kenny's sweet harmonizing, but also by their flirtatious chemistry.
