Kenny Rogers Tops Billboard Country Albums Chart for First Time in 34 Years

by Jim Casey | @TheJimCasey | March 30, 2020

Kenny Rogers may be gone, but the country music icon is definitely not forgotten.

One week after Kenny’s death on March 20, his 2018 album, The Best of Kenny Rogers: Through the Years, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The 20-song offering moved 31,000 equivalent album units, according to Nielsen Music, which bested Kelsea Ballerini’s new self-titled studio album by 3,000 units.

The last time Kenny reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart was with The Heart of the Matter in February 1986. The new chart-topper brings Kenny’s career tally to 12 No. 1 albums.

In his nearly six decades on the charts, Kenny sold more than 120 million albums and recorded 24 No. 1 songs. He won three Grammys, eight ACMs and six CMAs. Kenny was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013 and received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 CMA Awards.

photo by Curtis Hilbun, AFF-USA.com

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