Kenny Rogers filled that niche nicely as Manilow's chart activity subsided,Lionel Richie keeping the arrangement large but not overpowering. What's interesting is that this is the kind of song Barry Manilow would beautifully over-orchestrate as he did right up to his rendition of David Pomeranz' 'The Old Songs' by the end of 1981. There are no backing vocalists, it is just Kenny Rogers and the instrumentation, his voice out front and center, warm, loving and friendly. It's the kind of ballad that a Frank Sinatra or Johnny Mathis would have brought to a different era, and it is helped in no small part by Richie's elegant and very smart production work.

A sterling production and glossy sound helped make the Dorff/Panzer composition of everlasting love as tender and romantic a Kenny Rogers tune as you'll find. Not only the title of his boxed set retrospective, this song was also Kenny at his most adult contemporary. But as of September 25, 2015, Rogers has announced his decision to retire. 'Through The Years'went Top 15 at the beginning of 1982, landing atop the Adult Contemporary charts, where Rogers became a familiar face and as dominating a force as he was on the country charts in the 1970s. For the past 57 years, Kenny Rogers has been one of the most prominent names in country music. Dolly's collaborative album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, Trio, will be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021.

Lionel Richie was no stranger to the adult contemporary charts with his own records on Motown, so his work with Kenny Rogers was not the stretch it looked like on paper. Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers are headed to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Kenny rogers through the years hq