Kenny Rogers TV Special Celebrates His 50 Years in Music

Kenny Rogers is celebrating his first 50 years in music with a star-studded TV special featuring some of his closest friends including Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Alison Krauss, Smokey Robinson, Chris Isaak, Tim McGraw, Wynonna, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, the Oak Ridge Boys and Sheena Easton -- and that's just for starters.

The 90-minute special is scheduled to air at 8:30 PM (ET) March 8 on Great American Country (GAC). The show was taped on April 10 at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Ledyard, Conn., and includes plenty of performance footage of Kenny with the other artists including the original First Edition. (Watch a preview clip after the jump)

%VIRTUAL-globalVideoEmbed-{"videoIds":"517721095","width":"476","height":"357"}%

"One of the things I loved the most about doing this special was hearing some of the old songs I had recorded performed in new ways by my talented friends," says Kenny. "What I think most people don't understand is, every artist on this show has a pretty heavy performance schedule so to set aside a couple of days for a friend is not as easy as it may sound. I was thrilled to see each and every one of them and to have the chance to 'catch up' on our friendships."

Fans tuning into the special will be able to 'catch up' on some of Kenny's past hits performed during the show including 'Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town,' 'She Believes in Me,' 'Lucille,' and 'Coward of the County.'

Still craving more Kenny? Don't forget that starting March 7, Kenny's first gospel album 'The Love of God,' will be available only at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores. The album includes a mix of classic hymns such as 'Amazing Grace,' and inspirational songs.

"'The Love of God' is the culmination of an idea I had been thinking about for years but never had the opportunity to bring to life," says Kenny. "It's been a musical awakening to me ... I have a personal relationship with every song on it."

Kenny Rogers is on tour. His next concert is scheduled for March 5 in Franklin, N.C. For more concert information, check here.