Kenny Rogers’ Mother Gave Life-Changing Advice: ‘Always Be Happy Where You Are’
Plenty of stars credit their parents with helping them pursue their dreams, but for Kenny Rogers, that was especially true. The country icon said a piece of advice from his mother helped him keep going for more than 40 years in the entertainment business, even when things didn't seem so great.
"My mom told me when I was young, she said, ‘Son, always be happy where you are. Never be content to be there, but if you’re not happy where you are, you’ll never be happy,'" Rogers recalled to The Boot and other reporters in 2016. "So even in the down parts of my career, I’d have to stop and say, ‘Hey, I’m still making music. This is all I ever set out to do. Everything else is a bonus.'
"And, I think, with that attitude -- I’m always amazed at how much people will do for people they like and how much they won’t do for people they don’t like," Rogers continued. "I’ve tried desperately to use that concept in my life and in my career."
Rogers -- who died on March 20, 2020 -- also remembered some advice that his mentor Kirby Stone, the lead singer of the Kirby Stone Four, offered when Rogers was just starting out.
"He sat me down and said, ‘Kenny, let me tell you something: This is not all wet towels and naked women,'" Rogers said with a laugh. "I was really disappointed ... until I realized what he said. What he was saying is, this is a business, and if you don’t treat it like a business, it will eat you up.
"So I’ve always tried to do that: I’ve tried to be on time. I’ve tried to deliver. I’ve tried to be nice to people," Rogers explained. "And I’ve tried to work with people that bring me pleasure."
LOOK: Kenny Rogers Through the Years