Maps of Music

Gideon (1980)

Where the lyrics of Gideon take you, and where it was really made.

The first song, "Gideon Tanner", already reveals that Gideon is dead, and most of the album is sung from his point of view.

Key places

Recorded in Nashville (1980)

Recording site Nashville — The album was recorded at Jack Clement Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The point shows the city centre because only the city-level location is available. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Gideon is the ninth studio album by American singer Kenny Rogers
• Released in 1980 by United Artists Records
• Concept album about a Texas cowboy; all the songs stick to this theme
• The album looks back at the character's life in retrospect
• The first song "Gideon Tanner" makes clear that Gideon is already dead
• Most songs are sung from the character's own point of view
• Twelve tracks, from the intro "Goin' Home to the Rock" to its reprise

Background

• The album's only single release was "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer"
• The duet with Kim Carnes became a worldwide hit
• Carnes co-wrote the entire album with her husband Dave Ellingson
• "Saying Goodbye" was issued on the B-side of Rogers' top five hit single "Love the World Away"

Recording

• Producers: Larry Butler and Kenny Rogers
• Engineer: Billy Sherrill; mixing: Bill Schnee
• Recorded at Jack Clement Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
• Mastered by Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab in Los Angeles, California
• Kenny Rogers sings lead vocals; Kim Carnes sings backing and lead vocals on one track

Cover

• Art direction: Bill Burks
• Cover and poster photos: Ken Kragen
• Back cover photo: Reid Miles

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Kenneth Donald Ray Rogers was born on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas, and began his recording career in the late 1950s with the Houston group the Scholars.
• He was an American country singer-songwriter who moved from teenage rock and roll through psychedelic rock to become a country-pop crossover artist of the 1970s and 1980s.
• In 1967 he co-founded the First Edition with former New Christy Minstrels members, later renamed Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.

Members

• The First Edition's members included Mike Settle, Terry Williams, Thelma Camacho, and Kin Vassy.
• Rogers's backing band Bloodline has toured with him since 1976.

Career

• The First Edition scored hits including "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" before the group disbanded in 1976.
• As a solo artist he charted more than 60 top-40 singles, including the number-one hits "Lady" and "Islands in the Stream".
• He recorded duets with Dottie West, Dolly Parton, and Sheena Easton, and partnered with Lionel Richie as songwriter.
• His signature song "The Gambler" won a Grammy in 1980 and was selected for the National Recording Registry in 2018.
• He sold more than 100 million records worldwide and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
• He retired from touring in 2017 and died on March 20, 2020, at age 81.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released in 1980 by United Artists Records
• Concept album about a Texas cowboy, looking back at his life in retrospect
• The first song "Gideon Tanner" reveals that Gideon is dead
• Hit single "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer", a duet with Kim Carnes, described as a worldwide hit
• That song was the album's only single release
• Kim Carnes co-wrote the entire album with her husband Dave Ellingson
• Kenny Rogers sings lead vocals on the album
• Recorded at Jack Clement Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee

Records

• Country albums chart: number 1
• Billboard main album chart: number 12
• RIAA: platinum certification

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Concept album about a Texas cowboy, and all the songs stick to this theme
• The first song "Gideon Tanner" reveals that Gideon is dead, and most other songs are sung from the character's own point of view
• The album's songs were written by Kim Carnes and David Ellingson

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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