Kenny Rogers' 10 greatest songs, from 'The Gambler' to 'Lady'

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 19, 2017 shows US singer Kenny Rogers performing in concert on his 'Farewell Tour' during Rodeo Austin at the Travis County Expo Center in Austin, Texas. - Country music legend Kenny Rogers, whose career spanned six decades, has died at the age of 81, his family said late on March 20, 2020. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP)

Kenny Rogers may be best remembered for introducing a global pop audience to the homespun charms of country music. But his work as an ambassador didn't open just his listeners' ears: Perhaps more than any other Nashville act of his generation, Rogers, who died Friday at age 81, dabbled freely in other sounds and styles; his long and varied catalog, with its many collaborations, is a testament to both his musical curiosity and his keen commercial sense.

Looked back upon now, it also indicates clearly how country music, in many ways a hidebound genre before Rogers emerged, would evolve in his wake.