Ken Levitan: Last News

Kenny Rogers' memory will continue with a posthumous album release next month. The record, will feature eight songs pulled from Rogers' archives by his widow, Wanda. Wanda's choices are described in the press release as a «stunning and emotional song cycle that tells the story of the love, life, loss, and faith between Rogers and his family.» Prior to his death in 2020, Kenny had not released music since 2015, when he recorded his Christmas album, . This week's release describes as Kenny's only «non-compilation/non-reissued full-length album to be released on vinyl since 1991.» The set will feature recordings from 2008 and 2011 which Wanda adds were «deeply personal» to Kenny. Rogers performs his own interpretation of «Wonderful Tonight» by Eric Clapton and «Goodbye» by Lionel Richie on the album, along with his collaboration with Dolly Parton, «Tell Me What You Love.» The recordings also feature Kenny's cover of Mack Gordon and Henry Warren's single, «At Last,» which Etta James famously recorded in in 1960, and and «Say Hello to Heaven,» initially written by Buddy Hyatt.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicThe estimated $55 million music market in Israel, like the Middle Eastern country’s comparatively small size, would quantify as the equivalent of a rounding error for a global music company. But its recorded music revenue growth was up 10.2% in 2021, per the IFPI, and the majors are taking notice.In 2021, UMG opened a Tel Aviv office housing a recorded music division and an arm of Universal Music Publishing Group (headed by managing director Yoram Mokady and general manager Itamar Shafrir, respectively).