''The Heart of the Matter'' is the seventeenth studio album by

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

, released by

RCA Nashville RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music. Current artists *Kane Brown *Andrew Jannakos *Miranda Lambert *Niko Moon (RCA/River Hou ...

. It was Rogers' eleventh album to reach #1 on ''Billboard'''s Country albums chart and certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Overview

This was Rogers' final album to reach #1 on the country charts until after his death. It peaked at #51 on the main ''Billboard'' album chart and was produced by

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the B ...

Singles

Two singles came from this album. "Morning Desire" reached the top of the country charts, as well as #8 on the adult contemporary chart and #72 on the pop charts. His next single, "Goodbye Marie", came from the ''

Short Stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

'' album (also released after Rogers signed to RCA) and charted. The final single from this album followed, "Tomb of the Unknown Love", was a #1 hit in the country charts.

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocals *

Anne Dudley Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genre ...

– keyboards (1, 2, 4, 7) * John Hobbs – keyboards (1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10) *

Randy Waldman Randy Waldman (born September 8, 1955, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor. In 2019, Waldman's arrangement of the " Spider-Man Theme" on his ''Superheroes'' album garnered the Grammy Award f ...

– keyboards (5, 8, 10) *

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

– acoustic piano (6), synthesizers (6),

Moog bass The Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music, originally conceived as a part of the Constellation series of synthesizers. The initial Taurus I was manufactured from 1975 to 1981; a less popular re ...

(6),

LinnDrum The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far mo ...

(6) * Jimmy Cox – keyboards (9) *

Ian Bairnson Ian Bairnson (born 3 August 1953 as ''John Bairnson'') is a Scottish musician, best known for being one of the core members of The Alan Parsons Project. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who has played saxophone and keyboards, although he is best ...

– guitar (1, 2, 4, 7) *

Billy Joe Walker Jr. Billy Joe Walker Jr. (February 29, 1952 – July 25, 2017) was an American songwriter, record producer and recording artist. He composed singles for Eddie Rabbitt, including " I Wanna Dance with You", " That's Why I Fell in Love with You" and " ...

– guitar (1, 2, 4, 7) *

Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitch ...

– guitar (3, 9) *

Steve Lukather Steven Lee Lukather (born October 21, 1957) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer, best known as the sole continuous founding member of the rock band Toto. His reputation as a skilled guitarist led to a stea ...

– guitar (3) *

Stanley Jordan Stanley Jordan (born July 31, 1959) is an American jazz guitarist noted for his playing technique, which involves tapping his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar with both hands. Music career Jordan was born in Chicago, Illinois, United St ...

– guitar solo (4) * Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (5, 8, 10) *

Fred Tackett Fred Tackett (born August 30, 1945) is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat. In addition to his work with Little F ...

– guitar (5, 8, 10) *

Mo Foster Mo Foster (born Michael Ralph Foster, 22 December 1944) is an English multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, solo artist, author, and public speaker. Through a career spanning over half a century, Foster has toured, recorded, and perf ...

– bass (1, 2, 4, 7) *

Joe Chemay Joe Chemay is an American bassist and background singer, known for his recording session work. Biography Chemay started out working as a session and touring support musician in Los Angeles, but moved to Nashville in 1989. Chemay has worked wi ...

– bass (3), backing vocals (3, 8) *

Neil Stubenhaus Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist. Career He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975. After graduation, he was rec ...

– bass (5, 8, 10) *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...

– bass (9), backing vocals (9) * Stuart Elliott – drums (1, 2, 4, 7) *

Leon "Ndugu" Chancler Leon "Ndugu" Chancler ( ; July 1, 1952 – February 3, 2018) was an American pop, funk, and jazz drummer. He was also a composer, producer, and university professor. Biography Early life Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on July 1, 1952, Leon C ...

– drums (9), percussion (9) * Steve Leach – percussion (1) *

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...

– percussion (1), backing vocals (1) *

Kin Vassy Charles Kindred Vassy (August 16, 1943 – June 23, 1994) was a singer-songwriter, who in addition to his solo recordings also recorded with other artists, most notably Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley. In the 1960s, Vassy was a mem ...

– percussion (1), backing vocals (3, 4, 7-10) * Terry Williams – percussion (1), backing vocals (1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10) * John Robinson – percussion (2), drums (3, 5, 8, 10) * Gary Herbig – saxophone (1, 3) *

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

– saxophone (1) *

Bill Reichenbach Jr. William Frank Reichenbach Jr. (born November 30, 1949) is an American jazz trombonist and composer. He is the son of Bill Reichenbach, who was the drummer for Charlie Byrd from 1962 to 1973. He is best known as a session musician for television, ...

– trombone (1) * Gary Grant – trumpet (1, 9) *

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', ''Rock with You'', ...

– trumpet (1, 9), horn arrangements (9) * Donnie Sanders –

saxello The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

(2) *

James Galway Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". He established an international career as a solo flute player. In 2005, he received the Brit Award for Outstan ...

–

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

(6) *

James Thatcher James Thatcher may refer to: * James Thatcher (musician), American hornist * James Thatcher (MP), English politician * James W. Thatcher, American computer scientist See also * James Thacher James Thacher (February 14, 1754 – May 26, 1844 ...

–

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

(6) *

Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...

– French horn (6) * Gayle Levant –

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

(4) *

– arrangements (1, 3, 8), string arrangements (2, 4) *

Jeremy Lubbock Jeremy Michael Lubbock (4 June 1931 – 29 January 2021) was a Grammy-winning English pianist, conductor, orchestrator, music producer, arranger, composer, and songwriter. Life and career Born in Berkshire, he learned piano as a child, and ...

– string arrangements and conductor (5, 6, 8, 10), additional keyboards (6) * Jules Chakin – string contractor (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) *

Israel Baker Israel Baker (February 11, 1919 – December 25, 2011) was an American violinist and concertmaster. Through a long and varied career he played with many of the greatest figures in the worlds of classical music, jazz and pop. He appeared on hund ...

– strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Arnold Belnick – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Denyse Buffum – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) *

Stuart Canin Stuart Canin (born 1926 in New York City) is an American violinist and conductor. On December 30, 1936, at the age of 10, he performed on the Fred Allen radio hour.Alex Walsh, "STUART CANIN: "...An Excellent Violinist." — Harry Truman," Dec. 10, ...

– strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Isabelle Daskoff – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Assa Drori – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Bruce Dukov – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Ronald Folsom – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Reginald Hill – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Bill Hybel – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * William Hymanson – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Dennis Karmazyn – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Ray Kelley – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Kathleen Lenski – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Gordan Marron – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) *

Buell Neidlinger Buell Neidlinger (March 2, 1936 – March 16, 2018) was an American cellist and double bassist. He has worked with a variety of pop and jazz performers, prominently with iconoclastic pianist Cecil Taylor in the 1950s and '60s. Biography Neidling ...

– strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Bill Nuttycombe – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Garry Nuttycombe – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Don Palmer – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Jay Rosen – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Sheldon Sanov – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * David Schwartz – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Fred Seykoura – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Marshall Sosson – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Robert Sushel – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Mari Tsumari-Botnick – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Shari Zippert – strings (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) * Kenny Rogers II – backing vocals (3, 9) *

Herb Pedersen Herbert Joseph Pedersen (born April 27, 1944 in Berkeley, California) is an American musician, guitarist, banjo player, and singer-songwriter who has played a variety of musical styles over the past fifty years including Country music, country, ...

– backing vocals (7, 9, 10) * David Morgan – backing vocals (9)

Production

* Producer – George Martin * Engineers – Terry Christian and Jon Kelley * Second engineers – Bino Espinoza, Laura Livingston and Stephen Shelton * Strings recorded by John Richards * Second Engineer (strings) – Olivier de Bosson * Recorded at

Sunset Sound Sunset, also known as sundown, is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon due to Earth's rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth (except the North and South poles), the equinox Sun sets due west at the moment of both the spring ...

(Hollywood), Lion Share Recording (Los Angeles), Soundcastle (Santa Monica), Evergreen Studios (Burbank) and Studio Marcadet (Paris, France) * Mixed by Jon Kelley at Soundcastle and Hollywood Sound Recorders (Hollywood) * Mix assistants – Bino Espinoza and Mike Wuellner * Mastered by Wally Traugott at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood) * Product manager – Antony Amos * Art direction – Becky Stewart * Design – John Coulter Design * Photography –

Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, Music video director, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his care ...

* Liner notes – Peter Doggett * Management – Dreamcatcher Artist Management

Charts

In popular culture

"Don't Look In My Eyes" was used by

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...

for a music video of the 1986

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

during the postgame show of the

1986 World Series The 1986 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1986 Major League Baseball season, 1986 season. The 83rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National Lea ...

, after the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

defeated the Red Sox in Game 7 to win the World Championship.

References

External links

* The Heart of the Matter album page at Allmusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Heart of the Matter, The Kenny Rogers albums 1985 albums Albums produced by George Martin Liberty Records albums