Kenny Rogers takes his love to (Killarney) town

THE voice down the phone from Houston, Texas, is as familiar as a favourite uncle, an easy drawl heard countless times over the airwaves singing any of his multitude of hits.

Little wonder Kenny Rogers — who stole the show at Glastonbury this weekend — sounds like someone you meet every day, having had global record sales of 120m. A measure of his unique success is his rare claim to having a hit chart record in each of the past seven decades right back to the 1950s.

“I’ve never considered myself a great singer, but I do have a certain way as a storyteller,” he says. “I’ve been very lucky in finding many great songs that have had a staying power, and have lingered longer in the heart.”