Gideon (album)

Gideon
Studio album by
Kenny Rogers
ReleasedMarch 24, 1980
Recorded1979–1980
StudioJack Clement Recording (Nashville, Tennessee)
GenreCountry
Length34:05
LabelUnited Artists Group
ProducerLarry Butler, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers chronology
Kenny
(1979) 		Gideon
(1980) 		Greatest Hits
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Gideon is the ninth studio album by American singer Kenny Rogers. It was released by United Artists Records in 1980. The album hit #1 on the Country albums chart and #12 on the main Billboard album chart. It includes the worldwide hit "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" (a duet with Kim Carnes, who co-wrote the entire album with her husband Dave Ellingson). Gideon was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Gideon is a concept album about a Texas cowboy, and all the songs stick to this theme. The album is a look back at his life in retrospect. In the first song "Gideon Tanner", it is known that Gideon is dead. This and most of the other songs are sung from the point of view of the character himself.

Although the album's only single release was "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer", the song "Saying Goodbye" was issued on the B-side to Rogers' top five hit single "Love the World Away".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kim Carnes and David M. Ellingson

No.TitleLength
1."Goin' Home to the Rock" (intro)0:40
2."Gideon Tanner"2:34
3."No Good Texas Rounder"4:11
4."Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" (duet with Kim Carnes)3:39
5."The Buckeroos"3:16
6."You Were a Good Friend"3:53
7."Call Me Up (The Phone Is in the Cradle)"3:17
8."These Chains"3:22
9."Somebody Help Me"2:51
10."One Place in the Night"2:59
11."Sayin' Goodbye"3:25
12."Goin' Home to the Rock" (reprise)0:58

Personnel

  • Kenny Rogers – lead vocals
  • Larry Butler – acoustic piano
  • Bill Cuomo – acoustic piano
  • Steve Glassmeyer – acoustic piano, backing vocals
  • Eugene Golden – acoustic piano, backing vocals
  • Edgar Struble – clavinet, synthesizers, backing vocals, horn arrangements (7)
  • Randy Dorman – guitar
  • Patrick Harper – guitar
  • Billy Sanford – guitar, dobro
  • Chuck Jacobs – bass guitar
  • Bobby Daniels – drums, backing vocals
  • Jerry Carrigan – percussion
  • Bill Justis – string arrangements
  • The Sheldon Kurland Strings – strings
  • Lea Jane Berinati – backing vocals
  • Kim Carnes – backing vocals, lead vocals (4)
  • James Cason – backing vocals
  • David Ellingson – backing vocals
  • Wendy Suits – backing vocals
  • Dennis Wilson – backing vocals

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Gideon
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[citation needed] 31
Canada Country Albums (RPM)[2] 1
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[3] 5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[4] 48
US Billboard 200[5] 12
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] 1

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[7] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Japan — 40,000[8]
United States (RIAA)[9] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Gideon Review by Joe Viglione". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Top RPM Country Albums: Issue 0185". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  3. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0172a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  4. ^ "Charts.nz – Kenny Rogers – Gideon". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  5. ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  6. ^ "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kenny Rogers – Gideon". Music Canada. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Fujita, Shig (November 7, 1981). "International - Japan Suffers From 'Country Allergy,' Yet Rogers Still No. 1" (PDF). Billboard. p. 76. Retrieved May 30, 2020 – via American Radio History.
  9. ^ "American album certifications – Kenny Rogers – Gideon". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 30, 2020.


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