Author: Juli Thanki, Nashville Tennessean

Actor-singer Kenny Rogers, the smooth, Grammy-winning balladeer who spanned various music genres, died of natural causes Friday night. He was 81.

“We’re going to be the oldest guys to make it in rock ‘n’ roll,” says actor Dennis Quaid, who worked with T Bone Burnett on his album with the Sharks.

Tony Joe White was known for enduring classics like “Polk Salad Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia.”