Eyes That See in the Dark

This huge 1983 success was made through a collaboration between Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees and the Houston, Texas-born country veteran, who turned 75 in 2013. ‘Islands in the Stream,’ his duet with another country great, Dolly Parton, topped the general, country and adult-contemporary charts in America. The album consequently sold an astonishing fifteen million copies worldwide.

Starting as a rockabilly singer in the 1950s, Rogers worked with country band the First Edition from 1967, then enjoyed successive solo hits after its dissolution in 1976. Lionel Richie's ‘Lady’ (1980) topped the general, country and adult-contemporary charts, pointing rapidly towards AOR. Here Rogers's warm, husky voice blends beautifully with the Bee Gees' lavish mellow writing across ten co-written songs. Incidentally, Gibb reportedly adapted ‘Islands in the Stream’ from a song originally intended for Marvin Gaye.