''Something Inside So Strong'' is the twenty-first studio album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

, released in 1989. The album includes the singles "When You Put Your Heart in It", "Planet Texas", "The Vows Go Unbroken", "Something Inside So Strong", and "Maybe".

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

Holly Dunn Holly Suzette Dunn (August 22, 1957 – November 14, 2016) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Dunn recorded for MTM Records between 1985 and 1988, Warner Bros. Records between 1988 and 1993, and River North Records between 199 ...

, and

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley ( ; born May 21, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sallye Bernice (née Bell) and O ...

are featured as duet partners.

Jim Ed Norman Jim Ed Norman (born October 16, 1948) is an American musician, record producer, arranger and label-head. As an arranger and producer, he was one of the principal architects of the distinctive sound of West Coast 1970s pop and country rock. He wa ...

produced the album, with additional production from

Steve Dorff Stephen Hartley Dorff (born April 21, 1949) is an American songwriter and composer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. Career Dorff has written several songs for other artists, including " Hypnotize the Moon" and " My Heart W ...

on " If I Ever Fall in Love Again".

Track listing

Personnel

* Kenny Rogers – lead vocals *

Matt Rollings Matt Rollings is a Grammy Award-winning American composer, keyboard player and record producer. Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, Rollings has worked with many artists, not all country. Rollings won the 'Best Traditional Pop ...

– acoustic piano (1, 4-9) *

John Barlow Jarvis John Barlow Jarvis (born January 2, 1954, in Pasadena, California)Paul Kingsbury, editor"The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music" 2004 is an American songwriter, composer, session pianist and recording artist. Before mo ...

– acoustic piano (3) *

– acoustic piano (10) * David Innis – synthesizers (1, 4, 7, 10) * Phil Naish – synthesizers (1-6, 9, 10) * Dennis Burnside – synthesizers (2, 8) *

Mike Lawler Michael Vincent Lawler (born September 9, 1986) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 17th congressional district since 2023. From 2021 to 2022, he was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly fr ...

– synthesizers (3, 4, 7-10) *

Shane Keister Shane Keister is an American musician. He is known for his work as a studio musician, writer, arranger and producer. He plays synthesizer, piano, Hammond B3, Synclavier, Fairlight CMI, Fender Rhodes, and others. History Keister was born in Huntin ...

– synthesizers (4) * Edgar Struble – synthesizers (5), backing vocals (5) *

Randy Kerber Randy Kerber (born September 25, 1958) is an American composer, orchestrator and keyboard player, who has had a prolific career in the world of cinema. Kerber was born in Encino, California. He began his first national tour with Bette Midler in ...

– synthesizers (6) * Carl Marsh – synthesizers (7) * Steve Gibson – guitar (1-7, 9, 10), acoustic guitar (8) *

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 Mitchel ...

– guitar (6) *

Dean Parks Weldon Dean Parks (born December 6, 1946) is an American session guitarist and record producer from Fort Worth, Texas. Parks has one Grammy nomination. Albums Parks was member of the North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los A ...

– guitar (6) * Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar (8, 10) *

David Hungate David Hungate (born August 5, 1948) is an American retired bass guitarist noted as a member of the Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2014 to 2015, and the son of judge William L. Hungate. Along with most of his ...

– bass (1, 4) * Michael Rhodes – bass (2, 6, 7, 8) *

Willie Weeks Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ga ...

– bass (3) *

Mike Brignardello Giant is an American melodic rock band that was formed in 1987. The band originally consisted of founding members Dann Huff (lead vocals and guitar) and Alan Pasqua (keyboard), and had Dann's brother David Huff on drums and Mike Brignardello o ...

– bass (5, 9) *

Paul Leim Paul William Leim (born December 29, 1950) is an American drummer and recording session musician based in Nashville. Biography Leim was born in Port Huron, Michigan and raised in Troup, Texas. He was inspired to take up drumming as a child a ...

– drums *

Jim Horn James Ronald Horn (born November 20, 1940) is an American saxophonist, woodwind player, and session musician. Biography Horn was born in Los Angeles, and after replacing saxophonist Steve Douglas in 1959, he toured with member Duane Eddy for ...

– saxophone (4, 10) * Mark Kibble – backing vocals (1, 4) * Claude V. McKnight III – backing vocals (1, 2, 4) * John Andrew Parks III – backing vocals (1) * David Thomas – backing vocals (1, 2) *

Mervyn Warren Mervyn Edwin Warren (born February 29, 1964) is an American film composer, record producer, Conductor (music), conductor, musical arranger, arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 1 ...

– backing vocals (1, 2) *

Alvin Chea Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music, gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood University, Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received seve ...

– backing vocals (2) * Vicki Hampton – backing vocals (2) * First Church Inspirational Choir – choir (2) * Antoinette Wilson – choir conductor (2) * Chris Harris – backing vocals (3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10) * Mark Heimerman – backing vocals (3, 4, 5, 10) *

– lead vocals (3) * Gary Janney – backing vocals (4, 5, 7, 9, 10) * Steven Glassmeyer – backing vocals (5) * Eugene Golden – backing vocals (5) *

Joe Chemay Joseph Chemay is an American bassist and backing vocalist, 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 ...

– backing vocals (6) *

– lead vocals (6) * Tony Sciuto – backing vocals (6) * Terry Williams – backing vocals (6) *

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

– backing vocals (8) * Sharon White – backing vocals (8) *

– lead vocals (9) *

– backing vocals (10)

Production

* Producers – Jim Ed Norman (Tracks 1-10); Steve Dorff (Additional production on Track 6). * Production Assistant – Danny Kee * Engineer – Eric Prestidge * Additional and Assistant Engineers – Joel Bouchillon, Scott Campbell, Robert Charles, Ken Frissen, Jeff Giedt, Lee Groitsch, Brian Hardin, Craig Hansen, John Hurley, Daniel Johnston, John David Parker, Hershey Reeves, Doug Smith, Bart Stevens and James Valentini. * Recorded at 16th Avenue Sound, Audio Media Recorders, Digital Recorders, The Loft and MasterMix (Nashville, TN); Sound Cell Recording Studios (Hunstville, AL); Bill Schnee Studios (Hollywood, CA); Manta Sound (Toronto, ON, Canada). * Edited by Keith Odle at GroundStar Laboratories (Nashville, TN). * Mastered by Glenn Meadows and Eric Prestidge at Masterfonics (Nashville, TN). * Art Direction and Design – Laura LiPuma * Photography – Kelly Junkerman and David Skernick * Management – Ken Kragen

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Kenny Rogers albums 1989 albums Reprise Records albums Albums produced by Jim Ed Norman