Kenny Rogers Jr Followed in His Father's Footsteps – He Is an Actor and a Composer

Kenny Rogers Sr. was known as The Gambler but saw himself as a storyteller. In his way, his son and namesake, Kenny Rogers Jr., followed his late father's legacy.

Growing up, Kenny Rogers Jr. lived three weeks a year at Disneyland, where his dad played the Tomorrowland stage. He witnessed his father's rise from playing in dingy Las Vegas venues to becoming a beloved country crooner.

In his twenties, it looked like he would also become a chart-topper like Kenny Rogers Sr. when he released a solo album at the end of the 80s. However, the Texan's musical efforts are now purely concentrated on the production end of the industry.

Kenny Rogers Jr. Is Kenny Rogers' Second Child

Kenneth "Kenny" Rogers was born on May 24, 1964, in Houston, Texas, to Margo Anderson and Kenny Sr. He was the only child born from this union but has four siblings through his dad's other marriages. His parents divorced when he was 12.

The son of country royalty made his debut in the entertainment world as Edward Broad in the two-part mini-series, "A Woman Called Moses," which starred Cicely Tyson as Harriet Tubman in 1978.

In the 1990 holiday classic, "Christmas in America," he starred opposite his father as David Morgan, a son with a strained relationship with his dad, which by all accounts was not his experience with his father.

He had two other roles in his father's TV movies, "Rio Diablo," in 1993 and 1994's "MacShayne: The Final Roll of the Dice." The latter was one of the films inspired by Kenny Sr.'s country hit, "The Gambler." It was the last role Kenny Jr. would take in the '90s.

Kenny Sr. gave the award to his son after he said it looked cool.

The entertainer briefly returned to the silver screen as Professor Raymer in the goofball comedy, "About a Bum and a Boy," written and directed by Keaton Rogers and Nick Vojdani.

Kenny Jr. provided additional vocals on Kenny Sr.'s songs "What About Me?" in 1984 and, a year later, "The Heart Of The Matter." He had a fleeting foray as a solo artist with his 1989 pop-rock album, "Yes - No/Maybe," which produced one single, "Take Another Step Closer."

The Texan produced and provided instrumentals for the county boy band Marshall Dyllon for their debut album, "Enjoy The Ride," in 2000.

As a composer, he worked on the feature films "Riders in the Storm," 1995's "Shenanigans," and "Pacino Is Missing." His tunes are featured on the soundtracks for "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping," "Get Him to the Greek," and "Up All Night."

Kenny Rogers Gave His Son One of the First MTV Moon Man Award Statues

The composer might not have many shiny accolades, but he has one of the first MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), nicknamed the Moon Man for its astronaut design, in his possession.

Kenny Sr. received an award at the inaugural VMAs for his efforts on the iconic charity song "We Are The World." His son revealed on a podcast that his father and Pat Benatar provided the funding to record the track.

Kenny Jr. happened to be home when his dad returned from the awards with the silver statuette, and the much-awarded Kenny Sr. gave the award to his son after he said it looked cool.

Kenny Rogers Jr. Dated Tia Carrere

In his mid-twenties, Kenny Jr. was on the arm of one of the most beautiful actresses of the time, Tia Carrere. The '80s duo walked a few red carpets as a couple.

They dated around 1986 before she became famous as the scene stealer in 1992's "Wayne's World" and its sequel a year later opposite Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.

The pair met through their shared publicist, who asked the born storyteller, Kenny Jr., to take some of their clients out with him for publicity. The singer was very good at talking his way into the hottest Los Angeles nightspots.

Kenny Jr. learned from his dad how to befriend the paparazzi to get better treatment from them. He was friends with another son of a notable industry person, Robert Downey Jr. He once said he was "amazed" when seeing his friends fall prey to their addictions.