Kenny Rogers United Artists Records Multi-Platinum Record Award for His 1978 LP The Gambler

Offered is a United Artists Records in-house quadruple-platinum record award for Kenny Rogers smash hit 1978 album The Gambler. The award was presented to Art Director & Designer for the album artwork, Bill Burks. The album was the pinnacle of the 1970's music world's fascination with the Old West. While Rogers was certainly a Country artist, with The Gambler he leaned in hard to those Western themes, and the art direction of the album was focused on the character in the title track. The LP even included a fold-out poster of Rogers dressed as "The Gambler." That title track and "She Believes in Me" were both big hits off of the album, which eventually would sell more than 5 million copies. 

In-house awards were commonplace in the industry in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and it's understandable that the record label would want to honor the Art Director who designed the iconic LP cover art. This award likely dates to that period. The plaque reads: "Presented to Bill Burks to commemorate the sale of more than 4,000,000 copies of the United Artists Records long-playing album 'The Gambler.'" Interestingly, Burks later gifted the award to Kenny Rogers for display in one of his "Kenny Rogers Roasters" restaurants which were launched in 1991. The second plaque on the award, most-likely added by a collector at a later time, reads: "This piece given to Kenny Rogers from Bill Burks for Roaster's Restaurant." The award was sold when the Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurants closed in the late 1990s. The award measures 41 x 24 inches and presents with some moderate wear to the painted frame. Excellent to Mint condition.