The songwriter of ‘The Gambler’ and other country hits was 73.

Don SchlitzOne of the most widely respected names in country music songwriting history, died April 16 in a Nashville hospital after what was described as a sudden illness. He was 73 years old.

member Country Music Hall of FameSchlitz is perhaps best known to the public as the sole author of “The Gambler,” one of country’s most iconic singles and perhaps the genre’s most quoted song. Kenny Rogers 1978. It was the first song he recorded by anyone, but it wasn’t all downhill from there.

Many of his other hits were co-written, many of them with fellow songwriting legends like Paul Overstreet. Collaborations with Overstreet include the 1987 hit “Forever and Ever, Amen.” randy travis; Travis’ other songs include “On the Other Hand” in 1986 and “Deeper Than the Holler” in 1988; and “When You Say Nothing at All,” which made it a country number one by Keith Whitley in 1992 (and also had success with Alison Krauss & Union Station and Ronan Keating, which reached number one in the UK in 1999).

Occasionally, Schlitz co-wrote songs with recording artists, such as the 1992 hit “I Feel Lucky,” which she co-wrote with singer Mary Chapin Carpenter, and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” which Carpenter turned into another hit the following year.

He had several enduring hits with the Judds, including “Turn It Loose,” “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain” and “I Know Where I’m Going,” co-written with producer Brett Maher, each of which became a No. 1 country hit for the mother-daughter duo in the late ’80s.

Others who have recorded his material include Alabama, Sara Evans, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Ronnie Milsap, Reba McEntire, Bellamy Brothers, Tanya Tucker, Garth Brooks, Pam Tillis, Sweethearts of the Rodeo, Kathy Mattea, Oak Ridge Boys, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Schlitz’s many honors include induction into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in 1993, the (New York-based) Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017, and the Grand Ole Opry in 2022.

The Country Hall of Fame is especially notable because Schlitz was the sixth songwriter to be inducted at the time. The Opry’s recognition is similarly notable because he was the only non-performing composer to be so inducted in Opry history. Although he certainly became a performer with many regular appearances there, as he did with many of the songwriters’ rounds at the Bluebird Cafe.

In terms of awards, “The Gambler” won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Country Song and became the CMA’s Song of the Year the following year. Ultimately, he won two Grammy Awards, three CMA Song of the Year Awards, and two ACM Song of the Year Awards. He was also named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year four consecutive years from 1988-91.

His skills extended to Broadway, where he wrote both music and lyrics for the 1999 musical “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

Schlitz often talked about how he wrote “The Gambler” at age 23, when he was working as a computer operator at Vanderbilt University and had dreamed of becoming a writer. One day, while walking two or three miles home from work without a car, he wrote the entire song in his head, minus the kicker. “I’m just making this story song. It has good rhyme and rhyme, so I’m going to put it in…. I came back to my apartment, sat down at my dad’s old Smith-Corona typewriter — I’m a pretty good typist — and wrote it from beginning to end, without any final verses. When I finished it, the song was too long, no love angle, not a fast tempo, not a fast tempo. It’s a pretty linear melody,” he told the Library of Congress. 2018 Interview.

One solution to the song was that there was no solution. “It wasn’t there then. that The last verse used 50 to 60 options. One version had 50 lines and the other version had another 50 lines. “I didn’t know how to end it or how to get out of the song, and I finally decided to just leave it open-ended, like an O. Henry finish, letting the listener decide what happens in the end.”

Bobby Bare recorded this song, but his record company didn’t think it was worth releasing. Three different versions followed, including one recorded by Schlitz himself, which he recalled peaked at number 61. ASCAP executives then took it and had both Johnny Cash and Rogers record it, and the latter singer’s version was the starting gate.

“Kenny’s version was really special and fit his persona. Then they created this amazing album cover. He changed a few words and modulated it after the first chorus. His version was faster tempo. … The song became ubiquitous. … In fact, I thought it was a hit because it was a story and it was somewhat linear and there was no ‘finished’ ending! It allowed the listener to participate. It respected the listener’s intelligence. And I say this: (Bob) McDill once told me, ‘You can’t write country music while ignoring it.’ Listeners are smart people, and it was a great time to sing.

“I can’t explain enough what Kenny did for the song, for me, and for country music. Kenny was always loyal, kind and generous in his praise. The power of Kenny Rogers and producer genius Larry Butler. The right people at the right time.”

He added, “If this song becomes an American folk song, I’m fine with it. I’m not a card player, I’m not a gambler, I don’t do that. And that’s not what the song is about anyway. If it is, that’s fine for some people. But (the song) is about discretion. It’s about choices and the choices you make. It’s very simple, but very direct. I think you get the meaning of the story when you listen to the song.” “There is wisdom in Kenny’s voice.”

Schlitz had performed a few times on the Opry when Vince Gill officially invited him to become a member. He soon became a favorite of the Opry audience, beginning bluntly with “You have no idea who I am,” before telling the story of his songwriting career.

“I remember whispering to Vince on stage, ‘Don’t leave me here alone.’” Schlitz recalled his first appearance on the Opry. American composer “I went out in 2022 and played ‘The Gambler’ and everyone applauded. On the drive home we were quiet, like old friends. I asked him, ‘Do you ever get old?’ “He told me, ‘No,’ and it turned out to be true.”

He officially quit composing some time ago, saying the constant sense of inner spiritual exploration had exhausted him. “I woke up and looked at my wife and said, ‘I want to stop.’ I want to stop thinking about it all the time.’ That was my process. I heard people say: I read. I wanted to write songs that people would want to listen to. “More than anything, I wanted to find a way to speak honestly about what came from the heart.”

He was still impressed by the unpredictable hit magic, saying, “I have no idea what song will come out.” that Are you going to tell me that I have to write a song that’s so long that it’s about a guy talking to an older guy who’s either drunk or not smoking? “Yeah, I wanted to hear that story.”

Schlitz said, “I’m not going to think about my legacy yet, but I get to share Kenny Rogers’ legacy. Keith Whitley’s legacy. Randy Travis’ legacy. These are the songs they know from their heroes.”

Schlitz is survived by his wife, Stacey; his daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon; his son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz; his grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah; his brother, Brad Schlitz; and his sister, Kathy Hinkley. Your service plan is pending.