Don Schlitz, one of country music’s all-time songwriting greats, a hitmaker who collected almost every possible accolade including two Grammy Awards, the first of those for “The Gambler,” died Thursday (April 16) at a Nashville hospital following a sudden illness. He was 73.
Schlitz achieved greatness with his first recorded song, “The Gambler,” which he wrote at the age of 23. It went on to win the Grammy for best country song in 1978, and gave its performer Kenny Rogers a launchpad into the stars. It was a reporter who informed Schlitz that the song had been nominated for the Country Music Association’s song of the year, remarking that it would be the first line of his obituary. The song won, and the late songsmith will forever be remembered for it.
Today, “The Gambler,” a timeless tale of a card shark with sharp wits, is played everywhere that people party.
Born and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Schlitz briefly attended Duke University before moving to Nashville at age 20. The story goes that he caught the bus to Music Row with just $80 in his pocket. He knew how to play his cards right.
Schlitz was no one-hit wonder. He also crafted hits for Randy Travis, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss, his creations including “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “The Greatest,” and “When You Say Nothing At All.” All “are touchstones and inspirations that continue to influence songwriters and singers decades after they were written,” reads a statement from the Grand Ole Opry, which in 2022 inducted Schlitz as a member. “His words and music have articulated the extraordinary emotions inherent in common experience.”
Commercial success was followed with a slew of lifetime achievement awards, and many more major honors from his peers. Schlitz was named ASCAP country songwriter of the year for four consecutive years, from 1988-91, and his collection includes a hattrick of CMA song of the year awards and a brace of ACM song of the year awards. He won a second Grammy in 1987, also in the category for best country song, with “Forever And Ever, Amen.”
Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame came in 1993. Then, in 2012, Schlitz was elevated into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Rogers was on hand that night to salute Schlitz. “Don doesn’t just write songs,” the late superstar singer remarked, “he writes careers.”
Later, Schlitz was inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017, at a the time when only five other songwriters were admitted: Bobby Braddock, Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard, and Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.
Schlitz’s Grand Ole Opry nod saw him become the only non-artist songwriter inducted into the show in its 100-year history. The prolific music man also wrote the music and lyrics for the 1999 Broadway musical “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
The Grand Ole Opry performance this Saturday night (April 18) will be dedicated in Schlitz’ honor. Other service plans are pending, reps say.
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.
