Don Schlitz obit

Country songwriter Don Schlitz passes away

 He was not on the list.

This weekend’s Grand Ole Opry performance will be dedicated to him

Don Schlitz, composer of the iconic song “The Gambler,” passed away on April 16th at a Nashville hospital after a sudden illness. He was 73.

Schlitz was among the most influential and beloved songwriters in the history of country music. His chart-topping songs – among them “The Gambler,” “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” “The Greatest,” and “When You Say Nothing At All” – are touchstones and inspirations that continue to influence songwriters and singers decades after they were written. His words and music have articulated the extraordinary emotions inherent in common experience.

Schlitz’s first recorded song, “The Gambler,” won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 1978 and the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year in 1979. When Schlitz was notified by a reporter that he was nominated for CMA Song of the Year, the reporter told him, “This will be the first line of your obituary.”

His 50 Top 10 singles have played major roles in the careers of Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Keith Whitley, Alison Krauss, and many other singers. Schlitz achieved 25 No. 1s in his career.

Schlitz was the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years from 1988-1991. He won three CMA Song of the Year Awards, two ACM Song of the Year awards, two Grammys, and has had many more nominations. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in 1993.

In 2012, Schlitz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City (along with Bob Seger and Gordon Lightfoot). Past recipients include Bob Dylan, Leiber and Stoller, Otis Blackwell, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney.

In 2017, Schlitz was inducted as a Member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Having written hits across five decades, he joined an exclusive circle in the Country Music Hall of Fame that at that time included only five other songwriters: Bobby Braddock, Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard, and Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.

In 2022, Schlitz was inducted as a Member of the Grand Ole Opry, the only non-artist songwriter inducted into the show in its 100-year history. Schlitz would begin his set with his signature self-effacing humor, telling the audience, “You have no idea who I am.” After hearing the songs that he performed from his iconic song catalog, the audience often erupted in cheers and standing ovations.

Schlitz also wrote the music and lyrics for the 1999 Broadway musical “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. Though he could have hung up his ambitions and his songwriting pen after having written “The Gambler,” Schlitz said he lived in enduring commonality with Tom Sawyer’s creator, Mark Twain, who once wrote: “I am hard at work … merely for the love of it.”

Don Schlitz was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina. He briefly attended Duke University before moving to Nashville at age 20 on a Trailways bus with $80 in his pocket. His talent was recognized and fostered early on by greats, including Bob McDill and Bobby Bare, and he emerged as an empathetic and intelligent chronicler of the human spirit.

One of the first performers at Amy Kurland’s iconic songwriter club The Bluebird Café, Schlitz and friends Thom Schuyler, J. Fred Knobloch, and Paul Overstreet originated the Café’s songwriter-in-the-round format in 1985. Don popularized his Tuesday Night “Don For A Dollar” show, with a cover charge of $1, where he regularly performed his hits and new material at The Bluebird, interspersed with his wry wit and unique comic timing.

When Rogers recorded “The Gambler” – the young songwriter’s first recorded song – Schlitz moved into rare territory, penning a crossover song that spawned a pop cultural fascination. Rogers’ 1978 version rode an unforgettable chorus wrapped around a simple life lesson: “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em/know when to fold ’em/know when to walk away/and know when to run.” The song, written when Schlitz was 23, spawned television movies, parodies, Halloween costumes, and became one of those handful of Country songs that crossed over into America’s pop cultural fabric in the 1970s. Rogers’ version resonated deeply with listeners, and nearly 50 years later, the song continues to pop up in movies and television, including in an insurance commercial with Rogers singing that iconic chorus during a card game, as well as on a “Draft Kings” commercial promoting responsible gaming.

Don 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.

Perhaps Kenny Rogers said it best when expressing his feelings as an artist when inducting Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by stating, “Don doesn’t just write songs, he writes careers.”

Saturday night’s Grand Ole Opry performance will be dedicated in Schlitz’s honor. Other service plans are pending.