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Don
Schlitz

Don Schlitz is among the most impactful and eloquent songwriters in country music history.

Don Schlitz
  • Inducted
    2017
  • Born
    August 29, 1952
  • Died
    April 16, 2026
  • Birthplace
    Durham, North Carolina

Don Schlitz 1952 – 2026

“Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler.’ His curiosity about and concern for people fueled his empathetic songs, and his work ethic ensured that his gifts as a writer were fully realized. He wrote or co-wrote hits recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter, the Judds, Alison Krauss, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Keith Whitley, and many more. Kenny Rogers, whose voice brought ‘The Gambler’ to millions of listeners, once said, ‘Don doesn’t just write songs, he writes careers.’ He also donated time and talent to charity, often rising in the early morning to sing songs to the homeless at Room in the Inn. Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

—Kyle Young, CEO
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Don Schlitz is among the most impactful and eloquent songwriters in country music history.

Schlitz’s first hit came in 1978, when Kenny Rogers recorded “The Gambler,” an epic composition that garnered a Grammy Award and that became both a signature song for Rogers and a highlight of country music’s modern era. It also inspired a series of made-for-television movie treatments of The Gambler character, all starring Rogers.

Schlitz went on to co-write major hits including “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen” (Randy Travis), “When You Say Nothing at All” (Alison Krauss, Keith Whitley), “Strong Enough to Bend” (Tanya Tucker), “Old School” (John Conlee), “Give Me Wings” (Michael Johnson), “Deeper Than the Holler” (Randy Travis), “I Take My Chances” and “I Feel Lucky” (both recorded by co-writer Mary Chapin Carpenter), “Learning to Live Again” (Bobby Bare), and many more. In addition to Travis and Bare, Schlitz’s songs have been recorded by other Country Music Hall of Fame members, such as Alabama, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Ronnie Milsap, and George Strait.

Elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1993 and to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, Schlitz is known for songs that brim with wisdom and empathy. For decades, those songs have been heard during regular appearances at Nashville’s Bluebird Café, where Schlitz co-created the now-prevalent “in-the-round” format with collaborators Fred Knobloch, Paul Overstreet, and Thom Schuyler.

Don Schlitz was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017.   –Beverly Keel

Adapted from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Encyclopedia of Country Music, published by Oxford University Press.