Don Schlitz, A Most Deserving Songwriter Inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame
Each year the Country Music Hall of Fame inducts a new member from a rotating group that includes individuals involved in country music behind-the-scenes. These are the contributors that regularly don’t receive the attention they deserve like the performers. In 2017, that opportunity fell to the songwriters, and in the Hall of Fame’s estimation, Don Schlitz was the man whose name is deserving to be forever enshrined in country music’s most hallowed institution.
From Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” to Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen,” to Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All,” Don Schlitz set the pace for penning some of the most memorable compositions in country music history, and created those timeless moments for the performers who took those songs and made them hits.
Born Donald Alan Schlitz Jr. in 1952 in Durham, North Carolina, Don Schlitz was already a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for among other distinctions, winning two Grammy Awards for songs he wrote (“The Gambler” and “Forever and Ever, Amen”), as well as multiple CMA, ACM, and ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards.
Though perhaps best known for his towering hits for Randy Travis, including “Deeper Than The Holler,” “Heroes and Friends,” “On The Other Hand,” and the aforementioned “Forever and Ever, Amen,” Schlitz wrote signature songs for Alabama, Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Paul Overstreet, and scores more through his storied career. Randy Travis, whose career is defined by Don Schlitz songs, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
“I’ve been living in the parenthesis all this time and it’s very safe and very wonderful, getting to work on something different every day,” said Don from the podium of the Hall of Fame Rotunda on Wednesday morning (4-5). “There are some names in the Rotunda that I have no idea who they are and I expect to be one of those names. To be the least recognizable name in that room, is an honor beyond anything I could ever think. I can do my best to represent.”
Don Schlitz’s songwriting career spans five decades, and will now be capped off with country music’s greatest distinction.
The other 2017 Hall of Fame Inductees were Jerry Reed in the Veteran’s Era, and Alan Jackson in the Modern Era. All of the newest members will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame in a private medallion ceremony later this year.
April 5, 2017 @ 11:48 am
Wow. He could have stopped at “On The Other Hand” and he would have had my vote. Thanks for posting this, Trigger. I had no idea.
And I love the quote from him!
April 5, 2017 @ 11:56 am
That was the first song that popped into my head when they announced Don Schlitz. Such an incredibly-written song, but the perfect example of something that wouldn’t even get cut in today’s country environment. Think of what a travesty it would be if a song like that went unpublished.
April 5, 2017 @ 12:10 pm
And it actually flopped as Randy Travis’ first major label single. It was released in the summer of 1985 and I believe peaked in the 40s somewhere and then they released ‘1982’ which went top ten and then they came back with ‘On The Other Hand’ again and it became his first number one in the summer of 1986.
So it’s conceivable that it could have slipped between the cracks even back then.
April 5, 2017 @ 5:27 pm
Interesting that in 1986 there were no #1 hits that stayed #1 for more than a week. That’s a lot of churn. It was the year retrobilly Dwight Yoakam came onto the scene, and sarcastic Steve Earle. Lyle Lovett’s weird wit was new. Randy was the clean-scrubbed young fella with the most beautiful voice. Dolly Parton took a particular shine to him. It seemed *everybody* had a #1 that year, from Willie to Merle to Reba to Ricky Skaggs to Vince Gill to the Oak Ridge Boys. Etc, the list is enormous. What a fantastic collection of singers and songs. So Randy was firmly pressed into that very tight pack.
April 5, 2017 @ 5:45 pm
Yeah, throughout most of the 1980s it wasn’t unusual to have 48-50 #1’s every year as this was before the computerized tracking of airplay so the charts were based on playlists provided by the radio stations and they were not real precise. Songs would climb fast hit #1 then immediately tumble out of the top ten. Many very famous songs had unremarkable chart runs which were indistinguishable from largely forgotten songs.
April 5, 2017 @ 7:49 pm
Keith Whitley was also offered it before Randy, and he cut it but never released it as a single. What an excellent song.
April 5, 2017 @ 11:59 am
I figured he was already in the HOF. Congrats to Don, for this long overdue honor.
April 5, 2017 @ 12:16 pm
He has written an unbelievable amount of recognizable hits if you grew up on country of the 1980s and 1990s.Could go on and on but one that comes to mind is ‘Almost Goodbye’ which has always been one of my favorite Mark Chesnutt songs.
Very deserving. Now in three years the pick needs to be Dean Dillon.
April 5, 2017 @ 1:03 pm
Little known fact: before Kenny Rogers cut “The Gambler,” the song was recorded by both Bobby Bare and Johnny Cash.
Yes, their versions can be found on You Tube.
April 5, 2017 @ 2:35 pm
I recently learnt that Bobby Bare sung it before Kenny Rogers thanks to an Swedish quiz show. A Swedish Band Called “First Aid Kit” played an, to me, a rather “poppy” version of “The Gambler” And the question was who had made the song popular. And they also got the hint that he was from Houston TX. One of the participants gave the right answer (Kenny Rogers) and the other participants guessed on Johnny Cash.
The song was of course later uploaded to Youtube. And one guy wrote in a comment that Bobby Bare had sung it before Kenny Rogers….
April 5, 2017 @ 4:16 pm
That song is perfect for bares style
April 8, 2017 @ 9:38 am
“The Gambler” saw a lot of single action prior to Kenny Rogers’ hit. Don Schlitz recorded the song as a publishing demo and issued it on the Crazy Mamas label [AG 2005] Then Capitol picked up that master and released it as Capitol #4576. That single peaked at #65 in June. Hugh Moffat’s Mercury single [55024] charted the first week in May (same week as Schlitz) but disappeared after two weeks peaking at #95. Conway Twitty’s son Michael recorded it under the name Charlie Tango but his Starday single [SD 186] did not chart. Bobby Bare’s excellent version of The Gambler was released as a track on his first Columbia LP “Bare” in early 1978. Cash’s version was last released in late 1978 on the “Gone Girl” album. Kenny Rogers recorded the song in June 1978 after Schlitz’s version peaked. Kenny’s United Artists single was released in October and went #1 in mid-December.
Here’s Don’s original recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1u3cIjS2XY
April 8, 2017 @ 10:33 am
You’re not making it very easy for those that say “The Gambler” is garbage because it was recorded by “Crossover” Kenny.
🙂
April 5, 2017 @ 2:41 pm
My father loves “The Gambler.”
“Heroes and Friends” is one of my favorite Randy Travis’ songs.
April 5, 2017 @ 3:43 pm
glad to have had the opportunity to see this a couple of yrs ago: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-05-26/news/9202160949_1_nashville-songwriters-successful-songwriters-bluebird-cafe
April 5, 2017 @ 5:46 pm
‘When You Say Nothing at All” is truly one of the great love songs. Well deserved.
April 5, 2017 @ 6:09 pm
Don Shlitz’ songs are mini clinics in the art of writing .They should be required memory work for today’s music row assembly line . Better still, his catalogue should be mined with regularity by up- and -comers and veterans alike ( looking at you Keith ) not only as a way to preserve and support great country music lyric writing but to keep artists honest…… and because most radio fare today completely pales by comparison . COMPLETELY !
Congrats to Mr. Schlitz on this most deserved recognition…..and congrats to all of the artists who had the smarts and the vision to know they found a winner when they found a Don Schlitz song and had best record it ASAP .
April 6, 2017 @ 1:01 am
I searched on Wikipedia just to find out that i grew up with many of his hits back in the 80’s and 90’s.
Anyone remember Michael Johnson’s ”Give me wings” or Lionel Cartwright’s ” I watced it all on my radio”?
Along with Paul Overstreet , they were the best of all.
April 6, 2017 @ 12:31 pm
Wow… forgot all about “I Watched It All on My Radio.” Good memories!
April 6, 2017 @ 1:36 pm
Very deserving but while he’s great but Bob McDill should have gone in before him – and Curly Putnam, who was ineligible for having died this last year.
April 6, 2017 @ 8:54 pm
Well deserved Mr Schlitz! Your career was an amazing won and worth the honor of the HOF. (Hopefully, Jerry Reed getting in helps pave the way for Jerry Lee….would love to see “The Killer” get in before he passes.