Don Schlitz

Don Schlitz, born Donald Allen Schlitz Jr. on August 29, 1952, in Durham, North Carolina, is an American songwriter and Broadway book writer whose work spans country music and musical theater. He has accumulated 24 number one hits on the country music charts and earned recognition across multiple disciplines throughout his career.

Schlitz's entry into the public consciousness came through Kenny Rogers, whose 1978 recording of "The Gambler" became a crossover country hit and one of Rogers's defining songs. The Library of Congress selected the recording for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2018, citing its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. Rogers returned to Schlitz's catalog in 1998 for the baseball-themed single "The Greatest," with Rogers quipping that he planned to record a Schlitz song every twenty years. Rogers recorded additional Schlitz compositions in 2013 for the album You Can't Make Old Friends.

Among Schlitz's most celebrated collaborations is his partnership with Paul Overstreet, which produced two number one hits: "Forever and Ever, Amen," recorded by Randy Travis, and "When You Say Nothing at All," recorded by Keith Whitley and later covered by Alison Krauss and Union Station. Schlitz also wrote "On the Other Hand" for Randy Travis and "Point of Light" for Travis in 1991, the latter commissioned by President George H. W. Bush for his Points of Light program, which reached number three on the country charts. His songwriting has generated hits for artists including Reba McEntire, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Judds, Garth Brooks, and Alabama, among many others.

His awards include two Grammy Awards for Country Song of the Year, for "The Gambler" in 1979 and "Forever and Ever, Amen" in 1988. The Country Music Association named him Song of the Year recipient in 1979 for "The Gambler," in 1986 for "On the Other Hand," and in 1987 for "Forever and Ever, Amen." The Academy of Country Music and the Nashville Songwriters Association International each recognized "On the Other Hand" as Song of the Year in 1986. ASCAP named Schlitz Country Songwriter of the Year four times, from 1988 through 1991.

Schlitz has been inducted into four halls of fame: the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010. On August 30, 2022, he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

In addition to his songwriting career, Schlitz has recorded three albums of his own. Dreamers' Matinee was released in 1980 on Capitol Records, followed by the live compilation Live at the Bluebird Café in 2001, and the studio album Allergic to Crazy in 2010.

Schlitz extended his work into musical theater by composing the music for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a Broadway production that stands as his credited contribution to the stage as a book writer.