Donald Allen Schlitz Jr. (August 29, 1952 – April 16, 2026) was an American songwriter who wrote more than twenty number-one hits on the country music charts. He was best known for his song "The Gambler" (Kenny Rogers), and as the co-writer of "Forever and Ever, Amen" (Randy Travis), and "When You Say Nothing at All" (Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss & Union Station). For his songwriting efforts, Schlitz earned two Grammy Awards, and four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards.
Schlitz was inducted in to four different halls of fame, namely the national Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. On August 30, 2022, he was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
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Songwriting career
Schlitz's first hit as a songwriter was Kenny Rogers's "The Gambler", which became a crossover country hit upon its release in 1978, later becoming one of Rogers's signature songs. In 2018, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Thereafter, Schlitz wrote numerous country songs and penned several hits for other country artists. Among his biggest hits are two Number One songs, which he co-wrote with Paul Overstreet, "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis, and "When You Say Nothing at All" by Keith Whitley. He had 24 number-one hits on the Country Charts.
United States President George H. W. Bush also commissioned Schlitz to write a theme song for his "Points of Light" program. This song, "Point of Light", was a No. 3 country hit for Randy Travis in 1991.
Schlitz also worked with Kenny Rogers again in 1998. Rogers joked at the time that "... every 20 years I will record a Don Schlitz song." The result was a baseball-themed hit single called "The Greatest". Rogers also recorded several more of his songs in 2013 for his best-selling You Can't Make Old Friends album.
He composed the music for the 2001 musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Death
On April 16, 2026, Schlitz died at a hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, following a sudden illness. He was 73.
Recordings
In addition to writing for other artists, Schlitz recorded three albums. The first, titled Dreamers' Matinee, was released in 1980 on Capitol Records. A live compilation, titled Live at the Bluebird Café, was released in 2001. In 2010, Schlitz released another studio album of new material, Allergic to Crazy.
Singles co-written by Don Schlitz
Singles written or co-written by Don Schlitz include the following. Asterisks denote songs that reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard country charts.
"40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" by Alabama*
"Almost Goodbye" by Mark Chesnutt*
"And So It Goes" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with John Denver
"Ball and Chain" by Paul Overstreet
"The Battle Hymn of Love" by Kathy Mattea and Tim O'Brien
"The Center of My Universe" by The Bellamy Brothers
"Cheatin'" by Sara Evans
"Crazy from the Heart" by The Bellamy Brothers
"Crying Shame" by Michael Johnson
"Daddy's Come Around" by Paul Overstreet*
"Deeper Than the Holler" by Randy Travis*
"Didn't We Shine" by Waylon Jennings
"Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis*
"The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers*
"Give Me Wings" by Michael Johnson*
"Good as I Was to You" by Lorrie Morgan
"The Greatest" by Kenny Rogers
Awards
1979: Country Music Association – Song of the Year ("The Gambler")
1979: Grammy – Country Song of the Year ("The Gambler")
1986: Country Music Association – Song of the Year ("On the Other Hand")
1986: Academy of Country Music – Song of the Year ("On the Other Hand")
1986: Nashville Songwriters Association International – Song of the Year ("On the Other Hand")
1987: Country Music Association – Song of the Year ("Forever and Ever, Amen")
1988: Grammy – Country Song of the Year ("Forever and Ever, Amen")
1988–1991: ASCAP – Country Songwriter of the Year
2010: Inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.
2017: Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame