Don Schlitz

Last updated

Don Schlitz
Don Schlitz, January 2024.jpg
Schlitz performing at the Country Music Hall of Fame, 2024
Background information
Birth nameDonald Alan Schlitz Jr. [1]
Born (1952-08-29) August 29, 1952 (age 71)
Origin Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres Country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Harmonica, guitar, bass, vocals
Years active1978–present

Donald Allen Schlitz Jr. (born August 29, 1952) is an American songwriter who has written more than a score of number one hits on the country music charts. He is 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 has earned two Grammy Awards, and four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards.

Contents

Schlitz has been inducted in to four different halls of fame: the national Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame [2] , and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. On August 30, 2022, he was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. [3] [4]

Songwriting career

Schlitz' 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. [5] In 2018, the song was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or artistically significant". [6] Since then, Schlitz has written 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 has 24 number 1 hits on the Country Charts. [7]

United States President George H. W. Bush also commissioned Schlitz to write a theme song for his "Points of Light" program. [5] 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.

Musicals

He composed the music for the musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer .

Recordings

In addition to writing hit singles for other artists, Schlitz has recorded three albums of his own. 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

YearTitle US Country
1978"The Gambler"65
1979"You're the One Who Rewrote My Life Story"91

Singles co-written by Don Schlitz

Singles written or co-written by Don Schlitz include the following. Asterisks denote songs which reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard country charts.

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Travis</span> American country and gospel singer

Randy Bruce Traywick, known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country music and gospel music singer. Active from 1978 until being incapacitated by a stroke in 2013, he has recorded 20 studio albums and charted more than 50 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including 16 that reached the No. 1 position. Considered a pivotal figure in the history of country music, Travis broke through in the mid-1980s with the release of his album Storms of Life, which sold more than four million copies. The album established him as a major force in the neotraditional country movement. Travis followed up his successful debut with a string of platinum and multi-platinum albums. He is known for his distinctive baritone vocals, delivered in a traditional style that has made him a country music star since the 1980s.

The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1991.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1990.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1978.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1979.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1985.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1986.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1987.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1988.

Paul Lester Overstreet is an American country music singer and songwriter. He recorded 10 studio albums between 1982 and 2005, and charted 16 singles on the Billboard country charts, including two No. 1 hits. He has also written singles for several other country acts, including No. 1 hits for Randy Travis, Blake Shelton, and Keith Whitley, as well as hits for The Judds and Kenny Chesney.

<i>Always & Forever</i> (Randy Travis album) 1987 studio album by Randy Travis

Always & Forever is the second studio album by American country music singer Randy Travis. It was released on May 4, 1987, by Warner Bros. Records. Released from this album were the singles "Too Gone Too Long", "I Won't Need You Anymore ", "Forever and Ever, Amen" and "I Told You So", all of which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

The Bluebird Café is a 90-seat music club in Nashville, Tennessee that opened in 1982. The club features acoustic music performed by established singer-songwriters and cover artists. The Bluebird receives over 70,000 visitors annually. The restaurant has been featured as a location on ABC's drama Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever and Ever, Amen</span> 1987 single by Randy Travis

"Forever and Ever, Amen" is a song written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, and recorded by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released in March 1987 as the first single from the album Always & Forever and became Travis's third No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts.

Sanger D. Shafer, better known as Whitey Shafer, was an American country songwriter and musician. He wrote numerous hits for stars such as George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, and George Strait. He was also a recording artist. His highest single "You Are a Liar", under the name Whitey Shafer, reached No. 48 on the Billboard country chart, in 1981.

<i>I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis</i> 2009 greatest hits album by Randy Travis

I Told You So: The Ultimate Hits of Randy Travis is a compilation album released by country music artist Randy Travis in 2009. It consists of 32 songs overall in a two disc set. Two of the songs were never before released on albums. Travis' numerous number-one hits including "I Told You So", Deeper Than the Holler", "Forever and Ever, Amen" and "Three Wooden Crosses" are included on the album along with duets with country legends Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Travis' cover of Roger Miller's "King of the Road" is also included along with two tracks from his previous studio album Around the Bend.

Craig William Bickhardt is an American country music singer and songwriter. His musical career includes co-writing credits for The Judds, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea and others. He was also a member of S-K-B, formerly S-K-O, after Paul Overstreet exited the band. He has released three studio albums of his own.

<i>I Will Stand by You: The Essential Collection</i> 2011 greatest hits album by The Judds

I Will Stand by You: The Essential Collection is a greatest hits collection by American country music duo The Judds. The album was released on April 5, 2011, via Curb Records, and includes twelve of The Judds' singles and two newly recorded songs. The album's first single, "I Will Stand by You", was released to country radio in late 2010.

The following list shows the recipients for the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. This Award goes to the songwriter(s) and is for artistic achievement in songwriting. Any Country Music song with original words and music is eligible based upon the song's Country singles chart activity during the eligibility period. It is the sister category to the Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year, which recognizes the artist, producer and engineer.

References

  1. ↑ Full name per Broadcast Music Incorporated database
  2. ↑ Watts, Cindy (April 5, 2017). "Alan Jackson, Jerry Reed, Don Schlitz tapped for Country Music Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame". The Tennessean . Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ @opry (June 12, 2022). "BREAKING: @VGcom has also just invited Don Schlitz to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ @opry (August 12, 2022). "You're invited! Join us for @don_schlitz's Grand Ole Opry member induction on Tuesday, August 30th!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. 1 2 Brennan, Sandra. "Don Schlitz | Biography". Allmusic . Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  6. ↑ "National Recording Registry Reaches 500". Library of Congress. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Don Schlitz". Songwriters Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ "2010 Inductees". North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.