Don Schlitz

American country singer-songwriter

Don Schlitz

Birth name| Donald 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
Years active| 1978–present

Musical artist

Donald Alan Schlitz Jr. (born August 29, 1952) is an American country music songwriter. For his songwriting efforts, Schlitz has earned two Grammy Awards, as well as four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards.

In 1993, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Later in 2012, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Furthermore, in 2017, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[2] During the Saturday night broadcast on June 11, 2022, Schlitz was invited by Vince Gill to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.[3] He was officially inducted on August 30, 2022.[4]

## Songwriting career[edit]

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] 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.[6]

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[edit]

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

## Recordings[edit]

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[edit]

Year  | Title  | US Country

|
|

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

## Singles co-written by Don Schlitz[edit]

This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2021)

|

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.

* "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
* "Guardian Angels" by The Judds
* "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
* "Heart of the Matter" by The Kendalls (1980), Loretta Lynn (1983)
* "Heroes and Friends" by Randy Travis
* "Houston Solution" by Ronnie Milsap
* "I Could Be Persuaded" by The Bellamy Brothers
* "I Feel Lucky" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
* "I Know Where I'm Going" by The Judds*
* "I Take My Chances" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
* "I Think About It All the Time" by John Berry
* "I Think About You" by Collin Raye
* "I Watched It All (On My Radio)" by Lionel Cartwright
* "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love" by Tanya Tucker with Paul Overstreet and Paul Davis*
* "If I Could Bottle This Up" by Paul Overstreet
* "If I Never See Midnight Again" by Sweethearts of the Rodeo
* "If You Can Do Anything Else" by George Strait
* "I'll Be Lovin' You" by Lee Greenwood
* "In Terms of Love" by SHeDAISY
* "Learning to Live Again" by Garth Brooks
* "Leaving's Not an Option" by Chris Cummings
* "Like Father Like Son" by Lionel Cartwright
* "Long Shot" by Baillie & the Boys
* "Looking for a Sign" by Chris Cummings
* "Loved Too Much" by Ty Herndon
* "Midnight Girl/Sunset Town" by Sweethearts of the Rodeo
* "My Arms Stay Open All Night" by Tanya Tucker
* "Not Too Much to Ask" by Mary Chapin Carpenter with Joe Diffie
* "Oh Heart" by Baillie & the Boys
* "Old School" by John Conlee
* "On the Other Hand" by Randy Travis*
* "One Promise Too Late" by Reba McEntire*
* "Point of Light" by Randy Travis
* "Richest Man on Earth" by Paul Overstreet
* "The River and the Highway" by Pam Tillis
* "Ready and Waiting" by Deborah Allen
* "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" by The Judds*
* "Satisfy You" by Sweethearts of the Rodeo
* "Say What's in Your Heart by Restless Heart
* "Say Yes" by Dusty Drake
* "She Deserves You" by Baillie & the Boys
* "Sowin' Love" by Paul Overstreet
* "Stand a Little Rain" by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
* "Strong Enough to Bend" by Tanya Tucker*
* "True Heart" by The Oak Ridge Boys
* "Turn It Loose" by The Judds*
* "When You Say Nothing at All" by Keith Whitley* (later covered by Alison Krauss & Union Station and Ronan Keating. Keating's version was in the film Notting Hill, and made it to number one on the British charts.)
* "Why They Call It Falling" by Lee Ann Womack
* "You Again" by The Forester Sisters*
* "You'll Never Be Sorry" by The Bellamy Brothers

## Awards[edit]

* 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.[7]
* 2017 – Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame

## References[edit]

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". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
3. ^ @opry (June 11, 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. ^ a b Brennan, Sandra. "Don Schlitz | Biography". Allmusic. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
6. ^ "Don Schlitz". Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
7. ^ "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)

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* Jimmy Dean (2010)
* Ferlin Husky (2010)
* Billy Sherrill (2010)
* Don Williams (2010)
* Bobby Braddock (2011)
* Reba McEntire (2011)
* Jean Shepard (2011)
* Garth Brooks (2012)
* Hargus "Pig" Robbins (2012)
* Connie Smith (2012)
* Bobby Bare (2013)
* Jack Clement (2013)
* Kenny Rogers (2013)
* Hank Cochran (2014)
* Ronnie Milsap (2014)
* Mac Wiseman (2014)
* Jim Ed Brown and The Browns (2015)
* Grady Martin (2015)
* The Oak Ridge Boys (2015)
* Charlie Daniels (2016)
* Fred Foster (2016)
* Randy Travis (2016)
* Alan Jackson (2017)
* Jerry Reed (2017)
* Don Schlitz (2017)
* Ricky Skaggs (2018)
* Dottie West (2018)
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* Jerry Clower
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* Wilma Lee Cooper
* Cowboy Copas
* Charlie Daniels
* Skeeter Davis
* The Delmore Brothers
* The DeZurik Sisters
* Little Jimmy Dickens
* Joe Diffie
* Danny Dill
* Jimmy Driftwood
* Roy Drusky
* The Duke of Paducah
* Holly Dunn
* The Everly Brothers
* Lester Flatt
* Red Foley
* Curly Fox
* Lefty Frizzell
* Troy Gentry
* Don Gibson
* Billy Grammer
* Jack Greene
* The Gully Jumpers
* Theron Hale
* Tom T. Hall
* George Hamilton IV
* Sid Harkreader
* Hawkshaw Hawkins
* George D. Hay
* Hoot Hester
* Goldie Hill
* David Houston
* Jan Howard
* Ferlin Husky
* Stonewall Jackson
* Sonny James
* Norma Jean
* Jim & Jesse
* Johnnie & Jack
* George Jones
* Grandpa Jones
* The Jordanaires
* Doug Kershaw
* Hal Ketchum
* Bradley Kincaid
* Pee Wee King
* Hank Locklin
* Lonzo and Oscar
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* The Louvin Brothers
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* Del Wood
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CMA Song of the Year

1967−1970|

* "There Goes My Everything" - Dallas Frazier (1967)
* "Honey" - Bobby Russell (1968)
* "The Carroll County Accident" - Bob Ferguson (1969)
* "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" - Kris Kristofferson (1970)

1971-1980|

* "Easy Loving" - Freddie Hart (1971-2)
* "Behind Closed Doors" - Kenny O'Dell (1973)
* "Country Bumpkin" - Don Wayne (1974)
* "Back Home Again" - John Denver (1975)
* "Rhinestone Cowboy" - Larry Weiss (1976)
* "Lucille" Roger Bowling, Hal Bynum \- (1977)
* "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" - Richard Leigh (1978)
* "The Gambler" - Don Schlitz (1979)
* "He Stopped Loving Her Today" - Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman (1980)

1981-1990|

* "He Stopped Loving Her Today" - Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman (1981)
* "Always on My Mind" - Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, Mark James (1982-3)
* "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Larry Henley, Jeff Silbar (1984)
* "God Bless the U.S.A." - Lee Greenwood (1985)
* "On the Other Hand" - Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz (1986)
* "Forever and Ever, Amen \- Paul Overstreet, Don Schlitz (1987)
* "80's Ladies" - K. T. Oslin (1988)
* "Chiseled in Stone" - Max D. Barnes, Vern Gosdin (1989)
* "Where've You Been" - Don Henry, Jon Vezner (1990)

1991-2000|

* "When I Call Your Name" - Tim DuBois, Vince Gill (1991)
* "Look at Us" - Vince Gill, Max D. Barnes (1992)
* "I Still Believe in You" - Vince Gill, John Barlow Jarvis (1993)
* "Chattahoochee" - Jim McBride, Alan Jackson (1994)
* "Independence Day" - Gretchen Peters (1995)
* "Go Rest High on That Mountain" - Vince Gill (1996)
* "Strawberry Wine" - Matraca Berg, Gary Harrison (1997)
* "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" - Billy Kirsch, Steve Wariner (1998)
* "This Kiss" - Beth Nielsen Chapman, Robin Lerner, Annie Roboff (1999)
* "I Hope You Dance" - Mark D. Sanders, Tia Sillers (2000)

2001-2010|

* "Murder on Music Row" - Larry Cordle, Larry Shell (2001)
* "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" - Alan Jackson (2002)
* "Three Wooden Crosses" - Doug Johnson, Kim Williams (2003)
* "Live Like You Were Dying" - Tim Nichols, Craig Wiseman (2004)
* "Whiskey Lullaby" - Bill Anderson, Jon Randall (2005)
* "Believe" - Ronnie Dunn, Craig Wiseman (2006)
* "Give It Away" - Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon, Jamey Johnson (2007)
* "Stay" - Jennifer Nettles (2008)
* "In Color" - Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller, James Otto (2009)
* "The House That Built Me" - Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin (2010)

2011-2020|

* "If I Die Young" - Kimberly Perry (2011)
* "Over You" - Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton (2012)
* "I Drive Your Truck" - Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, Jimmy Yeary (2013)
* "Follow Your Arrow" - Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves (2014)
* "Girl Crush" - Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose (2015)
* "Humble and Kind" - Lori McKenna (2016)
* "Better Man" - Taylor Swift (2017)
* "Broken Halos" - Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton (2018)
* "Beautiful Crazy" - Luke Combs, Wyatt Durrette, Robert Williford (2019)

2021-2030|

* "The Bones" - Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz (2020)
* "Starting Over" - Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton (2021)
* "Buy Dirt" — Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins (2022)
* "Fast Car" — Tracy Chapman (2023)

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