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Don Schlitz

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Don Schlitz
Birth nameDonald Alan Schlitz, Jr.[1]
Born (1952-08-29) August 29, 1952 (age 72)
OriginDurham, North Carolina, United States
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active1978-present

Donald Alan "Don" Schlitz, Jr. (born August 29, 1952 in Durham, North Carolina) is a country music songwriter. For his songwriting efforts, Schlitz has earned two Grammys, as well as four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards. Since 1993, Schlitz has also been a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.[2]

Songwriting career

Schlitz' first hit as a songwriter was Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler", which became a crossover country hit upon its release in 1978, later becoming one of Rogers' signature songs.[2] 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.

United States President George H. W. Bush also commissioned Schlitz to write a theme song for his "Points of Light" program.[2] This song, "Point of Light", was a No. 3 country hit for 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 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

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

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

References

  1. ^ Full name per Broadcast Music Incorporated database
  2. ^ a b c Brennan, Sandra. "allmusic ((( Don Schlitz > Biography )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
  3. ^ "2010 Inductees". North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
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