Hugh Moffatt's recollections
Remembering Don:
I don’t need to say much about Don Schlitz the hit songwriter. Others will do that better than I could. I met Don in 1973 shortly after I got to Nashville. I was living in a small apartment on 17th Ave S with Tom Benjamin and Gil Francis. Don was essentially next door.
We were all “eat up” with songwriting. It’s about all we did. And we shared our songs. People in those groups sharing new songs (I don’t know how these groups happened. I was oblivious.) included those already mentioned plus David Olney, Bob House, Tom House (no relation), Mark Germino, Rob Stanley, Richard Dobson, Bob Holmes, and John Allingham. The breadth of styles and approaches to songwriting and singing was exhilarating. I’m leaving names out; there’s no way I couldn’t. If you were there let everyone know in the comments. There were women songwriters we respected such as Linda Hargrove, Annie Freeman, Linda Williams, and others, but somehow they didn’t end up in the gatherings in 1973-74.
In 1975-76 others joined our group including Pebe Sebert, John Scott Sherrill, Russ Mason, Shrub Smith, and Steve Earle. Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, and Townes van Zandt arrived during these years, but they were already known, walking in more rarified air. We didn’t see them much.
Don was one of us. We all were just so proud of what we were doing and so excited when any of us had something happen in the business, and we’d write about anything. There were no limits. Don’s hits are iconic and everlasting. Please also seek out his albums and discover the range he had as a writer.
Don debuted “The Gambler” at one of those shares. It had an impact. Did we instantly know it was going to be an important song? Yes, I think we did. Did we know it would be THAT IMPORTANT? You dream, you hope, you never know.
In early 1978 both Don and I got record deals and we both released “The Gambler” as singles. So did Conway Twitty’s son under the name Charlie Tango. Don’s record did the best of the three as it should be. Then, as Don noted, Kenny Rogers came along and made us all trivia questions.
Don respected everyone and had a sense of humor that wouldn’t stop. He had a natural humility that made fame uncomfortable for him, but he learned to wear it well. He didn’t like his singing voice and at first was timid on stage. We wouldn’t let him get away with that. He was too good and too charismatic, too engaging and funny, not to open himself fully to as many people as possible. Despite his opinion he was a convincing and sensitive singer. He came to love performing. His heart was always on his sleeve.
My main intent here is to explain that Don’s success meant something personal to all of us. We loved what we did and we loved each other. We taught each other and learned from each other. We’d sometimes comment or suggest, but mostly we just absorbed. I know I still carry a little of every one of us in every song I write. I’m sure Don did too.
It takes a village to nurture a songwriter, actually a lot of villages. We were part of Don’s first village in Nashville as every one of you who was there is still mine. We’re thinning out, and now we’ve lost another. While I still can, I want to put on record that I remember, I care, and every one of you matters whether anyone else notices or not. Thank you for being there. And thank you, Don, for all you gave us and for how transparently you represented us to the world.
Hugh Moffatt
Nashville
April 23, 2026
I don’t need to say much about Don Schlitz the hit songwriter. Others will do that better than I could. I met Don in 1973 shortly after I got to Nashville. I was living in a small apartment on 17th Ave S with Tom Benjamin and Gil Francis. Don was essentially next door.
We were all “eat up” with songwriting. It’s about all we did. And we shared our songs. People in those groups sharing new songs (I don’t know how these groups happened. I was oblivious.) included those already mentioned plus David Olney, Bob House, Tom House (no relation), Mark Germino, Rob Stanley, Richard Dobson, Bob Holmes, and John Allingham. The breadth of styles and approaches to songwriting and singing was exhilarating. I’m leaving names out; there’s no way I couldn’t. If you were there let everyone know in the comments. There were women songwriters we respected such as Linda Hargrove, Annie Freeman, Linda Williams, and others, but somehow they didn’t end up in the gatherings in 1973-74.
In 1975-76 others joined our group including Pebe Sebert, John Scott Sherrill, Russ Mason, Shrub Smith, and Steve Earle. Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, and Townes van Zandt arrived during these years, but they were already known, walking in more rarified air. We didn’t see them much.
Don was one of us. We all were just so proud of what we were doing and so excited when any of us had something happen in the business, and we’d write about anything. There were no limits. Don’s hits are iconic and everlasting. Please also seek out his albums and discover the range he had as a writer.
Don debuted “The Gambler” at one of those shares. It had an impact. Did we instantly know it was going to be an important song? Yes, I think we did. Did we know it would be THAT IMPORTANT? You dream, you hope, you never know.
In early 1978 both Don and I got record deals and we both released “The Gambler” as singles. So did Conway Twitty’s son under the name Charlie Tango. Don’s record did the best of the three as it should be. Then, as Don noted, Kenny Rogers came along and made us all trivia questions.
Don respected everyone and had a sense of humor that wouldn’t stop. He had a natural humility that made fame uncomfortable for him, but he learned to wear it well. He didn’t like his singing voice and at first was timid on stage. We wouldn’t let him get away with that. He was too good and too charismatic, too engaging and funny, not to open himself fully to as many people as possible. Despite his opinion he was a convincing and sensitive singer. He came to love performing. His heart was always on his sleeve.
My main intent here is to explain that Don’s success meant something personal to all of us. We loved what we did and we loved each other. We taught each other and learned from each other. We’d sometimes comment or suggest, but mostly we just absorbed. I know I still carry a little of every one of us in every song I write. I’m sure Don did too.
It takes a village to nurture a songwriter, actually a lot of villages. We were part of Don’s first village in Nashville as every one of you who was there is still mine. We’re thinning out, and now we’ve lost another. While I still can, I want to put on record that I remember, I care, and every one of you matters whether anyone else notices or not. Thank you for being there. And thank you, Don, for all you gave us and for how transparently you represented us to the world.
Hugh Moffatt
Nashville
April 23, 2026
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