All about the ancient tribes
There is an expression in the states that it’s important to know when to hold em and know when to fold em. This, of course, refers to the skill that a successful poker player has in knowing when to stay in or drop out of a hand.
“The Gambler” is a song written by Don Schlitz and recorded by several artists, most famously by American country music singer Kenny Rogers. Don Schlitz wrote this song in August 1976 when he was 23 years old.
Schlitz, a 23-year-old unknown songwriter, later associated the song with getting advice from his father, who had died two years earlier. (Neither man was involved in gambling.) Rogers later related it to life in the Old West, with the risks and rewards of frontier life.
The album has sold over 35 million copies. The title track “The Gambler” was written by Don Schlitz, who was the first to record it.
Fold ‘ em means to fold (surrender) your hand because there is a low chance of winning.
A gambler is a person who takes a lot of high-risk chances. Other gamblers enjoy betting money on sports, card games, or games of chance. Gambler came after gamble, “risk something of value on a game of chance,” from the Middle English gammlen, “play or be merry,” with its Old English root gamen, or “game.”
Rogers won three Grammy Awards and six CMA Awards over his six-decade musical career. He earned the nickname The Gambler after his 1978 hit of the same name, written by songwriter Don Schlitz, about a mysterious card player who delivers sage advice to a stranger on the train before dying in his sleep.
The Gambler by Kenny Rogers is in the key of F Major. It should be played at a tempo of 96 BPM. This track was released in 1977.
Rogers, who was 81, had been in hospice care in recent weeks, and according to a statement from his family, “he died peacefully in his sleep from natural causes.” In the case of superstar Rogers, whose hits included “Lucille,” “Lady” and “The Gambler,” the understandable diminished news attention was due the
Versions
Title | Performer | Release date |
---|---|---|
The Gambler | Hugh Moffatt | March 1978 |
The Gambler | Don Schlitz | March 1978 |
The Gambler | Kenny Rogers | October 9, 1978 |
The Gambler | Johnny Cash | December 1978 |
It’s rare when the title of a hit song becomes the singer’s nickname, but that’s what happened when Kenny Rogers released “The Gambler” 40 years ago in late 1978. Written by Don Schlitz, “The Gambler” became a No. 1 hit on Billboard’s country chart for Mr.