Vince Gill and Don Schlitz. Photo: Chris Hollo
Award-winning songwriter and member of both the National Songwriter Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame Don Schlitz was officially inducted into the Grand Ole Opry last night by Opry member Vince Gill.
After Schlitz opened his performance with “The Gambler” and “When You Say Nothing At All,” he shared to the audience, “Since Kenny [Rogers] and Keith [Whitley] aren’t here, I get to represent what you and they had together. I get to be a bridge for them. That’s why I get to be a member of this special place, because I’m representing these artists.”
Pictured (L-R): Randy Travis, Don Schlitz and Vince Gill. Photo: Chris Hollo
Next, the 4x ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year welcomed Opry member and Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis to the stage. After waving hello to the audience, Travis was seated on stage to watch Schlitz perform the Schlitz-penned Travis classic “Forever and Ever, Amen,” which was followed by a video of numerous country artists singing Schlitz’s compositions on the Opry stage over the last five decades.
“Don Schlitz’s songs have had a home on the Opry stage for years, and we are all thrilled that our friend Don is now officially home here as well,” says Dan Rogers, Opry Executive Producer. “The Opry will outlive all of us, and I have faith that generations from now, great artists will still take to the Opry to sing Don Schlitz songs, all of them gifts that keep giving to music fans.”
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