The tune

"The Gambler" was written by Don Schlitz, who composed the song in August 1976. Bobby Bare recorded it in October 1977, and his version appeared on his album "Bare" on 31 March 1978; it was never released as a single. Kenny Rogers' recording, produced by Larry Butler at Jack Clement Recording Studio, was released on 15 November 1978 as the title track of his album The Gambler on United Artists, with "Momma's Waiting" on the B-side. It reached No. 1 on the US Hot Country Songs chart, No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart, No. 2 on the Canada Country chart and No. 22 on the UK Singles chart. The song crossed over from country to pop, won Rogers the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and became his signature song. In 2018 it was selected for the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. It also gave rise to the Old West television movies beginning with Kenny Rogers as The Gambler (1980) and to the name of the Houston Gamblers USFL team.

What the song is about

The song tells of a narrator who meets a gambler on a train on a summer evening. The gambler reads the narrator's circumstances and offers advice framed in the language of poker, on when to risk and when to withdraw, and on not counting one's winnings before the game is over. He then dies in his sleep, and the narrator is left to ponder his wisdom. Schlitz said the song was inspired by his father, who had died in 1976.