![Blake Shelton Reveals Details on Special ACM Awards Performance of 'The Gambler' [Exclusive]](https://www.mogazmasr.com/uploads/2026/05/18/blake-shelton-f9dd452c_800w.webp)
Blake Shelton has released a cover of “The Gambler” to honor Don Schlitz, the songwriter behind one of country music’s best-known classics, and he says the track is available only on Amazon Music. Shelton urged fans to tune in again on Sunday, when the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards stream live from MGM Grand Garden Arena at 8 p.m. ET.
Shelton said, “I recorded a cover of ‘The Gambler’ to honor the great Don Schlitz,” and added, “It’s out now only on @amazonmusic.” He followed that by telling fans, “Check it out and be sure to tune into the @acmawards this Sunday!”
Schlitz died on April 16 in Nashville after a sudden illness at the age of 73. He wrote “The Gambler,” along with “On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “When You Say Nothing at All,” songs that were later recorded by Randy Travis, Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss. He was also a Country Music Hall of Famer, and Shelton’s tribute arrives as the annual ACM broadcast prepares to put country’s biggest names back on one stage.
The timing fits Shelton, who is promoting his current hit, “Let Him In Anyway,” and is using the ACM moment to spotlight a writer whose songs shaped the format. The tribute also underlines how far Schlitz’s catalog still reaches: “The Gambler” remains a Kenny Rogers classic, and it is still the kind of song an artist can use to say thank you without needing to say much more.
