Two for Tuesday
Providing background information on music from popular genres like Country, Classic Rock, Southern Rock etc.
Two for Tuesday
Country Roads and Card Games: The Country Songs That Defined the ’70s
In this episode of The Two for Tuesday Podcast, brought to you by 2nd Round Music, host Michael Pezent takes you back to the 1970s — a decade when country music broke every rule in the book.
From the rise of the Outlaw movement with Willie and Waylon to the smooth country-pop sound that took Nashville to Hollywood, the ‘70s were an era of rebellion, reinvention, and timeless storytelling.
This week’s “Two” are two of the most iconic songs of the decade:
🎵 John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — the heartfelt anthem that made the whole world sing of West Virginia and home.
🎵 Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” — the story-song that turned poker-table wisdom into a universal life lesson and made Kenny a legend.
Join Michael as he dives deep into the origins, recording sessions, and legacy of these unforgettable classics that helped shape the Fourth Generation of country music.
2nd Round Music YouTube link to the performance of these two songs:
Well, hello friends, and welcome to the Two for Tuesday podcast brought to you by Second Round Music. I'm your host, Michael Pazan, and today we begin our journey in a two-part series into the fourth generation of country music, starting with the 1970s, and we'll jump into the 80s in part two next week. Now the 70s was a decade of rebellion and crossover. Country music's establishment with its polished Nashville sound came under fire once again, but this time from the rising outlaw movement, while at the same time, a wave of crossover stars brought country into pop mainstream like never before. In this episode, we'll explore the stories behind two unforgettable songs. John Denver's Take Me Home Country Roads, a country pop anthem that went global, and Kenny Rogers, The Gambler, a story song so iconic its chorus became part of everyday life. Now we got a lot to cover. But before we do, check out this message from our sponsor, and I'll catch you on the other side. 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Go to secondroundfinancial.com and click Book Now to schedule your free consultation today. The 1970s arrived with country music at a crossroads. Nashville's hip formula of the 1960s, the smooth Nashville sound with lush strings and polished production that we've talked about, was about to face another rebellion. A movement brewed among artists who craved creative freedom from Music Rose formula. Now they would come to be known as the Outlaws, and they injected country music with a dose of rock and roll attitude, and it got back to that honky tonk grit. As country historian Craig Morrison noted, Outlaw Country was an escape from the formula constraints of the Nashville sound, mixing Hank Williams style honky tonk with folk storytelling and rock rhythms. Spearheaded by renegades like Whalen Jennings and Willie Nelson, this movement stood up to the industry establishment. To us, outlaw meant standing up for your rights, your own way of doing things, Whalen would later say. In the early 70s, Whalen Jennings and Willie Nelson both bucked the system. Willie, frustrated with Nashville, returned to his home state of Texas in 1971, drew out his hair, and found a receptive audience at Austin's hippie country scene. The venues like the Armadilla World Headquarters, long-haired hippie regnecks, mingled with Willie's raw, heartfelt style, and it flourished. Meanwhile, Whalen fought for control over his sound at RCA Records. In 1973, he released Lonesome, Honory, and Mean and Honky Talk Heroes, back to basic albums that became touchstones for the Outlaw movement. Over the next few years, Whalen scored a string of number one hits, including Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? A tribute to Hank Williams that openly critiqued Nashville's slick ways. And that song, with its driving beat and honest lyrics, about rhinestone suits and the never-ending lost highway became an outlaw anthem, a rallying cry for artists who wanted to make music their own way. The outlaw artists traded their string sections for twanging telecaster guitars and often recorded with their road bands instead of session players. The rough edges were intentional, and in 1975, Willie released his landmark Redheaded Stranger album, and it was a concept record about a fugitive preacher with such sparse production that Columbia Records feared it would sound like a demo tape. But Willie's instincts were right, and the album's single, Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain, captivated listeners with its simplicity and soul. The Gentle Waltz, a Fred Rose song from the 1940s that Willie delivered with only a guitar and a back and piano. And it became Willie's first number one hit, and it introduced millions to his soft, understated vocal style. The Redheaded Stranger album, initially deemed too uncommercial, became a multi-platinum smash. Clearly there was an audience for authentic country storytelling. By 1976, the Outlaw ethos was so popular that the compilation album wanted the Outlaws, featuring Whalen, Willie, Tom Paul Glacer, and Jesse Coulter became Country Music's first certified platinum album. The Outlaws were now officially mainstream, a fact that both thrilled and worried them. Even Whalen even poked fun at the trend in 1978 with Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's done got out of hand? And it was a song that was inspired by his own run-ins with Excess and The Law. Yet even as scruffy outlaws were crashing the party in Nashville, a very different strain of country music was also reaching new heights in the 70s. And this era saw country pop crossover achieve unprecedented success. Glossy, radio friendly hits brought country's themes to a broader pop audience. For example, in 1970, Lynn Anderson scored a huge crossover smash with Rose Garden, and Charlie Rich and Glenn Campbell carried on the country political style with hits like Behind Closed Doors and Rhinestone Cowboy. Perhaps no one exemplified country music's mainstream appeal better than a former folk singing Air Force brat from New Mexico, John Denver. With his gentle tenor voice and a sunny nature-loving lyrics, John Denver became an ambassador for country-flavored pop in the early 1970s. And in fact, he won the CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1975. And that was a controversial choice to some hard to be kind of favorable. Ironically, it was written by two musicians who had never even visited West Virginia, a state so lovingly described in the lyrics. Songwriters Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert were inspired by a road trip and a stack of postcards from a friend who had traveled through West Virginia. They panned a poetic homage to the rolling hills and open highways, initially intending to pitch the song to Johnny Cash. But when John Denver heard it, he was immediately captivated. And after an all night jam session in Washington, D.C. where John was performing at the Sullar Door Club and Danoff Nivert opened for him, the three writers finished the song together. John knew they had struck goal. He later recalled the electric reaction from the audience the first time they performed Country Roads live that night. And by the end of the show, all three agreed that they had created something special. So John quickly moved to record it. And in January of 71, he cut the track in New York City for his sophomore album, Poems, Prayers and Promises. And unlike the lavish Nashville production of the day, the recording was relatively simple, built around John's warm acoustic guitar strumming and an uplifting country folk melody. RCA Records released the single on April 22nd, 1971, and it soared up the charts. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August of 1971. A remarkable achievement for a country song at that time. And they had sold over a million copies within a few months, earning a gold certification in August. Now Country Roads would eventually become certified platinum decades later as its legacy continued to grow. And interestingly, the song didn't top the country charts in 71. John Denver was still seen as a folk pop artist by many. But it did introduce many pop listeners to country themes, and its popularity became enduring. Over the years, Country Roads became one of John Denver's most beloved signature songs, selling 1.6 million digital copies in the United States, even in the twenty first century. So what makes Take Me Home Country Road so influential? For one, its imagery struck a chord. With just a few lines, Denver and his co-writers conjured a longing for a peace in the rural life. Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. This romantic vision of the American countryside appealed to people far and wide. In fact, the song became the official state anthem of West Virginia in 2014. Its chorus, Country Roads, Take Me Home to a Place Where I Belong, is simple, direct, and emotionally resonant. Musically, the song fused the gentle country vibe with its acoustic guitars and a hint of twang in the backing vocals with a pop-friendly sing-along chorus. It was country enough for the rural audience, and it was polished enough for the suburban radios. This crossover appeal meant that Country Roads opened the door for other country flavored hits on pop radio. Since I restarted my quote unquote music career, this song has been a staple on my set list and a crowd favorite for the last four or five years. Now the song's legacy only grew over time. It's been covered by more than a hundred and fifty artists across genres. Everyone from Olivia Newton John to Rachels has sung it. In fact, songwriter Bill Danoff has said one of his favorite covers was Rachel's Soul for Rendition. And in sports and culture, it became a beloved sing-along. West Virginia University plays it after football victories, for example. And just recently, in 2023, Country Rhodes was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Recording Registry as a recording of historical significance. All of this from a humble tune written on a Washington, D.C. winter's night by a trio of inspired young songwriters. Country Rhodes proved that in the 1970s, a country song could capture the whole world's imagination with its sincerity and charm. Advice that would echo across country music history. From its humble origins to a struggling songwriter, and through multiple near misses and unlikely twist to a massive hit that won Grammy Awards, inspired TV movies, and embedded itself in the American pop culture.
SPEAKER_01:You got the no man to hold. And you never count your money. When you're sitting at the table, it'll be timing up to count when the demon's done.
SPEAKER_00:Now our story begins not with Kenny Rogers, but with a 23-year-old songwriter named Don Schlitz in the summer of 1976. Now Schlitz was a new face in Nashville, working the graveyard shift as a computer operator while chasing his songwriting dreams. Now guys, this is Don Schlitz, a country music songwriting legend, who's going to get his own episode in a show somewhere down the road. So now back to the story. One August night after meeting with his mentor Bob McDeal, Slitz was walking home along Music Road when inspiration struck. And in the span of about 20 minutes in this walk, he composed most of the story song in his head. He was quoted as saying one time, I wrote most of it in my head, but I had no idea what was going to happen. Now the song told the story of two strangers on a train, and one of them an old gambler, trading whiskey and wisdom in the darkened night. However, Slitz initially lacked a final verse, and for weeks he pondered how to end this tale. And finally he settled on the ambiguous, haunting conclusion that the gambler quietly breaks even by passing away in his sleep, leaving the narrator with his philosophical advice. Yet even Don wasn't sure if the unusual song made sense. He was quoted once again saying, I thought it was an interesting story, but it was a throwaway, he admitted. He would later say that he felt almost mystically guided in writing The Gambler. The lyrics seemed to come from someplace beyond himself, perhaps even from his late father. Once again he was quoted as saying something more than me wrote that song. There was something going through my head, which was my father. It was inspired by and possibly a gift from him. Slitz was reflecting on his dad who had passed in 1976. Now armed with a completed song, Slitz began shopping it around Nashville, but he quickly discovered that the brooding narrative ballad broke a lot of country music rules. It was longer than the typical radio hit. It had an unconventional structure, a chorus with no actual love story, and it centered on gambling metaphors and a dying mentor figure. And in the late 70s, that made for a tough sell. He was again quoted as saying nobody would touch it. Many in the industry just didn't see it as a hit, and this moody poker parable with no obvious romantic angle. Now for two years the gambler made the rounds on Music Road, passed over by artist after artist. But the song did gain a few champions who believed in its potential. One of them was the legendary songwriter, Shell Silverstein, and in 1978, Silverstein urged country artist Bobby Bear, known for his storytelling songs, to give the gambler a chance. Now Bear took that advice, and he became the first major artist to record The Gambler. And he included it on his album that was released in April of 1978. Now most people probably didn't know that. Bear's rendition was a straightforward reading of the song, a solid interpretation, but it lacked the dramatic flair that would later make it famous. Now crucially, Bear's version was never released as a single, so it remained a deep cut on his album. Now around the same time, Down Schlitz decided to record the song himself, under his own voice, and the gambler made a brief appearance on Country Charts, and it peaked at number sixty-five in 1978. It was a modest success, but it wasn't a breakthrough. In fact, by late 1978, it seemed half a Nashville had taken a crack at the gambler. Even Conway Tweety's son, Michael Tweedy, reportedly released it under the pseudonym calling himself Charlie Tango. And yet the song still hadn't found its definitive voice. It was gonna take a bit of luck and timing, appropriately so, for the gambler to land in the right hands. Well that lucky break came via producer Larry Butler, one of Nashville's most respected producers of that era. Butler had an ear for hits and a willingness to gamble on unique songs. And in 78, he happened to be working on two parallel projects, a new album with rising crossover star Kenny Rogers, and another bona fide legend, Johnny Cash. Butler believed in the gambler, and he brought it into the studio for both artists to record. And what happened next is the stuff of music industry lore. Two very different outcomes for the same song. Now, first up, Johnny Cash, who recorded The Gambler in July of 1978 for his album, Gone Girl. But by most accounts, Cash's heart just wasn't in it. The sessions were troubled. Johnny was reportedly under the influence and openly disliked this song, clashing with Butler over the arrangement. And in the end, Johnny delivered a half spoken, monotone performance that even his legendary charisma couldn't save. And the backing track, it lumbered dully, and the magic of Slitz's storytelling just fell flat. Johnny's Gambler became a footnote tucked away in his album with little fanfare. Most fans then and now hardly realize that Johnny Cash ever even recorded this song at all. But Kenny Rogers was a different story. At the age of forty years old, Kenny was enjoying the late 70s hot streak. Hits like Lucille had made him a crossover star. But some of Music Row whispered that his popularity might be waning. And Kenny himself wasn't even sure if he could top his most recent successes. Still, when Larry brought the gambler to him, Kenny recognized something special in that song. He liked the cinematic storytelling, and he decided to record it and truly make it his own. Kenny approached the gambler like an actor going into a character, and he gave it a spirited vocal performance, warm and fatherly in the verses and soaring in the chorus. To bolster the song's drama, Butler and the studio band added clever touches, not written in Slitz's original demo. They crafted a dynamic arrangement with an unexpected key change. It's a half step modulation just before the second verse. And suddenly that heightened the tension. During the final course, they introduced a powerful call and response breakdown. Kenny singing the famous lines and a chorus of background singers echoing him, as if to put the listener right inside the train car as the gamblers dispensing his wisdom. Now these arrangements flourished and it brought the story to vivid life. Even Don Slitz, the writer, was impressed with the makeover his song had received. And years later, Don praised Rogers and Butler's interpretation, saying that they added several ideas that were not mine, including the new guitar intro that kicks off the record. Indeed, that finger picking acoustic guitar riff at the top of the gamblers, soft, suspenseful, like the start of a campfire tale, was a completely new idea in the Rogers version. And it set the mood instantly before Rogers' voice could even get started. And what a team Kenny had behind him in the studio. The song was cut at Jack Clements recording studio in Nashville with a roster of A-list session players giving it a rich, authentic country sound. Now an acoustic guitars were Ray Eddington and Jimmy Caps, and they strummed a gentle rhythm, and Nashville legend Pete Drake's pedal steel guitar swelled in the background. Billy Sanford laid down the electric guitar licks, while veteran bassist Bob Moore anchored the low end, and it was augmented by Tommy Alsa on something called a tic-tac bass, and it gave it a little bit of that percussive snap. And also the great Hargis Pig Rollins played the piano, and drummer Jerry Kerrigan kept a subtle train-like shuffle on the drums. For a final touch, Larry brought in back and vocalists that included members of the Jordaniers. Now you remember them, they're the famed back and vocalist of Elvis. And they hummed the harmonies. And he even invited Kenny's close friend and frequent duet partner Dotty West to sing backup on the choruses. Now there's an intriguing footnote here that even after the recording of the song, Kenny Rogers almost gave the gambler away. Kenny was good friends with his country outlaw peer, Willie Nelson. And he initially thought Willie's storytelling style might suit the song better. And as Willie later revealed, Kenny tried to get me to record the gambler. The two pals were chatting one day when Rogers played the song for him and he said, I think you should do it. And Willie loved the song, but he ultimately turned it down. He went on to say, I thought it was a great song, but I was doing a song every night called The Red Headed Stranger, which has a hundred verses. And I just didn't need another long song on my set. And with a laugh, Willie remembered telling Rogers no, to which Kenny replied, Okay, I guess I'll record it myself. And he did, thankfully. With a definitive version recorded in Larry Butler's Blessing, Rogers claimed The Gambler for his own. And in October of 1978, he released The Gambler as his lead single and title track from his upcoming album. And a song that no one had wanted was about to prove everybody wrong. Now the gambler hit the radio again in fall of 1978, and listeners instantly connected with its timeless chorus and story. And by December, the song was racing up the charts. And it ultimately reached number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, solidifying Kenny's dominance in country music. But it didn't stop there. In an era when country songs rarely crossed over to pop, the gambler broke into the mainstream, peeking at number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100, and even hitting number three on the adult contemporary chart. Virtually overnight, Kenny Rogers had a signature hit that appealed to country diehard fans and pop audiences alike. Critics and the industry took notice as well. Kenny's soulful storytelling earned him a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 1980 Grammys. And Don Slit's faith in this song was vindicated when the Gambler won the Grammy for the Best Country Song, which is a songwriter's award. The song was also nominated for the Overall Record of the Year, and the Gambler album earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year across all genres. In other words, this little country story song had become a heavyweight contender on the world stage. Now, beyond the trophies and the charts, the gambler earned something perhaps even more valuable. It became part of the cultural fabric. Listeners felt like they knew the character and his advice by heart. Radio stations played this song incessantly, and Kenny's warm delivery of the lines like, There'll be time enough for Countin' when the dealin''s done gave fans goosebumps. It was a song you could picture like a movie in your mind. And indeed, Hollywood was paying attention also. Not a little bit more on that in a moment. Now for Kenny, the success of The Gambler was career changing. He had already been a star, but now he ascended to a new level of fame. He suddenly had an iconic persona and the silver bearded storyteller, a card player with a twinkle in his eye, and a hard-earned wisdom in his voice. The song's popularity helped drive album sales through the roof, and the Gambler album eventually sold over 35 million copies worldwide. It's one of the best-selling country albums ever. And it also launched a remarkable run for Kenny as The Gambler became one of five consecutive number one country singles he would achieve heading into the early 1980s. Far from slowing down, Kenny was now at the absolute peak of his career with crossover hits and even pop culture clout that few country artists at the time could ever match. It's amazing to think that just a year earlier, Kenny wondered if his hit making days were behind him. And the gambler not only proved that there was plenty of fuel left in his tank, it gave him a signature song that would define his legacy. And as a fan, I find it interesting to know just how close this song came to slipping through the cracks and how perfect Kenny's rendition turned out to be. It's one of those moments of fate in music history. Now the gambler didn't just top the charts, it became a cultural phenomenon. The song's instantly recognizable chorus and life lesson lyrics seeped into the nation's consciousness. Quotes from the song entered into a popular lexicon, especially the gambler's mantra. You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em. People use that phrase as proverbial advice in all sorts of situations beyond cards, business, sports, and everyday life. To this day, saying no when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em is shorthand for savvy decision making, a testimony as to how widely the gambler has been absorbed into American culture. Now the song's story and popularity were so strong that they soon jumped off the turntable and onto the TV screen. In nineteen eighty, just two years after the song's release, Kenny Rogers made his acting debut as Brady Hawkes. That's a character loosely based on the song's Gambler, and it was a made-for-tv movie. The film imagined a Wild West backstory of a mysterious car shark and was a rating success. It even won an Emmy Award, proving that the gambler's tale had legs beyond a song. Success Bread Sequel. Kenny reprised the role in four follow-up TV movies over the next decade. The Gambler, The Adventure Continues in 1983, The Legend continues in 1987, The Gambler Returns, The Luck of the Draw in 1991, and The Gambler 5 playing for Keeps in 1994. Through these films, an entire franchise was born from the song, expanding Kenny's celebrity into the world of acting and firmly entrenching the gambler as more than just a song. It was now a modern folk legend. Meanwhile, Kenny Rogers enjoyed the spoils of pop culture iconic. He guest starred on the Muppets Show in 1979, performing The Gambler in a memorable segment alongside Muppet characters, bringing the song to a whole new audience of kids and family. Decades later, Kenny even poked fun at himself in a popular TV commercial in a 2014 Geico ad where he sat at a poker table irritating the other players by singing You Gotta Know When to Hold over and over. It was a hilarious nod to a now universally known song. From sitcoms to dramas, references to The Gambler had popped up in countless TV shows and movies. For example, it's been quoted or featured in episodes of King of the Hill, The Office, American Dad, and even more in recent years. Even the world of sports took a shine to it. The now defunct USFL team, the Houston Gamblers, adopted the song for obvious reasons, and you'll still hear it blasted in stadiums when the team takes a big risk. In the world of gambling casinos, the song's presence is quite literal. There are slot machines themed after the gambler with Kenny Rogers' likeness, winking at the players as the chorus rings out with each spin. It's perhaps the ultimate full circle for a song about wagering, and now the gambler's helping you gamble. Over the years, the gambler has garnered prestigious recognition for its enduring significance. And in 2018, the song was selected for preservation into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. This honor is reserved for recordings deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. And the gambler certainly fits the bill. By then the song was 40 years old and it's still as beloved as ever. In fact, when Kenny Rogers passed away in March of 2020, fans immediately revisited his song, sending the gambler to number one on the Billboard's digital sales chart that week, providing a timeless appeal. Now, for general music fans and country music enthusiasts alike, the gambler remains a treasure. It's a song that works on many levels. A catchy country tune, a character sketch, and a philosophical lesson in disguise. Every time someone at a bar starts singing the chorus and the whole room joins in. Or when a friend offers the right advice, know when to walk away, this song gave Kenny Rogers an identity and legacy that lasted an entire lifetime. Now five decades have gone by, and we're still riding the train with a gambler, hearing the words of wisdom from Kenny's voice. Hey guys, thank you for listening today, and I hope you're enjoying this podcast. If you are, please subscribe or follow the podcast, click the like button, share it with other music lovers, and please consider giving it a five-star rating so we can reach a bigger audience. Now back to the show. So there you have it. The 1970s. A decade when country music split into two more directions. The Rebels and the Crossovers. Outlaws like Whelan and Willie carved out freedom. While stars like John Denver and Kenny Rogers carried country music to the masses. Next time we'll move into the 80s where an urban cowboy turned country into a cultural fad. And Randy Travis led the revival back to tradition. I'm your host, Michael Pazent, and this has been the Two for Tuesday podcast brought to you by Second Round Music. Thanks for listening and remember, we love you and we need you. And whether it's a gambler's advice or a country road calling you home, this music will always tell you story. See you next week for part two. God bless you.