Country singer Willie Nelson has revealed he turned down the chance to record "The Gambler", the Don Schlitz-penned track that went on to become one of Kenny Rogers' signature hits and spawned a series of TV films. Rogers, a close friend, personally pitched the song to Nelson before recording it himself, making the revelation a notable footnote in country music history given how closely the song is now associated with Rogers.

Nelson explained he declined because he was already performing another lengthy song nightly, "Red Headed Stranger", and did not want two long narrative songs in his set. Schlitz, then working as a computer operator, wrote most of "The Gambler" in about 20 minutes in August 1976 while walking home from a meeting with mentor Bob McDill, though it took him roughly six weeks to finish the final verse, which he calls his "Guy de Maupassant ending" after the French short story writer. The song became a multi-platinum crossover success and Schlitz's breakthrough as a songwriter.