Kenny Rogers released the song, The Gambler.
Two of his albums , The Gambler and Kenny , are featured in the About.com poll of `` The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever '' .	Country	Country music	The Gambler	The Gambler (song)	Kenny	Kenny (album)	About.com	About.com
Although Johnny Cash recorded the song first , Kenny Rogers 's version was released first .	Kenny Rogers	Kenny Rogers	Johnny Cash	Johnny Cash
It was also covered by several other artists , but it was Kenny Rogers ' adaptation of the tale that went on to top the country charts and win a Song of the Year Grammy , later becoming Rogers ' signature song .	Kenny Rogers	Kenny Rogers	Grammy	Grammy
Both this song and `` She Believes in Me '' became pop music hits , helping Rogers become well-known beyond country music circles .	She Believes in Me	She Believes in Me
The title track `` The Gambler '' was written by Don Schlitz , who was the first to record it .	The Gambler	The Gambler (song)	Don Schlitz	Don Schlitz
