Willie Nelson revealed that Kenny Rogers initially wanted him to record his massive hit The Gambler

Willie Nelson revealed that his late friend Kenny Rogers initially wanted him to record his Grammy-winning hit song The Gambler from 1978.

While the chart-topping track first ended up on albums by Johnny Cash and Bobby Bare, Rogers was the one to bring the song to mainstream success. 

‘Through the years, him and I were big pals,’ the 87-year-old musician said on the Today show. ‘In fact, he tried to get me to record The Gambler.’

He added: ‘We were somewhere, I don’t know, and he was like, “I’ve got this song, I think you should do it.”‘

At the time, Nelson recalls saying it was a ‘great song,’ but declined Rogers’ offer because he was already performing a ‘long song’ called Red Headed Stranger, ‘which has 100 verses in it’ every night. 

The conversation with Nelson prompted the beloved country crooner, who passed away in March, to record the single, himself. 

The track became his signature song and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, in 1979.

Rogers even ended up starring in a television series based inspired by the hit single, as an old-west gambler. 

Despite The Gambler’s critical success, Nelson doesn’t regret passing on the track, because ‘that was Kenny’s song all the way.’ 

The country icon passed away of natural causes, at 81, at his home in Sandy Springs, in northern Fulton County, Georgia, in March. 

The husky-voiced balladeer retired from touring in 2017 after a 60-year career spanning jazz, folk, country and pop, with hits like Lucille and Lady.

Kenny sold tens of millions of albums, won three Grammys and was the star of several TV movies based on The Gambler and other songs, earning him super stardom in the 70s and 80s.