Don Rollins’ career in songwriting began in 1989 with a single recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Price. He began a ten-year relationship with Warner/Chappell Music in 1997 while he was still a Texas resident, making the move to Nashville in 2001.
In 2003, Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett recorded “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” written by Rollins and frequent collaborator Jim “Moose” Brown. The song spent eight weeks at number one on the Billboard and R&R charts, and won a GRAMMY Award for Best Country Song of 2003. The song was on Alan Jackson’s Greatest Hits Volume 2, an album that went on to sell over six million copies. It also appeared on many Jimmy Buffett live albums and a live album recorded by Jackson, Buffett, and George Strait.
In 2007 Don placed two songs on the platinum Duets album by Reba; including duets with Reba and Faith Hill as well as a duet with Reba and songwriting legend Carole King. Other cuts include songs recorded by Randy Travis, Keith Harling, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs, Neal McCoy, Eden’s Edge, and Due West.
A professional saxophonist as well as a writer, Don has played in horn sections behind such talents as Joe Williams, Bob Crosby, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha and The Vandellas, Little Anthony and The Imperials, Ringling Brothers and Barnum And Bailey’s Circus, Bobby Vinton, and Lawrence Welk.
Before making the move to Nashville as a full time songwriter, Don had a 17-year career as a successful music educator in the public schools of Texas. His bands have received superior awards in marching, concert, and sight-reading contests, and his jazz bands have won numerous festivals, including the University of Houston Jazz festival in 2001, where his ensemble performed an entire program of Duke Ellington transcriptions.
Since 2003, Don has continued to pursue educational projects as well as songwriting opportunities, teaching songwriting classes and appearing as a guest speaker at the Berklee School of Music, the Renaissance Center of Dickson, TN and numerous appearances and workshops for other songwriting organizations around the country.