Don Rollins, who was the songwriter behind the Grammy-winning hit “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere,” died last weekend at the age of 63.
Rollins was a native of Vidor and had a long career in music, both as a performing musician and songwriter and as a music educator.
He was a 1983 graduate of Lamar University, where he studied under Dr. Jimmy Simmons. He later went on to play in several bands, typically as a saxophonist. Rollins was also a guitarist/singer and songwriter, and his first recorded attempt at songwriting came in 1989 when Ray Price recorded a song he wrote. Later, he moved to Nashville and co-wrote the “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere” song with Jim “Moose” Brown, which was recorded as a duet by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett. The song hit number one on the country singles chart for eight consecutive weeks and sold more than six million copies.
Rollins also had songs covered by a variety of other artists, including Reba McEntire. He later moved back to Texas, where he continued to play his songs in listening rooms and festivals, and he taught band students in both Vidor and at Woodville High School, most recently
