Donnie Fritts
Donnie Fritts (born November 8, 1942 in Florence , Alabama - † August 27, 2019 ) was an American country musician, studio musician and songwriter .
Life
Donnie Fritts is believed to be one of the founders of the Muscle Shoals sound , which originated in FAME's music studios in Muscle Shoals , Alabama. In the late 1950s he wrote songs for stars like Tommy Roe and Percy Sledge . Together with Eddie Hinton he wrote the song "Breakfast in Bed", which was first recorded by Dusty Springfield and Shirley Bassey and later by UB40 with Chrissie Hynde .
In the late 1960s, he moved to Nashville , where he teamed up with Kris Kristofferson . He accompanied him on tours and starred in some of his films. In 1974 Fritts recorded a first solo album: Prone To Lean . But he was mainly successful as a songwriter. Many greats in the country scene used his material, including a. Willie Nelson , Waylon Jennings , Jerry Lee Lewis and of course his longtime companion Kristofferson. He worked u. a. also with Ray Charles .
In 1997 he recorded his second album, Everybody's Got A Song . Many of his famous friends and colleagues played and sang along: Willie Nelson , Waylon Jennings , Kris Kristofferson , Lucinda Williams , John Prine , Lee Roy Parnell , Bobby Bare and Billy Swan . Despite the roster of superstars, the album was not a commercial success.
Albums
As a solo artist
- 1974: Prone To Lean
- 1997: Everybody's Got A Song
- 2009: One Foot In The Groove
- 2015: Oh My Goodness
- 2018: June: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander
As a studio musician
- 1993: Arthur Alexander : Lonely Just Like Me , Elektra / Nonesuch.
Songwriter
- Choo Choo Train for The Box Tops , chart position 26 (1968)
- We Had It All for Waylon Jennings , chart position 28 (1973)
- You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning for Bonnie Koloc, chart position 12 (1974)
- You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning for Roy Clark , chart position 35 (1975)
- Easy To Love for Joe Simon , chart position 12 (1977)
- You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning for Charlie Rich , chart position 22 (1980)
- We Had It All for Dolly Parton , chart position 31 (1986)
- If It's Really Got To Be This Way , for Arthur Alexander (1993)
- All This Time , for Arthur Alexander (1993)
Web links
- Donnie Fritts at Discogs (English)
- Donnie Fritts at Allmusic (English)
- Southerner First Listen: June: A Tribute to Arthur Alexander . (English)
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Fritts, Donnie |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician, studio musician, and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | November 8, 1942 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Florence , Alabama |
DATE OF DEATH | 27th August 2019 |