Donnie Fritts

Donnie Fritts Florence Alabama November 8 1942 – August 27 2019 Was An American Session Musician And Songwriter. A Recording Artist In His Own Right He Was Kris Kristofferson's Keyboardist For Over Forty Years. In 2008 He Was Inducted Into The Alabama Music Hall Of Fame. He Began Playing Drums In Local Bands Such As The Satellites And Hollis Dixon & The Keynotes At Age 15 And Later Developed Into A Session Keyboard Player. Working Closely With Rick Hall Billy Sherrill Dan Penn Arthur Alexander David Briggs Jerry Carrigan And Norbert Putnam Fritts Was Involved In Many Of The Early Songs And Recordings Created In The Muscle Shoals Music Industry. In 2014 He Appeared On Country Funk Vol. II A Compilation Album From Light In The Attic. In 2015 He Signed With Single Lock Records. In 1965 Fritts Signed With A Nashville Publishing Company. Songs Which He Wrote Were Recorded By Charlie Rich And Jerry Lee Lewis. He Later Met Kris Kristofferson Who Was Just Beginning A Career In Songwriting. When Forming His Band Kristofferson Called On Fritts Who Continued As His Keyboard Player For Over Two Decades Performing Live On Recordings And In Numerous Movies. Through His Association With Kristofferson Fritts Appeared In Three Of Sam Peckinpah's Movies Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia And Convoy As Well As Other Movies Including A Star Is Born And Songwriter. In 1974 Kristofferson And Producer Jerry Wexler Co-Produced Prone To Lean At Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Everybody's Got A Song Was Released In 1998. The Album Included Guest Appearances By Willie Nelson Kris Kristofferson Dan Penn Spooner Oldham Waylon Jennings Delbert McClinton Tony Joe White Leroy Parnell & John Prine. It Would Be Another Ten Years Before Fritts Released His Third Album One Foot In The Groove In 2008 Produced By Dan Penn With Ron Laury Recorded At Dandy Studio In Nashville. Fritts Died From Complications Of Heart Surgery On August 27 2019. Discography
Prone To Lean 1974 Everybody's Got A Song 1997 One Foot In The Groove 2008 Oh My Goodness 2015 June A Tribute To Arthur Alexander 2018 Chart Songs As A Songwriter
Song TitleRecording ArtistUS Chart Year
"Easy To Love"Joe Simon121977
"You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning"Bonnie Koloc121974
"You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning"Charlie Rich221980
"Choo Choo Train"Boxtops261968
"We Had It All"Waylon Jennings281973
"We Had It All"Dolly Parton281986
"You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning"Roy Clark351975
"Breakfast In Bed"Dusty Springfield B Side Of Son Of A Preacher Man101968
"Breakfast In Bed"UB40 Featuring Chrissie Hynde81988 Jerry Jeff Walker's 1975 Song "Pissin' In The Wind" Opens With A Dedication To Kris Kristofferson Johnny Cash "Funky Donnie Fritts" And Billy Swan. Born In Florence Alabama In 1942 Donnie Fritts Began His Career As A Musician At The Age Of 15 Playing Drums And Keyboard. In 1965 Fritts Began Writing Songs And Had Songs Recorded By Ray Charles Jerry Lee Lewis Willie Nelson And Others. As A Songwriter Donnie's Songs Were Performed And Appeared On The National Charts By Charlie Rich You're Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning' 1980 Dolly Parton We Had It All-1986 And Waylon Jennings We Had It All-1973 . In 1967 Fritts Began Playing Keyboards For Kris Kristofferson Also A Florence Alabama Native A Relationship That Spanned 20 Years And In Locations Both Nationally And Internationally. Donnie Appeared In Several Movies With Kris Kristofferson Including 'The Last Years Of Frank And Jesse James' 1986-TV 'Songwriter' 1984 'Convoy' 1978 And 'A Star Is Born' 1976 And Two Other Sam Peckinpah's Movies In Addition To 'Convoy' 'Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid' 1973 And 'Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia' 1974 . In 1998 Donnie Released An Album 'Everybody's Got A Song' Which Includes Guest Appearances By Willie Nelson Tony Joe White And Kris Kristofferson And John Prine As Well As Many Others. In 2001 Fritts Had A Kidney Transplant That Closely Followed Seven Heart Operations. While He Was Recovering In The Hospital After The Transplant A Friend Asked How He Was Doing. Fritts Responded That He Had "one Foot In The Groove." It Became The Title Of A CD In 2008. On February 22 2008 Kristofferson Was On Hand In Montgomery Alabma To Induct Donnie Into The Alabama Music Hall Of Fame. On March 06 2008 Donnie Fritts Who Is Active On The Muscle Shoals Alabama Music Scene Appeared With Billy Bob Thornton For The Billy Bob Bash A Muscle Scoals Homecoming At The Shoals Theatre In Downtown Florence Alabama As A Part Of The George Lindsey UNA Film Festival. In 2008 Billy Bob And Donnie Also Began Co-Writing Several New Songs. read less