FINAL NOTES
Donald “Donnie” Fritts, songwriter, actor, and longtime keyboardist for Kris Kristofferson, died Aug. 27, 2019. He was 76, and a life member of the Nashville Musicians Association who joined the local Aug. 18, 1970.
Donald “Donnie” Fritts Nov. 8, 1942 – Aug. 27, 2019
F
ritts was born Nov. 8, 1942 in Florence, Alabama, to Huey and Helen Brown Fritts. His father was a building contractor who played guitar and bass in a local swing band on the weekends, and his mother was a homemaker. At 15 Fritts started playing drums, and performed with rock & roll bands in high school. He played with his future cowriter Dan Penn in the band Mark Vs and the Pallbearers. Fritts later became a session keyboard player, first recording in a space above the City Drug Store in Florence. He worked with many locals in the music community including Rick Hall, David Hood, and David Briggs, and cowrote his first hit with Tommy Roe, “Sorry I’m Late, Lisa.” In 1965 Fritts signed with Raleigh Music, a Nashville publishing company owned by Shelby Singleton. He later wrote for Screen Gems and then EMI. During the decade he wrote or cowrote songs for Dusty Springfield (“Breakfast in Bed”), Arthur Alexander (“Rainbow Road”) and the Box Tops (“Choo Choo Train”). Fritts and his wife moved to Nashville briefly for a few months in 1968 but then returned to Alabama. They moved back to Nashville in 1970 and lived here for 12 years. After his arrival he started working with Kristofferson and became a 30 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
writer for Fred Foster’s Combine Music, which also had Kristofferson on its roster. In addition to playing with Kristofferson, he continued to have writing success, including a Top 40 hit for Waylon Jennings with “We Had It All,” which was also recorded by several other artists including Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, and the Rolling Stones. “You’re Gonna Love Yourself In the Morning” was a Top 40 hit for Roy Clark in 1975. Over his writing career Fritts had cuts by Charlie Rich, Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Plant, John Prine, and Sheryl Crow. In 1974 Kristofferson and Jerry Wexler coproduced Fritt’s solo record Prone To Lean. His second album, Everybody’s Got A Song, was released in 1998. One Foot in the Groove followed in 2008, produced by Dan Penn with Ron Laury. Fellow North Alabaman Jason Isbell commented on Fritts’ passing: “Donnie Fritts was a legend back home, and a guide for many of us when we started writing and making music. I met Prine while working on Donnie’s album, and when I met Kristofferson and Willie all I had to say was ‘I’m a friend of Donnie Fritts.’ Very proud to be able to say that.” Fritts had roles in a number of films
Donnie Fritts and John Prine
including three for Sam Peckinpah: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, and Convoy. He also appeared in the 1976 version of A Star Is Born and the 2012 film Jayne Mansfield’s Car. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2008. In addition to his parents, Fritts was preceded in death by one brother, Luther “Wayne” Fritts. Survivors include his wife, Donna Fritts; one aunt, Robbie Fritts Smith; three nephews; and several cousins. A musical celebration of his life was held Oct. 3 at Norton Auditorium on the campus of the University of North Alabama. Donations can be made to Donnie Fritts Memorial Fund at P.O. Box 3214, Florence, AL 35630.
