Born 92 Years Ago Today in the Lone Star State, the Legendary Nashville Songwriter Behind Hits for George Strait, Lefty Frizzell, and Keith Whitley
Sanger Douglas “Whitey” Shafer, the Nashville songwriter behind several enduring country hits, was born in Texas on 24 October 1934. On what would have been his 92nd birthday, his work is being remembered for its influence on the genre, including songs made famous by George Strait, Lefty Frizzell and Keith Whitley.
Shafer moved to Nashville in 1967 and built his reputation as a songwriter, despite limited success as a singer. His credits include Strait’s chart-toppers “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”; he said the latter drew on his own divorces. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989 and died in Tennessee in 2019, aged 84.
In short
- Whitey Shafer was born 92 years ago in Texas.
- His songs became country hits for George Strait and others.
- He joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989.
Explained simply
Nashville has long been a centre of country music, where songwriters create songs that singers record and perform. Sanger Douglas “Whitey” Shafer was a Texas-born songwriter who moved there in 1967 and became better known for his writing than for his own singing.
His songs were recorded by country artists including George Strait, Lefty Frizzell and Keith Whitley. Strait’s hits “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” are among Shafer’s best-known credits. His career shows how songwriters can shape country music through songs made famous by other performers.