Donnie Fritts. Credit: Allister Ann
[Updated, Sept. 26]: A celebration of life for late musician/actor/songwriter Donnie Fritts has been set for Oct. 3, 2019 at Norton Auditorium in Florence, Alabama. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 7 p.m. No RSVP is required.
[Original post, Aug. 28, 2019]: Legendary Muscle Shoals musician, songwriter and actor Donnie Fritts passed away on Tuesday (Aug. 27). Born in Florence, Alabama on Nov. 8, 1942, Fritts died at the age of 76 after a lengthy battle with health issues.
The keyboard player for Kris Kristofferson for more than 20 years, Fritts had roles in a number of films, including Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid and Convoy, as well as the 1976 version of A Star Is Born. His most recent on-screen role was in the 2012 film Jayne Mansfield’s Car, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton.
Fritts was also a well-known songwriter and had songs were recorded by artists including Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles and Dusty Springfield, among others. Among his iconic songs were “We Had it All,” “Breakfast In Bed” and “You’re Gonna Love Yourself In The Morning.”
Fritts released his first album, Prone To Lean, in 1974. His second project, 1998’s Everybody’s Got A Song, featured guest appearances by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Waylon Jennings, Delbert McClinton, Tony Joe White, Leroy Parnell and John Prine. In 2008, Fritts released his third and final album, One Foot in the Groove.
The Alabama native was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Memorial services for Fritts have not yet been announced.
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LB Rogers is Project Manager at MusicRow magazine. She heads up specific, large-scale projects for the company and assists in day-to-day tasks. LB also manages the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart and contributes editorial for both the print and online platforms. She joined MusicRow full time in January of 2019, after interning and working part time for the company for a year. She is from Blairsville, Georgia and graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Music Business degree in 2018.View Author Profile
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