On This Day in 2019, We Lost the Songwriter Who Penned Decades of Country Hits Thanks to His Friendship With Lefty Frizzell and a Series of Divorces

On this day (January 12) in 2019, songwriter Whitey Shafer died after a long illness at the age of 84. While many country fans may be unfamiliar with his name, they likely adjusted the radio dial when the songs he wrote came on. Over the course of his career, he wrote songs that became hits for Johnny Rodriguez, George Strait, George Jones, Keith Whitley, and Merle Haggard, among others.

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Shafer found his passion for music early. His father was a gospel singer, and the radio in their home was always tuned to a country station. As a result, he grew up watching his father perform while hearing the likes of Ernest Tubb and Bob Wills at home. In high school, he joined a band and toured regionally. However, it would be more than a decade before he stepped into the profession that brought him both success and acclaim.

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Shafer was 30 years old when he penned his first song. Not long after that, he began working with Blue Crest Music Publishing Company, where he wrote songs like “Between My House and Town,” which was later popularized by George Jones.

Lefty Frizzell Helped Whitey Shafer Find His First Hit

According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Whitey Shafter met Lefty Frizzell, who was already an established recording artist and songwriter, in 1972. Shafer reached out to pitch a handful of songs to Frizzell, and they hit it off. Frizzell recorded “You, Babe,” but it wasn’t a hit. Then, they started getting together for co-writing sessions.

They penned a pair of minor hits for Frizzell–“I Never Go Around Mirrors” and “Lucky Arms.” They also co-wrote “That’s the Way Love Goes.” Johnny Rodriguez took the song to No. 1 in 1974. Merle Haggard took it back to the top of the country chart in 1984.

Shafer’s Divorces Led to Multiple Hit Songs

Whitey Shafter was married and divorced multiple times throughout his life. As a songwriter, he was able to take the pain and other emotions caused by those relationships and turn them into top-notch country songs. For instance, his failed relationships inspired two major hits for George Strait.

Whitey co-wrote Strait’s 1985 No. 1 single “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” with his then-wife, Darlene Shafer. The song is about a man who is trying his best to forget his ex, who has moved on to someone else, while wondering if she ever thinks of him and the times they shared in Fort Worth.

Two years later, Strait took “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” to No. 1. Shafer wrote that song with his then-wife Lyndia. It seems there was some truth in that song. In an interview, he revealed that he’d like to go back to the Lone Star State, but things were “kinda hot down there.” About the hit, he said, “It was a fun song to write. I did change the names to protect the guilty.”

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