He may have charted just one single over the course of his three-decade career, but Keith Gattis was a giant in the country music industry. The Georgetown, Texas native worked with plenty of fellow industry titans, including George Jones, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, and more. Gattis’ untimely death in an April 2023 tractor accident—at just 52 years of age—left a gaping hole in Nashville. Nearly three years later, the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame posthumously welcomed the “Little Drops of My Heart” crooner into its ranks. During Saturday’s (Feb. 21) ceremony at Austin’s ACL Live at The Moody Theater, fellow inductee George Strait saluted the legacy of his longtime friend and collaborator.
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George Strait: “We Lost Keith Way Too Soon”
Taking the stage in the Lone Star State’s capital, George Strait delivered a heartfelt rendition of “I Got a Car.” Keith Gattis co-wrote the 2013 single with Tom Douglas.
The track, off Strait’s 2013 album Love Is Everything, was just one of many Gattis tracks recorded by the “King of Country.” Gattis wrote three songs on Strait’s 2024 album Cowboys and Dreamers, including the title track. He also penned “Rent” with Guy Clark.
On the album recording, Strait added a spoken tribute to his friend. “This song was written by Keith Gattis, an amazing songwriter, singer, and guitar slinger,” he said. “We lost Keith way too soon.”
Strait and Gattis were part of a four-member class inducted on the 20th anniversary of the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association awards show. Veteran songwriter-producer Don Clark and nine-time ACM Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert rounded out this year’s newbies.
Keith Gattis Did It His Way
In 1992, Keith Gattis headed to Nashville from Texas with just $800 in his pocket. Scoring a touring gig with Johnny Paycheck, he released just two solo albums a decade apart. He lost his first record deal with RCA amid protests that he was “too country.”
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Still, Gattis’ magic was making other artists better. In 2012, he launched Pioneertown Recording Studio in East Nashville. There, he produced albums for Kendall Marvel, Wade Bowen, Randy Houser, Mickey and the Motorcars, and others.
“I thought I was going to be a star, but I never really wanted that,” Gattis said. “I wanted a great career so I could play music for the rest of my life, and that’s what I’ve ended up with.”
Featured image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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