Biography
Donnie Fritts started his musical journey at 15, playing drums and keyboards.
In 1965, he began songwriting, with his work recorded by artists such as Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Willie Nelson.
His songs were also performed and charted nationally by Charlie Rich ("You're Gonna Love Yourself In the Morning," 1980), Dolly Parton ("We Had It All," 1986), and Waylon Jennings ("We Had It All," 1973).
In 1967, Fritts joined Kris Kristofferson, a fellow Florence, Alabama native, as a keyboardist. Their collaboration lasted two decades across the U.S. and abroad.
Donnie acted alongside Kristofferson in films including "The Last Years of Frank and Jesse James" (1986, TV), "Songwriter" (1984), "Convoy" (1978), and "A Star is Born" (1976), as well as two other Sam Peckinpah films: "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" (1973) and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" (1974).
In 1998, he released the album "Everybody's Got A Song," featuring guest performances by Willie Nelson, Tony Joe White, Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, and others.
Following seven heart surgeries, Fritts underwent a kidney transplant in 2001.
During his hospital recovery, when asked about his condition, he said he had "one foot in the groove," which inspired the title of his 2008 CD.
On February 22, 2008, Kristofferson attended Donnie's induction into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Montgomery, Alabama.
On March 6, 2008, active in the Muscle Shoals music scene, Fritts performed with Billy Bob Thornton at The Billy Bob Bash: A Muscle Shoals Homecoming at the Shoals Theatre in Florence, Alabama, part of the George Lindsey UNA Film Festival. That year, Billy Bob and Donnie also began collaborating on several new songs.
