Widely-Admired Country Writer, Artist, And Producer Keith Gattis Dies At 52
His hits as a writer included George Strait’s ‘I Got A Car’ and Kenny Chesney’s ‘El Cerrito Place.’
Keith Gattis, the artist and producer who became a successful songwriter for George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, and many others, died on Sunday (23) at the age of 52.
His death prompted many tributes on social media, including from Sheryl Crow, who wrote: “Woke up to the news that Keith Gattis has gone on. He was a wonderful person, an incredible talent, and a well loved friend to all who knew him. He will be missed.”
His collaborator Dwight Yoakam added: “I was deeply saddened to hear yesterday of the sudden and tragic accidental death of a dear friend and former musical colleague Keith Gattis.” Jason Isbell reflected: “So many people I care about are grieving the loss of Keith Gattis today. I didn’t know him well but I definitely respected him as a musician and songwriter, and it’s clear that he was a great friend. My heart breaks for all y’all.”
Born on May 26, 1971 in Georgetown, Texas, Gattis began playing professionally when he was 16. He moved to Nashville after graduating and, after coming to the attention of the management of prolific 1990s hitmaker Sammy Kershaw, signed as an artist to RCA Nashville in 1996. He released a self-titled debut album that was much-praised but yielded only one country chart single, “Little Drops Of My Heart,” which peaked at No.53.
But it was as a songwriter that Gattis made his lasting mark on the country scene, also writing for such artists as Randy Travis, Gary Allan, Randy Houser, Charlie Robison, the Randy Rogers Band, Jack Ingram, Wade Bowen, and Cory Morrow. In the studio, he worked with George Jones, Jon Pardi, Brandy Clark, Bruce Robison, Sunny Sweeney, and more, and became Yoakam’s bandleader in 2002, playing bass on the album Blame The Vain.
Notable hits from his songbook included “El Cerrito Place,” first recorded by Charlie Robison and then turned into a No.10 country hit by Kenny Chesney in 2012; Gattis and Chesney co-wrote the latter’s subsequent hit “When I See This Bar.” In 2013, “I Got A Car,” co-written by Gattis and Tom Douglas, reached No.17 on the country chart for Strait as the third single from his Love Is Everything album.
Strait also recorded three Gattis co-writes for his 2015 album Cold Beer Conversation: its first single “Let It Go” as well as “It Was Love” and “Everything I See.” As a producer, Gattis credits included Wade Bowen’s 2018 set Solid Ground and Randy Houser’s Magnolia (2019).
