Biography

Whitey Shafer began his musical career in the town where he was born, Whitney, Texas. He moved to Nashville in 1967, where he signed his first publishing contract with Blue Crest Music Publishing Company. In the early 1970's, Whitey signed an exclusive contract with Acuff-Rose Music. In 1972, That's The Way Love Goes, became a #1 hit for Johnny Rodriguez. He wrote four songs for George Strait's 1985 album Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, which received the Album of the Year honors from the CMA and the ACM. In 1987, All My Ex's Live In Texas written with his wife at the time, Lyndia Shafer, also became a #1 hit song and was nominated for a Grammy and CMA Song Of The Year.

Whitey has written with and for some of the greatest artists and songwriters known to country music and befriended Lefty Frizzell, with whom he began co-writing. Their collaborations included "That's the Way Love Goes" and "I Never Go Around Mirrors," two of the most well-known songs in Frizzell's catalog. "That's The Way Love Goes" was also recorded by Johnny Rodriguez and by Merle Haggard. "Rainbow In Daddy's Eyes" is an all-out, pure country weeper recorded by Johnny Bush; "I Wonder Do You Think Of Me" was recorded by Keith Whitley. "All My Ex's Live In Texas," "Overnight Success," "Lefty's Gone," and "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" were just a few of the songs recorded by George Strait. Whitey has written over 500 songs and continues his hit songwriting career with artists such as John Michael Montgomery, LeAnn Womack, and Kenny Chesney.