Keith Gattis, a regular in Nashville who wrote songs for some of country music’s biggest stars and ran his own recording career in the 1990s, has di*d. He had lived 52 years.
Some of Gattis’s fellow country music artists were some of the first to spread the word. Jake Owen wrote an ode to Keith’s memory and said, “Keith was always himself. I really admired him and I wish I would’ve told him that. It’s hard to only be left with memories.”
“My thoughts and condolences go out to Keith’s family and friends who are coping with such a tragic loss. We lost a good one here in Nashville,” Owen continues. “Y’all send love to Keith Gattis today. Play his records. Remember that we aren’t here forever. Be good to people. Hug someone. Tell them ya love ’em.”
In the comments section of Owen’s post, singer-songwriter Kendell Marvel wrote, “Devastated and saddened. I liked this guy. Also love you, brother.”
Here is JackOwen Instagram Post:
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Gattis was born on May 26, 1971, in Georgetown, Texas. When he was in his late teens, he went to Nashville and started to work on music. He got a record deal with RCA Nashville and put out his first studio album in 1996.
The song “Little Drops of My Heart” was on that tracklist. It was his only single to chart in the U.S., and it reached No. 53 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In Canada, another song called “Real Deal” also made it to the charts.
At the beginning of the 2000s, Gattis led Dwight Yoakam’s band and also put out a record called Big City Blues. Even though he was never a big star as an artist, he was very popular in the country scene and wrote songs for a lot of country stars.
He wrote the 2013 song “When I See This Bar” with Kenny Chesney. Gattis also helped write George Strait’s “I Got a Car,” “Let It Go,” and “Goin’ Goin’ Gone.”
Randy Houser, Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Randy Travis, and many more singers have recorded songs that Gattis wrote. There was no information right away about what kill*d Gattis.