Career
He wrote numerous hits for stars such as George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, and George Strait. Born and raised in Whitney, Texas, Shafer"s musical career began in his hometown of Whitney where he played in a school band. In the following years he toured the United States., performing with, among others, the then-unknown Willie Nelson.
In 1967 Shafer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he signed with the Blue Crest Music Publishing Company.
There he wrote two songs for George Jones, "Between My House and Home" and "I"m a New Manitoba in Town", along with many other tunes for lesser-known acts. Shafer signed contracts with Musicor and Radio Corporation of America as a singer, but he was never as successful as he was as a songwriter.
In the early 1970s Shafer signed an exclusive contract with Acuff-Rose Music. In the following years he wrote many songs which went on to become successful on the United States. country charts, including several Number.
1"son He had a longstanding friendship with Lefty Frizzell, whom he had met at his record label.
He and Frizzell wrote the song "That"s the Way Love Goes" together, a hit for Johnny Rodriguez and also Merle Haggard in 1983. They also wrote "I Never Go Around Mirrors". After Frizzell"s death Shafer wrote the tribute song "Lefty"s Gone".
Both of these were Number.
1 hits for George Strait, and both were nominated for CMA"s Song of the Year. In the middle of the 1980s Shafer released two albums, I Never Go Around Mirrors and So Good for So Long, containing his greatest hits.
In 1989 Keith Whitley chose the Shafer penned, "I Wonder Do You Think of Maine", which was the first song released after Whitley"s death and went to Number. 1. Also in 1989 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Shafer continued to write for musicians such as John Michael Montgomery, Lee Ann Womack, and Kenny Chesney.
In 2004, Shafer"s recording of "All My Ex"s Live In Texas" appeared on the soundtrack to the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
