From the 1960s through the 1970s, Dallas Frazier became one of the most recorded and successful country songwriters. He has achieved country stardom for his songs that convey infectious fun while some are stunningly sad.
Several decades may have passed – still, Frazier’s songs remained popular with the new generation of artists. Get to know more about Dallas Frazier with these exciting facts about him that you might not know yet.
1. He’s a native of Spiro, Oklahoma.
Born on October 27, 1939, Frazier spent his early years mainly in outdoor life pursuits. He and his family joined the great migration of California – called the Dust Bowl migration – when he was seven. Sadly, California’s riches were a pure illusion.
Dallas was raised in labor camps in the cotton-field areas of Bakersfield, California, where most of the migrants came from the Southern states. These migrants brought with them their customs and traditions, which came with plenty of country music blended with southern blues. He loved this music and had been an inspiration to most of Dallas Frazier songs.
2. He was highly musical from boyhood.
Frazier began penning songs at the age of ten. Two years later, he joined and won a talent show hosted by country star Ferlin Husky. Husky was greatly impressed with the young Frazier that he asked him to join his road show. So, Frazier moved away from his family at the age of twelve and began working with Husky.
With Husky’s encouragement, Frazier signed with Capitol Records and cut his first disc.
3. He moved to Music City and found work as a songwriter.
While the success of Frazier as a solo artist was limited, he became an oft-covered songwriter. His song was recorded by George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings, and Elvis Presley, among others. In 1976, Frazier became a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
4. He’s a regular on country music radio and television show Cliffie Stone’s Hometown Jamboree.
His TV appearances allowed him to become more involved with country music. However, for some reason, Frazier snubbed the music he’d grown up with. He instead went towards the black performers for his inspiration.
5. He left the music industry to become a minister.
In 1988, Frazier left the music business and became a non-denominational Christian minister. From 1999 to 2006, Frazier served as a pastor at Grace Community Fellowship in White House, Tennessee.
6. He died at the age of 82.
Country legend Dallas Frazier dead, writer of Oak Ridge Boys hit ‘Elvira’ was 82 https://t.co/pW0yBd998C pic.twitter.com/qdJ4IJYHmJ
— New York Post (@nypost) January 16, 2022
On January 14, 2022, Frazier died at a rehabilitation facility in Gallatin, Tennessee. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Melody Morris, who also said that her father had two strokes prior. He was survived by his wife, Sharon Carpani, and two more daughters, Robin Proetta and Alison Thompson.
While Dallas Frazier is no longer with us, he left us with so many beautiful songs to enjoy. His legacy will absolutely live forever.
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