Dewayne L. Blackwell (September 17, 1936 – May 23, 2021)'Friends in Low Places' Songwriter Dewayne Blackwell Dead at 84
/ref> was an American songwriter active since the 1950s. His songs include "

Mr. Blue "Mr. Blue" is a popular song written by DeWayne Blackwell that was a hit for the Fleetwoods, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1959, giving the group its second chart-topping hit of the year. Roy Lanh ...

", a 1959 hit for

the Fleetwoods The Fleetwoods were an American vocal group from Olympia, Washington, whose members were Gary Troxel (born November 28, 1939), Gretchen Christopher (born February 29, 1940), and Barbara Ellis (born February 20, 1940). Early history The band ...

; " I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home", a 1982 hit for

David Frizzell David Frizzell (born September 26, 1941) is an American country music singer. He is the younger brother of country musician, Lefty Frizzell. His career started in the late 1950s, but his biggest success came in the 1980s. Biography Frizzell wa ...

; and "

Friends in Low Places "Friends in Low Places" is a song recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 6, 1990, as the lead single from his album '' No Fences''. The song spent four weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs, and ...

", a 1990 hit for

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

. His songs have been recorded by

the Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

and

Bobby Vinton Stanley Robert Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is an American singer and actor, who hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid tribute to his Polish heritage. One ...

. He also wrote songs for movie soundtracks. Blackwell lived for a short time in Haines, Alaska, and also in

Ajijic Ajijic () is a town about west from the town of Chapala, part of the municipality (also named Chapala), in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. It is situated on the north shore of Lake Chapala, surrounded by mountains. Ajijic enjoys a moderate climat ...

, Mexico for a few years.

Footnotes

1936 births 2021 deaths American male songwriters {{US-songwriter-stub