Background and career
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 he had his greatest success in the 1980s.
Lee David Frizzell was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, United States. on September 26, 1941. In 1956 his family moved to California to live near his older brother Lefty. He began performing in his brother's show at the age of 12. He toured with his brother throughout the 1950s. Frizzell served in the United States Air Force from 1960 to 1964. After leaving the military he signed with Columbia Records in 1970 and finally achieved solo success, placing the single "I Just Can't Help Believing" on the Billboard top-40 country chart.
In 1973 Frizzell began working for Buck Owens, and appeared regularly on Owens' All American TV Show during the 1970s. He had a recording contract with Capitol Records. In 1981, he recorded his first number-one country hit, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," a duet with Shelly West, who, at the time, was married to Frizzell's youngest brother Allen. the duo's producer pitched the song to Nashville record companies but no one was interested until Clint Eastwood wanted it for his film Any Which Way You Can. The film's soundtrack made the song a hit, after record producers' dismissed it. The song won the Country Music Association's Song of the Year and Vocal Duet of the Year awards in 1981, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Frizzell and West also won the Academy of Country Music award for Vocal Duo of the Year in 1981 and 1982. In August 1982, Frizzell scored his only solo number-one country single with "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home". He continued to tour and record with West until 1986. After he parted ways with Shelly West, Frizzell continued to record solo albums, but he has not kept up the popularity he enjoyed during the early 1980s.
A"I'm Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home" also peaked at No. 20 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
