who wrote the song baptism of jesse taylor
Sanger D. Shafer 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 U.S. country charts, including several No.Â 1's. His songs included "The Baptism of Jesse Taylor" for Johnny Russell, "Tell Me Lying Eyes Are Wrong" for George Jones, and a series of hits for Moe Bandy. 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" (which Frizzell recorded in 1973 and turned into a top 25 country hit a year later) and "Bandy the Rodeo Clown" for Moe Bandy, which became a major hit shortly after Frizzell's 1975 death. After Frizzell's death Shafer wrote the tribute song "Lefty's Gone" recorded by George Strait for his Something Special album.