Born 71 Years Ago Today in Pennsylvania, the Ex-Shenandoah Keyboardist Who Penned Hits for Shania Twain, Glen Campbell, and Tim McGraw

In 1969, a quartet of session musicians who had featured on countless hits at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, decided to go their own way. They founded the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, which soon began drawing some of music’s biggest names—Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Duane Allman; just to name a few. While Stan Munsey Jr.’s name isn’t as instantly recognizable, his contributions to music are vast. The singer-songwriter’s work has sold more than 12 million records across the world and includes recordings from Shania Twain, Barbara Mandrell, John Michael Montgomery, and more. Today we’re peering into the life and career of Stan Munsey, born in Easton, Pennsylvania, on this day (July 10) in 1955.

Although born in Pennsylvania, Munsey spent much of his early years in Sheffield, Alabama, just down the road from Muscle Shoals.

Before zeroing in on songwriting, he got his start as a musician, recording with a band called the Chessmen in the early 1970s. Munsey also lent his keyboarding skills to artists like Percy Sledge and Jim Stafford throughout the decade before leaving his stamp on Nashville as a songwriter.

In 1995, Munsey replaced Stan Thorn as the keyboardist for Muscle Shoals-based country band Shenandoah. The group disbanded two years later, but reunited in 2000. Munsey remained with Shenandoah until 2018.

Stan Munsey Wrote This Country-Pop Sensation’s Debut Single

The 1990s saw an explosion of country-pop crossover acts, many of them women. Leading the charge was Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain, rightfully still considered the Queen of Country-Pop even today. And in a roundabout way, the best-selling artist owes much of her success to Stan Munsey Jr.

Along with Tony Haselden, Munsey co-wrote “What Made You Say That”, released in March 1993 as the lead single from Twain’s self-titled debut album.

While the song underperformed on the charts, its music video was rather unforgettable. Shot in Miami Beach, Florida, it features a midriff-baring Twain dancing on the sand with a shirtless male model.

Expectations for female country artists were quite different in the early ’90s, and CMT briefly banned the video. However, it made its way to rock producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, who liked what he saw and reached out to Twain’s manager about working with her.

Together, Twain and Lange co-wrote nearly all of her biggest hits, including “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under”, “You’re Still The One”, “You Win My Love”, and more. Their relationship quickly went from professional to personal, and by the end of 1993, the couple had tied the knot.

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Among Munsey’s other countless hits is “All I Want is a Life”, which Tim McGraw took to number five on the country charts in 1996.

Featured image courtesy of Stan Munsey via Facebook

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