Biography

Snuff Garrett was born on July 5, 1938 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He was a composer, known for Every Which Way But Loose (1978), The Cannonball Run (1981) and Smokey and the Bandit II (1980). He was married to Yolanda Salas and Nettie Sanford. He died on December 16, 2015 in Sonoita, Arizona, USA.

He moved into the record business in 1959, becoming a producer for Liberty Records in Hollywood. First assigned to Johnny Burnette, he went on to work with Bobby Vee, Gene McDaniels, Buddy Knox, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Del Shannon and others. During the 1970s he worked extensively with Sonny & Cher, along with Cher as a solo artist. Later in the decade he became extensively involved with country music, producing hits for Tanya Tucker, Eddie Rabbitt, David Frizzell and Shelly West.

Garrett worked as a producer for local bands at the age of 15 and, two years later, became a DJ in Lubbock, TX, where he met and got to know Buddy Holly. He later moved to KSYD in Wichita Falls, TX, where he broadcast a tribute to Holly after his death in a plane crash with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.