Ed Bruce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ed Bruce | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | William Edwin Bruce | |
| Born | December 29, 1939 | |
| Origin | Keiser, Arkansas | |
| Genre(s) | Country Music | |
| Occupation(s) | songwriter, singer, commercial voice-over | |
| Years active | 1966-present | |
| Label(s) | Sun Records, RCA Records, United Artists Records, MCA Records | |
William Edwin Bruce, Jr., born December 29, 1939 in Keiser, Arkansas, known as 'Ed Bruce', is a country music songwriter and singer.
Contents |
[edit] Early Life & Songwriting Career
Ed Bruce, grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and is best known for penning the song, "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys". In 1957, at the age of 17, he went to see Jack Clement a recording engineer for Sun Records. Bruce caught the attention of Sun owner Sam Phillips, for whom he wrote and recorded "Rock Boppin' Baby". In 1962, he wrote "Save Your Kisses" for pop star Tommy Roe and in 1965, he wrote "See the Big Man Cry" for country star Charlie Louvin.
In the early 1960s, Bruce recorded for RCA Records and some smaller labels like Wand/Scepter singing rockabilly music as well as more pop-oriented material but it never really gained him any success as a vocalist.
[edit] The Height of His Career
In 1966, he returned to RCA Records and recorded "Puzzles", "The Price I Pay to Stay" and "Lonesome Is Me". He still did not achieve great charting action. He made money doing voice-overs for television and radio commercials. [1]. He signed with Monument Records where he made the country charts with his version of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys". It wasn't until 1978 when the song was recorded again by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings that it became a major hit and put Bruce on an upward swing.
In the early 1980s, Bruce began to hit the country top-ten. "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" went to #1 in 1982. He had other hit songs like "Ever, Never Lovin' You", "After All" and "You Turn Me On (Like a Radio)". His last charting single was "Nights" in 1986.
[edit] Decline and Television Career
After the 1986 album "Night Things" and a 1988 self-titled follow-up, Bruce made a conscious decision to cut back on his music to focus on his acting career, appearing in several made-for-TV films. [2]. He hosted two shows in the late 80's, "Trucking USA" and "American Sports Calvacade" [3] Bruce also appeared in several made-for-TV movies.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Hit Singles
| Year | Single | Album | U.S. Country Singles | |
| 1967 | "Last Train to Clarksville" | Last Train to Clarksville | #69 | |
| 1967 | "Walker's Woods" | Last Train to Clarksville | #57 | |
| 1968 | "Painted Girls and Wine" | Last Train to Clarksville | #52 | |
| 1969 | "Everybody Wants to Get to Heaven" | Shades | #52 | |
| 1976 | "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" | Ed Bruce | #15 | |
| 1980 | "Diane" | Ed Bruce | #21 | |
| 1980 | "The Last Cowboy Song" | Ed Bruce | #12 | |
| 1981 | "Girls, Women and Ladies" | Ed Bruce | #14 | |
| 1981 | "When You Fall In Love (Everthing's a Waltz)" | One to Onee | #14 | |
| 1981 | "Evil Angel" | One to Onee | #24 | |
| 1982 | "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" | One to Onee | #1 | |
| 1982 | "Ever, Never Lovin' You" | I Write It Down | #4 | |
| 1982 | "My First Taste of Texas" | I Write It Down | #6 | |
| 1983 | "After All" | You're Not Leaving Her Tonight | #4 | |
| 1983 | "You're Leaving Here Tonight" | You're Leaving Her Tonight | #21 | |
| 1983 | "If It Was Easy" | You're Not Leaving Her Tonight | #19 | |
| 1984 | "Tell 'em I've Gone Crazy" | Tell 'em I've Gone Crazy | #45 | |
| 1984 | "You Turn Me On (Like a Radio)" | Homecoming | #3 | |
| 1986 | "Nights" | Night Things | #4 | |
| 1986 | "Fools For Each Other" | Night Things | #49 |
[edit] Selected Albums
| Year | Album | |
| 1968 | If I Could Just Go Home | |
| 1969 | Shades | |
| 1976 | Ed Bruce | |
| 1977 | Tennesseean | |
| 1978 | Cowboys and Dreamers | |
| 1980 | Ed Bruce | |
| 1981 | One to Onee | |
| 1982 | I Write It Down | |
| 1982 | Last Train to Clarksville | |
| 1983 | You're Not Leaving Her Tonight | |
| 1984 | Tell em' I've Gone Crazy | |
| 1984 | Homecoming | |
| 1985 | Greatest Hits | |
| 1986 | Night Things | |
| 2003 | 12 Classics |
[edit] Sources
- Country Music:the Rough Guide; Wolff, Kurt; Penguin Publishing
- LP Discography.com
