Ed Bruce, a singer/songwriter and actor who had his own run of hits on the country charts but was best known for co-writing Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings’ “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” has died at age 81. He died in Clarksville, Tenn. and the cause of death was given as natural causes.
Bruce was also recognized for playing the second lead to James Garner on NBC’s 1981-82 “Bret Maverick,” a one-season reboot of “Maverick,” as well as writing and singing the show’s theme song.
Of “Mammas,” one of the most iconic country hits of all time, Bruce said in a 2012 interview, “It was a top 15 record for me. And actually when I finished writing it, there was a question of whether I was gonna record it or whether I wanted pitch it to Waylon. There was no doubt in my mind it was a No.
Bruce was also recognized for playing the second lead to James Garner on NBC’s 1981-82 “Bret Maverick,” a one-season reboot of “Maverick,” as well as writing and singing the show’s theme song.
Of “Mammas,” one of the most iconic country hits of all time, Bruce said in a 2012 interview, “It was a top 15 record for me. And actually when I finished writing it, there was a question of whether I was gonna record it or whether I wanted pitch it to Waylon. There was no doubt in my mind it was a No.
- 1/8/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Ed Bruce, the singer and songwriter who got his start during the Sun Records rockabilly era and went on to write or record a long string of country chart-makers, died of natural causes today in Clarksville, Tennessee. Bruce, who sidelined as an actor on such TV series as James Garner’s 1981 Maverick sequel and 1980’s The Chisholms, was 81.
His death was announced by publicist Jeremy Westby.
A cowriter of the country classic “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” Bruce was only 17 when he worked as a recording engineer for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records, where he’d soon writer and record “Rock Boppin’ Baby.” Through the mid-1960s he wrote songs for pop star Tommy Roe, country singer Charlie Louvin, and, later in the decade, charted himself with minor hits “Walker’s Woods” and a cover version of The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.”
Bigger hits came in the 1970s,...
His death was announced by publicist Jeremy Westby.
A cowriter of the country classic “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” Bruce was only 17 when he worked as a recording engineer for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records, where he’d soon writer and record “Rock Boppin’ Baby.” Through the mid-1960s he wrote songs for pop star Tommy Roe, country singer Charlie Louvin, and, later in the decade, charted himself with minor hits “Walker’s Woods” and a cover version of The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.”
Bigger hits came in the 1970s,...
- 1/8/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Ranch, the Netflix comedy about a Colorado ranching family, will get its own soundtrack of country music. The record arrives January 24th, dovetailing with the premiere of the show’s final season.
While mostly a collection of previously released songs by artists signed to Curb Records (the Nashville label releasing the LP), the soundtrack is distinguished by a duet between Shooter Jennings and Lukas Nelson. The sons of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, respectively, tackle their fathers’ 1978 hit “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,...
While mostly a collection of previously released songs by artists signed to Curb Records (the Nashville label releasing the LP), the soundtrack is distinguished by a duet between Shooter Jennings and Lukas Nelson. The sons of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, respectively, tackle their fathers’ 1978 hit “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,...
- 12/10/2019
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
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