Ed Bruce, country singer-songwriter, dies at 81

[CTListener]

Ed Bruce, Writer of Country Classic ‘Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,’ Dies at 81

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...

www.yahoo.com

While he had a No. 1 hit in 1982 and several other charted singles, Bruce's best-known song is "Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," which he wrote and recorded in 1975 but became a huge hit for Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings in 1978.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Ed Bruce was a master of writing plain-spoken songs that spoke to issues the everyday person could relate to. He wasn't as prolific as others like Hank Williams or Garth Brooks, but excellent at his craft nonetheless.

My favorite of the hits he performed himself is "Girls, Women, and Ladies".

But probably my favorite of the songs he wrote is the relatively unknown "See the Big Man Cry, Mama", which was a hit for Charlie Louvin in the early 60s.

 

[TheBigA]

Ed Bruce was a master of writing plain-spoken songs that spoke to issues the everyday person could relate to. He wasn't as prolific as others like Hank Williams or Garth Brooks, but excellent at his craft nonetheless.

His music was far less commercial than those two. He's more like Shel Silverstein or David Allan Coe.

 

[CTListener]

His music was far less commercial than those two. He's more like Shel Silverstein or David Allan Coe.

More like Bob McDill and Wayland Holyfield, who wrote or co-wrote (with Don Williams) so many of the Gentle Giant's gentle ballads.

 

[TheBigA]

More like Bob McDill and Wayland Holyfield, who wrote or co-wrote (with Don Williams) so many of the Gentle Giant's gentle ballads.

Nothing about Ed Bruce that I'd compare to McDill. Two completely different writers. I'll stick with my comparisons.