Brandy Lynn Clark (born October 9, 1975) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, the Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Musgraves.Brandy Clark CMT.com Bio
Retrieved July 22, 2013. She was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

Early life

Brandy Clark was born in Morton, Washington, a logging town of 900 people in the shadow of Mount Rainier. As a child in the 1980s she was influenced by the country-pop and traditional country music artists she heard her parents and grandmother play, like Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn. Clark cites the Patsy Cline movie " Sweet Dreams" as one of her biggest early influences.CMT Edge Article
(June 7, 2013). Retrieved July 22, 2013. Clark began playing guitar at nine years old and sang in school musicals, also writing songs. She obtained a basketball scholarship at Central Washington University, but later moved back home, obtaining an associate degree from a community college. Still a teenager, she joined the music business program at Belmont University, and moved to Nashville in 1998. At Belmont she took guitar lessons again and joined a band with her mother and a friend. She studied commercial music and was chosen to perform in the school's "Best of the Best Showcase". Upon graduation, Clark got a job with Leadership Music which led to her eventual publishing deal.

Music career

In 2011 " Mama's Broken Heart", written by Clark with Shane McAnally (her frequent collaborator) and Kacey Musgraves, appeared on Miranda Lambert's album '' Four the Record''. It was released on January 14, 2013, as the fourth single reaching No. 2 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. Clark's biggest success to date was as the co-writer along with McAnally and Trevor Rosen when she celebrated a No.1 song ASCAP Party at an industry gathering for The Band Perry's third No. 1 hit, " Better Dig Two".MusicRow.com
(March 7, 2013). Retrieved July 22, 2013. As a Music Row songwriter Clark writes songs that are mostly about the seedy underbelly of country folk. They are observational pieces based on flawed characters that tell the truth on the human condition. They contain

dark humor Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...

, with a blend of wit and realism, while having the artistic license to make them fictional.The Song Survives Article
Retrieved July 22, 2013. In 2012 she opened shows for

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-winning artist Sheryl Crow. Brandy found an advocate in country artist Marty Stuart when on Saturday December 8, 2012 she joined him to make her Grand Ole Opry debut when she played his Grand Ole Opry Anniversary celebration and also at his Late Night Jam at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.GAC News
(May 16, 2013). Retrieved July 22, 2013. At the beginning of 2013 Brandy was chosen by CMT as one of the "Women of Country", a year-long promotion featuring up and coming artists.CMT Press Release
(January 14, 2013). Retrieved July 22, 2013. In December 2012, Clark digitally released a self-titled three-track EP including songs "Pray to Jesus", "Stripes" and "Take a Little Pill". The song "Stripes" was released as a single and the official video made its CMT debut on July 4, 2013. It was directed by Becky Fluke (Little Big Town, Pistol Annies) and HLN's Nancy Grace plays a cameo role. As a co-writer of Miranda Lambert's "Mama's Broken Heart", on September 10, 2013 Brandy received a nomination in the Song of the Year category (presented to the songwriters) for the 47th Annual

CMA Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony ...

broadcast, held in Nashville on November 6, 2013.2013 CMA Awards Nominations Announced
(September 10, 2013). Retrieved October 24, 2013. She was also twice nominated for Song of the Year at the 4th Annual American Country Awards which were held in Las Vegas on December 10, 2013.American Country Awards 2013
(October 31, 2013). Retrieved November 1, 2013.

2013: ''12 Stories''

On October 22, 2013 Clark released her debut album ''

12 Stories ''12 Stories'' is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, released on October 22, 2013, through Slate Creek Records. Clark wrote or co-wrote all 12 of the songs and it features Vince Gill on background ...

''. Produced by Dave Brainard, it features

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

on background vocals. It made its debut at No. 28 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart Brandy Clark Chart History
(October 29, 2013). Retrieved November 1, 2013. On January 6, 2014 Clark made her network CBS network TV debut on '' The Late Show with David Letterman'', performing the lead single "Stripes".Hudak, Joseph (January 7, 2014)
Country Weekly
Retrieved February 2, 2014. In 2014, Clark opened for Jennifer Nettles on her "That Girl" tour.

2016present: ''Big Day in a Small Town'' and ''Your Life Is a Record''

On June 10, 2016 Clark released her second album '' Big Day in a Small Town'', which was produced by Jay Joyce. Lead single "Girl Next Door" became her only chart entry to date, reaching No. 39 on Country Airplay. Clark announced a new album in 2020 titled ''

Your Life Is a Record ''Your Life Is a Record'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Brandy Clark. It was released on March 6, 2020, via Warner Records. It includes the single "Who You Thought I Was". The album has received positive critical re ...

''. Also produced by Joyce, the album is led off by the single "Who You Thought I Was".

Critical reception

Clark's song "Stripes" received favorable reviews from critics. Ben Foster of Country Universe praised the track: "As the first radio bid from an exceptionally talented singer-songwriter, "Stripes" does not disappoint. It's an ambitious, energetic debut single that makes the prospect of a full-length Brandy Clark album even more enticing." Foster rated the song an A."Stripes" (Single Review)
(July 10, 2013). Retrieved July 22, 2013. Music roots publication Engine 145 described her as "one of the most talented songwriters on Music Row, and she proves she is as talented a performer as she is a writer." ''12 Stories'' received a 4.5-out-of-5 rating.Engine 145 Album Review
(July 16, 2013). Retrieved July 22, 2013 Americana and Roots music blog Twang Nation placed ''12 Stories'' at the top spot of its best of 2013 "Cream of the Crop". NPR music critic Ann Powers named the album her favorite of 2013. Powers noted that others share her sentiments, writing, "the top honor on many critics' lists is going to Clark, a storyteller of the highest caliber." The ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that Clark's 2017 release ''Live from Los Angeles'' is "smart to the core." ''Your Life Is a Record'' has been described as "the best-sounding album that she’s released."

Personal life

Clark identifies as lesbian.

Songwriting credits

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Brandy American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Living people 1975 births American lesbian musicians LGBT people from Washington (state) American LGBT singers LGBT songwriters People from Morton, Washington Singer-songwriters from Washington (state) Writers from Washington (state) 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Warner Records artists Country musicians from Washington (state) 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people