Brandy Lynn Clark (born October 9, 1975) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes,

Billy Currington William Matthew Currington (born November 19, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, Mercury Records Nashville in 2003, he has released seven studio albums for the label: his Billy Cur ...

, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Musgraves.Brandy Clark CMT.com Bio
Retrieved July 22, 2013. She debuted as an artist in her own right in 2013 with her album '' 12 Stories'' and has released four additional studio albums. Clark is a sixteen-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nominee, including the 2015 Best New Artist award, and won the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year as a co-writer on " Follow Your Arrow". In 2023, Clark and frequent collaborator Shane McAnally wrote the music and lyrics for the musical '' Shucked'', earning a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Original Score.

Early life

Brandy Clark was born in Morton, Washington, a logging town of 900 people in the shadow of

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier ( ), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With an off ...

. 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 Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

. Clark cites the

Patsy Cline Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley; September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as one of the first country music artists to successfully Cross ...

biopic '' 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 Centralia College in 1997. 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 Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

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

-winning artist

. Brandy found an advocate in country artist

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country music, country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before be ...

when on Saturday December 8, 2012 she joined him to make her

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

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 Nancy Ann Grace (born October 23, 1959) is an American legal pundit, commentator and television journalist. She hosted ''Nancy Grace (TV program), Nancy Grace'', a nightly celebrity news and current affairs (news format), current affairs show ...

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 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''. Produced by Dave Brainard, it features Vince Gill 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 released'' Your Life Is a Record'' in 2020. Also produced by Joyce, the album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Album. In 2023, Clark released a self-titled album, '' Brandy Clark''. It was nominated for five Grammys, including Best Americana Album. Clark won the Grammy, her first, for Best Americana Performance for her song, "Dear Insecurity", featuring Brandi Carlile.

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. (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." ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' wrote about the album saying, "No One Is Writing Better Country Songs than Brandy Clark Is". Writing about her 2023 self-titled album, NPR described Clark's voice as "a powerful, agile instrument that she wields masterfully".

Personal life

Brandy Clark is openly a lesbian. Clark was honored with Centralia College's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025, recognizing her country music career and connection to the college.

Songwriting credits

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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