Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, Kathy Mattea, Lyle Lovett, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner,

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She often appeared on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'', starting in 1985 during season 10. In 1990, Griffith appeared on th ...

and Chris Stapleton. He won the

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Grammy Award for Best Folk Album: '' My Favorite Picture of You''.

Career

Clark was born in Monahans, Texas. His family moved to Rockport, Texas in 1954. After he graduated from high school in 1960, he spent almost a decade living in Houston as part of the folk music revival in that city. His wife Susanna Talley Clark and he eventually settled in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where he helped create the Americana genre. His songs " L.A. Freeway" and " Desperados Waiting for a Train" helped launch his career and were covered by numerous performers, including Steve Earle, Jerry Jeff Walker,

, and Brian Joens. The ''

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'' described him in its obituary as "a king of the Texas troubadours", declaring his body of work "as indelible as that of anyone working in the Americana idiom in the last decades of the 20th century". Clark had been a mentor to such other singers as Noel McKay, Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell. He organized Earle's first job as a writer in Nashville. In the 1970s, the Clarks' home in Nashville was an open house for songwriters and musicians, and it features in the film '' Heartworn Highways'', an evocation of the songwriter scene in Nashville at that time. Numerous artists have charted with Clark-penned tunes. "The Last Gunfighter Ballad" was the title song of Johnny Cash's 1977 studio album. In 1982, Bobby Bare made it to the Country Top 20 with Clark's "New Cut Road". That same year, bluegrass leader Ricky Skaggs hit number one with Clark's "Heartbroke", a song that permanently established his reputation as an ingenious songwriter. Among the many others who have covered Clark's songs are Vince Gill, who took "Oklahoma Borderline" to the Top 10 in 1985; The Highwaymen, who introduced "Desperados Waiting for a Train" to a new generation that same year; John Conlee, whose interpretation of " The Carpenter" rode into the Top 10 in 1987; and

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...

, who recorded Clark's " Homegrown Tomatoes" in 1988. Clark is frequently referred to as the Fifth Highwayman. Steve Wariner took his cover of Clark's "Baby I'm Yours" to number one in 1988;

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music, Western swing music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, released over 20 albums, and has charted more t ...

charted with Clark's "Blowin' Like a Bandit" the same year. Crowell was Clark's co-writer on "She's Crazy for Leavin'", which in 1989 became the third of five straight number-one hits for Crowell. Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson covered Clark's "Out in the Parkin' Lot", co-written with Darrell Scott, on Paisley's ''Time Well Wasted'' CD. Jimmy Buffett, obviously influenced by Jerry Jeff Walker's earlier quality cover of "Boats to Build" on 1997's "Cowboy Boots & Bathin Suits", then covered Clark's "Boats to Build" and "Cinco de Mayo in Memphis".Remz, Jeffery (June 1997)
Clark finds a set of Keepers
Country Standard Time. Accessed January 8, 2009. Clark credits Townes Van Zandt as being a major influence on his songwriting. One of the most famous photos in country music history was taken on Clark's porch in 1972 of Clark, wife Susanna, Van Zandt, and Daniel Antopolsky by photographer Al Clayton. Clark and Van Zandt were best friends for many years until Van Zandt's death in 1997, and Clark has included a Van Zandt composition on most of his albums. In 1995, he recorded a live album with Van Zandt and Steve Earle, '' Together at the Bluebird Cafe'', which was released in October 2001. Other live material can be found on his album ''Keepers''. Earle released the tribute album ''Guy'' in 2019. In 2006, Clark released '' Workbench Songs''. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album at the Grammy Awards. He also toured with Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, and John Hiatt in 2004, 2005, and 2007. In May 2008, Clark canceled four concerts after breaking his leg. After two months on crutches, he began to perform again on July 4 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC, where he appeared with Verlon Thompson. On June 20, 2009, Clark announced a new album titled '' Somedays the Song Writes You'', which was released on September 22, 2009. It features originals along with a Townes Van Zandt song titled " If I Needed You". In December 2011, ''This One's for Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark'' (a two-CD set) was released by Icehouse Music and produced by longtime fan Tamara Saviano. The CD won Americana Album of the Year at the 2012 Americana Music Honors & Awards. Clark won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2014 for '' My Favorite Picture of You''. The final song that Clark completed was co-written with Angaleena Presley and titled "Cheer Up Little Darling". It appeared on Presley's 2017 album '' Wrangled''. Texas country singer/songwriter Aaron Watson paid tribute to Clark in his song entitled "Ghost of Guy Clark", released in June 2019. In the song, Clark's ghost asks the protagonist to perform a song and is unimpressed; he then encourages the performer to write songs with greater passion. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings' song "Hashtag", from their 2024 album ''Woodland'', is a tribute to Clark and refers to the moment Welch found out about his death on social media, when his name was accompanied by a hashtag.

Personal life

Clark had one son, Travis Carroll Clark (December 18, 1966 - October 12, 2017; aortic aneurysm), from his first marriage to folksinger Susan Spaw. He was married to songwriter and artist

Susanna Clark Susanna Talley Clark (March 11, 1939 – June 27, 2012) was an American artist and country/folk songwriter. She was married to Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark and had a close personal friendship with fellow singer-songwriter Townes Van Zand ...

from 1972 until her death from cancer on June 27, 2012. On May 17, 2016, Clark died in Nashville following a lengthy battle with lymphoma at the age of 74.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations and live albums

Singles

Filmography

*'' Heartworn Highways'' - Documentary, Snapper/Catfish, 1981/2003, with Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, and Steve Earle *'' Be Here to Love Me'' - Documentary, Rake Films, 2004 * ''Heartworn Highways Revisited'' 2015 * ''Without Getting Killed or Caught'' - Documentary, Slow Uvalde Films, 2020

References

External links

Official website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Guy 1941 births 2016 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Grammy Award winners Singer-songwriters from Texas People from Monahans, Texas Country musicians from Texas American luthiers American acoustic guitarists American male guitarists American folk singers American country guitarists American folk guitarists Deaths from cancer in Tennessee Deaths from lymphoma in the United States Guitarists from Texas 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Lyle Lovett and His Large Band members