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 Zandt.
Career
Susanna Clark was an accomplished painter. Her paintings graced several musical album covers including her husband's debut album
Old No. 1,
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 ...
's album
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town
''Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1978. The album reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' charts, with three charting singles: "To Daddy" (written by Dolly Part ...
,
Willie Nelson's Stardust, and
Nanci Griffith's The Dustbowl Symphony. Susanna Clark wrote the No. 1 hit song "I'll Be Your San Antone Rose," recorded first by RCA recording artist
Dottsy in 1975. She co-wrote
"Come From the Heart" with
Richard Leigh.
Don Williams
Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing p ...
recorded it first and
Kathy Mattea took the song to No. 1 in 1989. Lyrics from "Come From the Heart" have been wrongly attributed to Mark Twain. Susanna Clark also co-wrote "
Easy From Now On
"Easy From Now On" is a song written by Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smit ...
" with
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith (country musician), Carl Smith.
Since 1978, Carter has ...
. The song was recorded by Carter, Emmylou Harris,
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 ...
and others. She co-wrote "Heavenly Houseboat Blues" with Townes Van Zandt.
Jerry Jeff Walker recorded several Susanna Clark songs including "We Were Kinda Crazy Then."
Personal life
Susanna Talley was born in
Atlanta, Texas to John and Virginia Talley. She had eight siblings. Susanna was raised in Oklahoma City as a member of the socialite Kirkpatrick family. She married John Wallis in Oklahoma City in 1961. They divorced in 1966. In 1970, after the suicide of her sister Johna (Bunny) Talley (Sept 22, 1944 - May 3, 1970), Susanna fell in love with Bunny's boyfriend, songwriter
Guy Clark. Susanna moved to Houston with Guy on July 4, 1970. They soon moved to Los Angeles for one year and in the fall of 1971, Susanna and Guy moved to Nashville, Tennessee when Guy got a song publishing deal with Sunbury Dunbar. In 1972 Susanna and Guy married with
Townes Van Zandt as their best man. Guy and Susanna separated in 1989, but reunited in 1995, and stayed together until her death from cancer on June 27, 2012.
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Susanna
1939 births
2012 deaths
American women songwriters
American country songwriters
20th-century American women musicians
21st-century American women musicians