14 Facts About Cliff Bruner

Clifton Lafayette Bruner was a fiddler and bandleader of the Western Swing era of the 1930s and 1940s.

Cliff Bruner's music combined elements of traditional string band music, improvisation, blues, folk, and popular melodies of the times.

Cliff Bruner was born in Texas City, Texas, and spent most of his childhood near Houston.

Cliff Bruner learned to play fiddle, and traveled with medicine shows to begin his musical career.

Cliff Bruner played with the ensemble's classically trained fiddler Cecil Brower to create the memorable double fiddle sound of Milton Brown's group.

Cliff Bruner recorded with Brown's group on the Decca music label, until Brown was killed in an automobile accident in 1936.

That same year, Cliff Bruner moved to Houston and formed The Texas Wanderers, a band that included Lee Bell on electric guitar, Bob Dunn on electric steel guitar, Leo Raley on mandolin, JR Chatwell on fiddle, Dickie McBride on guitar and vocals, and Moon Mullican on vocals and piano.

Cliff Bruner's songs had a special southern characteristic including songs about truck driving, lost love, the draft, and ill repute.

Cliff Bruner is an unsung star of the little-noted Country music charts that appeared in Billboard prior to 1944.

Cliff Bruner's hit "It Makes No Difference Now" spent twenty weeks atop the chart.

When Ella Ruth died this left Clifton with two small children to raise, Cliff Bruner returned to Houston, married a second woman named Ruth, and continued to work in his own insurance company.

Cliff Bruner pursued music on the side, playing on weekends with local musicians.

Cliff Bruner died of cancer on August 25,2000, and was survived by his wife, six daughters, seventeen grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren.

Cliff Bruner was inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame and the Western Swing Society Hall of Fame, as well as the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame.