1. Ed Bruce was known for writing the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and recording the 1982 country number one hit "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had".
19 Facts About Ed Bruce
1. 2.
Ed Bruce caught the attention of Sun owner Sam Phillips, for whom he wrote and recorded "Rock Boppin' Baby".
3.
Ed Bruce scored his first charted single with "Walker's Woods" in 1967, and charted with his version of The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville".
4.
In 1969, Ed Bruce signed with Monument Records, where he continued to have minor successes with "Everybody Wants To Get To Heaven" and "Song For Jenny".
5.
Ed Bruce wrote "The Man That Turned My Mama On" which became a major hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974, as was his "Restless" for Crystal Gayle the same year.
6.
Ed Bruce signed with United Artists Records in 1973 and released several singles, but only one single in 1974 became a minor hit.
7.
Ed Bruce finally made the Top 20 on country charts with his version of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", a song he wrote with then-wife Patsy Ed Bruce, in 1976.
8.
In 1980, Ed Bruce signed with MCA Records, where he would score his biggest successes.
9.
Ed Bruce's biggest hit, "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" went to number one on the country chart in 1982.
10.
In 1984, Ed Bruce returned to RCA Records and scored a No 3 hit with "You Turn Me On Like A Radio" in 1985.
11.
Ed Bruce supplemented his songwriting income doing voice-overs for television and radio commercials.
12.
Ed Bruce hosted two shows in the late 1980s, Truckin' USA and American Sports Cavalcade.
13.
Ed Bruce had the second lead on the television revival of 1957's Maverick, called Bret Maverick.
14.
Ed Bruce played the irascibly surly town lawman who found himself reluctantly co-owning a saloon with Maverick, with whom he seemed to maintain a surreally adversarial relationship more or less throughout the entire season.
15.
Ed Bruce sang and wrote the theme song to the show, while Garner himself sang the same song over the end titles at the show's close, while being relentlessly interrupted by network announcements about upcoming programming.
16.
Ed Bruce appeared in several theatrical cinematic releases, including Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal.
17.
Ed Bruce died of natural causes in Clarksville, Tennessee, on January 8,2021, at the age of 81.
18.
An album of previously unreleased songs by Ed Bruce, titled After Hours, was released by Music Row Talent Records on May 10,2024, in association with Old Hat Productions.
19.
Ed Bruce was honored with the Arkansas Country Music Award for "Lifetime Achievement" on June 3,2018, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.