William Edwin Bruce Jr. (December 29, 1939 – January 8, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, and actor. He 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". He also co-starred in the television series Bret Maverick with James Garner during the 1981–1982 season.
Bruce was born in Keiser, Arkansas, United States, and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Ed went to Messick High School in Memphis graduated in June 1957.Ed sold used cars after graduation and worked a few lounges as a solo act with his guitar. At the age of 17, he went to see Jack Clement, a recording engineer for Sun Records. Bruce caught the attention of Sun owner Sam Phillips, for whom he wrote and recorded "Rock Boppin' Baby" (as "Edwin Bruce").
In the early 1960s, Bruce recorded for RCA and some smaller labels like Wand/Scepter, singing rockabilly music, as well as country material and pop material such as "See the Big Man Cry." In 1962, he wrote "Save Your Kisses" for pop star Tommy Roe and in 1963 he reached No. 109 on the Billboard "Bubbling Under" chart with his own recording of "See the Big Man Cry". During his career many songs that Bruce wrote and recorded were more successful when re-recorded by others. His career as a frenetic rockabilly performer was largely unsuccessful, however, and by 1964 Bruce had moved to Nashville to become a member of the Marijohn Wilkin Singers.
He
also entered into a lucrative career singing advertising jingles; his
best-known campaign cast him as a character called "The Tennessean."
By the time Ed recorded for Sonic and Apt Records in 1964 and 1965, it was
clear that his career in pop music was over before it got off the ground. The
Beatles had changed everything, and Ed was thinking of getting out of the
business altogether when Charlie Louvin scored a top five country hit with See
The Big Man Cry
Its success earned him another shot on RCA, notching his first chart hit with the single "Walker's Woods" and also charted with his version of The Monkees'"Last Train to Clarksville". Both of these singles were minor hits. In 1969, Bruce signed with Monument Records, where he continued to have minor successes with "Everybody Wants To Get To Heaven" and "Song For Jenny" but the singer struggled until 1975, when he took his composition "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" into the Top 20. The song, Bruce's best-known, was later a monster hit when covered by the duo of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson in 1977. His songs have also been recorded by the likes of Charlie Louvin, Tex Ritter, Tanya Tucker, and Crystal Gayle.
After his brief tenure at Epic Records between 1977 and 1978, Bruce achieved his greatest commercial success with MCA in the '80s. "The Last Cowboy Song," featuring guest vocals from Willie Nelson, hit number 12 in 1980; both "Girls, Women and Ladies" and "(When You Fall in Love) Everything's a Waltz" fell just short of entering the Top Ten. In 1981, Bruce hit number one with "You're the Best Break This Heart Ever Had"; other Top Five singles included "Ever, Never Lovin' You" (number four, 1982) and "After All" (number four, 1983). In 1984, Bruce returned to RCA Records and scored a No. 3 hit with "You Turn Me On Like A Radio" in 1985. His last Top 10 single was "Nights" in 1986 and his last Top 40 single (and last chart single to date) was "Quietly Crazy" in 1987.
Bruce supplemented his songwriting income doing voice-overs for television and radio commercials. After the 1986 album entitled Night Things and a 1988 self-titled follow-up, Bruce made a conscious decision to cut back on his music to focus on his acting career. Bruce appeared in several made-for-TV films. He hosted two shows in the late 1980s, Truckin' USA and American Sports Cavalcade.
Bruce
was honored with the Arkansas Country Music Award for "Lifetime
Achievement" on June 3, 2018, at the University of Arkansas at Little
Rock.Bruce
died of natural causes in Clarksville, Tennessee, on January 8, 2021, at the
age of 81. His former wife, music manager and songwriter Patsy Bruce, died four
months later also aged 81.
(Edited
from Wikipedia, AllMusic & Bear Family)