Guy Charles Clark
November 6, 1941 – Tuesday May 17, 2016
Grammy-winner,
Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member, Academy of Country Music
Poet’s Award honoree, and fearless raconteur Guy Charles Clark died
Tuesday after a long illness.
Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame member, Academy of Country Music
Poet’s Award honoree, and fearless raconteur Guy Charles Clark died
Tuesday after a long illness.
He
was born in the dusty west Texas town of Monahans on November 6, 1941.
The family lived at his grandmother’s 13-room shotgun hotel; home to
bomber pilots, drifters, oilmen and a wildcatter named Jack Prigg, the
subject of Clark’s famous song “Desperados Waiting For A Train.” When
Guy’s father returned from WWII and graduated from law school, the
Clarks moved to the Gulf coast town of Rockport, Texas. Guy came of age
in the pretty little beach town. As captain and center, Guy led the
football team. He played guard in basketball, ran the 100-yard dash and
threw discus in track and field. He won science fairs, joined the
Explorer’s club, presided over the junior class as president, acted in
school plays, excelled on the debate team, illustrated the yearbook, and
fell in love with Mexican folk songs and the Flamenco guitar.
was born in the dusty west Texas town of Monahans on November 6, 1941.
The family lived at his grandmother’s 13-room shotgun hotel; home to
bomber pilots, drifters, oilmen and a wildcatter named Jack Prigg, the
subject of Clark’s famous song “Desperados Waiting For A Train.” When
Guy’s father returned from WWII and graduated from law school, the
Clarks moved to the Gulf coast town of Rockport, Texas. Guy came of age
in the pretty little beach town. As captain and center, Guy led the
football team. He played guard in basketball, ran the 100-yard dash and
threw discus in track and field. He won science fairs, joined the
Explorer’s club, presided over the junior class as president, acted in
school plays, excelled on the debate team, illustrated the yearbook, and
fell in love with Mexican folk songs and the Flamenco guitar.
After
a couple of false starts at university, Guy joined the Peace Corps in
1963. He trained in Rio Abajo, Puerto Rico, practicing water survival,
rock climbing and trekking, followed by a month of book learning at the
University of Minnesota. After turning down an assignment in Punjab,
India, Guy moved to Houston, where he opened a guitar repair shop with
his friend Minor Wilson. He played guitar and sang folk songs at the
Houston Folklore Society, Sand Mountain coffee shop and the Jester
Lounge, where he began life long friendships with fellow struggling
songwriters and musicians Mickey Newbury, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff
Walker, Kay Oslin, Frank Davis, Gary White and Crow Johnson. He married
his first wife, folksinger Susan Spaw, and they had a son Travis in
1966.
a couple of false starts at university, Guy joined the Peace Corps in
1963. He trained in Rio Abajo, Puerto Rico, practicing water survival,
rock climbing and trekking, followed by a month of book learning at the
University of Minnesota. After turning down an assignment in Punjab,
India, Guy moved to Houston, where he opened a guitar repair shop with
his friend Minor Wilson. He played guitar and sang folk songs at the
Houston Folklore Society, Sand Mountain coffee shop and the Jester
Lounge, where he began life long friendships with fellow struggling
songwriters and musicians Mickey Newbury, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff
Walker, Kay Oslin, Frank Davis, Gary White and Crow Johnson. He married
his first wife, folksinger Susan Spaw, and they had a son Travis in
1966.
In
1969, after splitting with Susan, Guy moved to San Francisco and again
joined Minor Wilson in a guitar repair shop. Within a year, he moved
back to Houston, met and fell in love with a beautiful dark haired
painter named Susanna Talley. Susanna moved from Oklahoma City to
Houston to be with Guy and after a few months, she sold a painting to
fund the couple’s move to Los Angeles. Guy landed a job building Dobros
at the Dopyera Brothers Original Musical Instruments Company. He played
with a bluegrass band on the weekends and pitched his songs to
publishing companies in between.
1969, after splitting with Susan, Guy moved to San Francisco and again
joined Minor Wilson in a guitar repair shop. Within a year, he moved
back to Houston, met and fell in love with a beautiful dark haired
painter named Susanna Talley. Susanna moved from Oklahoma City to
Houston to be with Guy and after a few months, she sold a painting to
fund the couple’s move to Los Angeles. Guy landed a job building Dobros
at the Dopyera Brothers Original Musical Instruments Company. He played
with a bluegrass band on the weekends and pitched his songs to
publishing companies in between.
He
signed a publishing deal with Sunbury Dunbar and moved to Nashville in
the fall of 1971. He and Susanna crashed on songwriter Mickey Newbury’s
houseboat for a few weeks and then moved into a small rental house at
1307 Chapel Avenue in East Nashville. Guy and Susanna returned to
Newbury’s houseboat on January 14, 1972 along with Mickey and Susan
Newbury and Townes Van Zandt as best man; the five friends sailed up the
Cumberland River to the Sumner County Courthouse where Guy Clark and
Susanna Talley married.
signed a publishing deal with Sunbury Dunbar and moved to Nashville in
the fall of 1971. He and Susanna crashed on songwriter Mickey Newbury’s
houseboat for a few weeks and then moved into a small rental house at
1307 Chapel Avenue in East Nashville. Guy and Susanna returned to
Newbury’s houseboat on January 14, 1972 along with Mickey and Susan
Newbury and Townes Van Zandt as best man; the five friends sailed up the
Cumberland River to the Sumner County Courthouse where Guy Clark and
Susanna Talley married.
In
that first year in East Nashville Susanna and Townes wrote “Heavenly
Houseboat Blues,” while Guy turned out “Desperados Waiting for a Train,”
“L.A. Freeway,” and “That Old Time Feeling.” By the time Guy released
Old No. 1, his debut critically acclaimed album for RCA Records in 1975,
he had written several soon-to-be classic songs including “She Ain’t
Going Nowhere,” “Let Him Roll,” “Rita Ballou,” and “Texas 1947.”
that first year in East Nashville Susanna and Townes wrote “Heavenly
Houseboat Blues,” while Guy turned out “Desperados Waiting for a Train,”
“L.A. Freeway,” and “That Old Time Feeling.” By the time Guy released
Old No. 1, his debut critically acclaimed album for RCA Records in 1975,
he had written several soon-to-be classic songs including “She Ain’t
Going Nowhere,” “Let Him Roll,” “Rita Ballou,” and “Texas 1947.”
He
jumped from RCA to Warner Brothers in 1978, scoring a number one song
with Ricky Skaggs’s take on “Heartbroke” in 1982 and breaking into the
Billboard country chart with “Homegrown Tomatoes” in 1983. Clark hit his
stride when he signed with Sugar Hill Records in 1989, and then
released a string of significant folk and Americana albums with Sugar
Hill, Asylum Records and Dualtone Music Group during the next
two-and-a-half decades: Old Friends, Boats to Build, Dublin Blues,
Keepers, Cold Dog Soup, The Dark, Workbench Songs, Somedays the Song
Writes You and his final 2013 Grammy-winning Best Folk Album, My
Favorite Picture of You.
jumped from RCA to Warner Brothers in 1978, scoring a number one song
with Ricky Skaggs’s take on “Heartbroke” in 1982 and breaking into the
Billboard country chart with “Homegrown Tomatoes” in 1983. Clark hit his
stride when he signed with Sugar Hill Records in 1989, and then
released a string of significant folk and Americana albums with Sugar
Hill, Asylum Records and Dualtone Music Group during the next
two-and-a-half decades: Old Friends, Boats to Build, Dublin Blues,
Keepers, Cold Dog Soup, The Dark, Workbench Songs, Somedays the Song
Writes You and his final 2013 Grammy-winning Best Folk Album, My
Favorite Picture of You.
For
more than forty years, the Clark home was a gathering place for
songwriters, folk singers, artists and misfits; many who sat at the feet
of the master songwriter in his element, willing Guy’s essence into
their own pens. Throughout his long and extraordinary career, Guy Clark
blazed a trail for original and groundbreaking artists and troubadours
including his good friends Rodney Crowell, Jim McGuire, Steve Earle,
Emmylou Harris, Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett, Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp, and
Vince Gill.
more than forty years, the Clark home was a gathering place for
songwriters, folk singers, artists and misfits; many who sat at the feet
of the master songwriter in his element, willing Guy’s essence into
their own pens. Throughout his long and extraordinary career, Guy Clark
blazed a trail for original and groundbreaking artists and troubadours
including his good friends Rodney Crowell, Jim McGuire, Steve Earle,
Emmylou Harris, Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett, Verlon Thompson, Shawn Camp, and
Vince Gill.
His
beloved Susanna died from complications of lung cancer in 2012. Due to
ongoing health problems, Guy stopped touring and recording shortly
thereafter. He is survived by his son Travis and daughter-in-law Krista
McMurtry Clark; grandchildren Dylan and Ellie Clark; sisters Caroline
Clark Dugan and Jan Clark; manager and friend Keith Case; caretaker and
sweetheart Joy Brogdon; nieces, nephews and many, many dear friends,
colleagues and fans.
beloved Susanna died from complications of lung cancer in 2012. Due to
ongoing health problems, Guy stopped touring and recording shortly
thereafter. He is survived by his son Travis and daughter-in-law Krista
McMurtry Clark; grandchildren Dylan and Ellie Clark; sisters Caroline
Clark Dugan and Jan Clark; manager and friend Keith Case; caretaker and
sweetheart Joy Brogdon; nieces, nephews and many, many dear friends,
colleagues and fans.
Funeral arrangements are pending