You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had - Ed Bruce, Hatch, Randy
Love's Found You and Me
Ever, Never Lovin' You
My First Taste of Texas
Theme from Bret Maverick
You're Not Leavin' Here Tonight - Ed Bruce, Black, Charley
If It Was Easy - Ed Bruce, Kingston, Larry
After All
Tell 'Em I've Gone Crazy
You Turn Me on (Like a Radio) - Ed Bruce, McDill, Robert Lee
When Giving up Was Easy - Ed Bruce, Palmer, Keith
Nights - Ed Bruce, Hill, Byron
Today Ed Bruce is better known as the author of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and as James Garner's sidekick in Bret Maverick than as an artist himself. There's a reason for that--he was a mediocre s... more »inger. His baritone suffered from a cramped range, a thin tone, and a mumbled delivery. That didn't stop him from having half a dozen Top-10 country hits, however, for he was a skillful songwriter with a knack for coming across as a gruff, grizzled cowboy even as he was being unabashedly sentimental. Between 1980 and '86, Bruce scored 16 Top-25 country singles for MCA and RCA, and all of them can be found on The Best of Ed Bruce, a single-CD anthology filled out by "Theme from Bret Maverick" and Bruce's original '75 version of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." As a summary of his career, The Best of Ed Bruce has several limitations. It includes none of his early rockabilly and hard-country singles for Sun, RCA, Wand, Monument, and Epic. It also omits his own versions of the big hits he wrote for other singers: "See the Big Man Cry" (Charlie Louvin), "Restless" (Crystal Gayle), and "The Man That Turned My Mama On" (Tanya Tucker). Moreover, the brief liner notes make no mention of the musicians who played on his hits or of his ex-wife Patsy Bruce who co-wrote many of them. --Geoffrey Himes« less
Today Ed Bruce is better known as the author of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and as James Garner's sidekick in Bret Maverick than as an artist himself. There's a reason for that--he was a mediocre singer. His baritone suffered from a cramped range, a thin tone, and a mumbled delivery. That didn't stop him from having half a dozen Top-10 country hits, however, for he was a skillful songwriter with a knack for coming across as a gruff, grizzled cowboy even as he was being unabashedly sentimental. Between 1980 and '86, Bruce scored 16 Top-25 country singles for MCA and RCA, and all of them can be found on The Best of Ed Bruce, a single-CD anthology filled out by "Theme from Bret Maverick" and Bruce's original '75 version of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys." As a summary of his career, The Best of Ed Bruce has several limitations. It includes none of his early rockabilly and hard-country singles for Sun, RCA, Wand, Monument, and Epic. It also omits his own versions of the big hits he wrote for other singers: "See the Big Man Cry" (Charlie Louvin), "Restless" (Crystal Gayle), and "The Man That Turned My Mama On" (Tanya Tucker). Moreover, the brief liner notes make no mention of the musicians who played on his hits or of his ex-wife Patsy Bruce who co-wrote many of them. --Geoffrey Himes
"I don't know who Geoffrey Himes is, but, if he thinks Ed Bruce is a mediochre singer, I'd like to hear who he considers good!!
Bruce has the rare ability to sound masculine and has excellent control of his voice. As far as range, Mr Himes has obviously never listened to "After All"."
The Best of Ed Bruce
George in Florida | Florida | 06/02/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is truly "The Best" of Ed Bruce.His rich baritone voice and smooth styling make this CD a classic collector's item.Songs like "Everything's a Waltz","My First Taste of Texas","Ever Never Lovin'You","If It Was Easy",& "After All" can put a smile on your face or a tear in your eye,and makes you wish "ED Bruce" was still writing and recording music.If you like his style,you'll love this CD."
All his best
Christine Porter | Louisville Ky | 11/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love Ed Bruce..and this is one of his best I love puzzle too=Just wish he was still singing or was doing more tv and movies..love the man and his music"
Wonderful country singer songwriter
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of many under-appreciated singers, Ed Bruce took a long time to make a breakthrough, but he wrote some excellent songs. He actually contributed to Johnny Cash's early hit, Guess things happen that way, but remains un-credited for his part. The first significant song he wrote, Last train to Clarksville (made famous by the Monkees) showed what he could do, but it was after he wrote The man that turned my mama on for Tanya Tucker that people started to really take notice. He wrote Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys and had a country hit with it, although it became a much bigger hit for Waylon and Willie after they covered it. He also wrote Texas when I die for Tanya Tucker.This collection contains all Ed's essential recordings, most of which were originally released on MCA but also including four tracks from other labels. The set begins with his original version of Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys (recorded for United Artists) and continues with the three country hits from his first MCA album - Diane, The last cowboy song (featuring Willie Nelson near the end) and Girls women and ladies. Diane is about adultery - if you're gonna do him wrong again, you might as well do the wrong again with me, sings Ed - so may not be to everybody's liking, but I love it. The last cowboy song shows Ed's fear for the future of country music. Fortunately, cowboy songs are still alive and well in the new millennium, thanks to Michael Martin Murphey, Joni Harms and others.The next four tracks were his country hits from his second MCA album, including his only number one hit, You're the best break this old heart ever had. The remainder of this collection contains hits from his last three MCA albums and his two RCA albums, together with the only non-hit here, the theme from Bret Maverick. Of the hits, My first taste of Texas, After all, You turn me on like a radio and Nights all reached the country top ten.When Ed sings ballads (as he does most of the time), he reminds of Don Williams, though you wouldn't mistake one for the other. Anybody who enjoys Don's music will enjoy Ed's. This album is currently unavailable. Some of the tracks are available elsewhere, but this is the definitive collection of Ed's music and is well worth hunting for."
A REAL COUNTRY WESTERS CD
C.L. NEWLAND | 04/16/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR AN ED BRUCE CD AT MUSIC STORES FOR A LONG TIME WITH NO LUCK UNTIL I FOUND IT ON AMAZON. HOW REFRESHING TO HEAR GOOD COUNTRY MUSIC WITH OUT THE ROCK INFLUENCE. I WOULD CLASSIFY IT AS COUNTRY WESTERN WITH A SWING MODE. ED BRUCE HAS A RICH BARATONE VOICE WITH DISTINCT PRONOUNCIATION. I LOVE THIS CD AND IT WILL BE ON THE TOP OF MY CD STACK. THANKS, CHARLIE BIG SKY"