Guy Clark
Guy Clark was a singer, songwriter and musician best known for his songs “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train.” Clark’s recordings, however, didn’t receive much airplay; it was other musicians' interpretations that brought popularity to his music.
Clark played a large role in the so-called Texas troubadour movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Other artists to experience hits with Clark's recordings included Jerry Jeff Walker with “L.A. Freeway,” Ricky Skaggs with “Heartbroke,” Rodney Crowell with “She’s Crazy for Leavin’,” Vince Gill with “Oklahoma Borderline” and Kenny Chesney with “Hemingway’s Whiskey.” Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Brad Paisley, among others, also recorded Clark’s songs.
His music was also used in films and on television, including on an episode of the series Parenthood. In addition, his music was featured in Richard Linklater’s 2014 film Boyhood and the movie Country Strong, starring Garrett Hedlund and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Guy Clark was a singer, songwriter and musician best known for his songs “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train.” Clark’s recordings, however, didn’t receive much airplay; it was other musicians' interpretations that brought popularity to his music.
Clark played a large role in the so-called Texas troubadour movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Other artists to experience hits with Clark's recordings included Jerry Jeff Walker with “L.A. Freeway,” Ricky Skaggs with “Heartbroke,” Rodney Crowell with “She’s Crazy for Leavin’,” Vince Gill with “Oklahoma Borderline” and Kenny Chesney with “Hemingway’s Whiskey.” Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Brad Paisley, among others, also recorded Clark’s songs.
His music was also used in films and on television, including on an episode of the series Parenthood. In addition, his music was featured in Richard Linklater’s 2014 film Boyhood and the movie Country Strong, starring Garrett Hedlund and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Clark also performed on the series Mountain Stage, Headline Country and Austin City Limits. Additionally, he appeared in the music documentaries Heartworn Highways, Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt, Baeder: Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats Along the Way, For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair and Revival: The Sam Bush Story.
Clark, who grew up in West Texas, joined the Peace Corps in 1963 and studied briefly at the University of Minnesota before opening a guitar repair shop in Houston in the mid-1960s. He began performing in clubs around the same time. In 1971, he moved to Nashville, where he signed a publishing deal.
He released 13 albums over the course of his career, and was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. Clark was also the subject of 2011’s This One’s for Him, a Grammy-nominated tribute album featuring contributions from artists including Lyle Lovett. Clark won his own Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2014 for My Favorite Picture of You.
He died May 17, 2016, in Nashville, Tennessee. He was 74.
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