Died On This Date (May 17, 2016) Guy Clark / Revered Texas Singer-Songwriter
themusicsover Guy Clark
November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016
Guy Clark was the true embodiment of a “songwriter’s songwriter.” Born in Texas, Clark’s name is rarely excluded when conversations turn to the greats from that state. Alongside contemporaries like Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker, Clark laid down the foundation for what is now simply called Texas Music or Texas Country. His lyrics, served over mostly sparse blues folk instrumentation, tended to come as close to being called literature as songs could get. As a performer – and most of the time armed with little more than his acoustic guitar or maybe a second and a fiddle, Clark could leave an audience holding its collective breath in anticipation of the next word coming from his mouth – and many times, that was during his talk leading up to the song. He eventually settled in Nashville where he and his wife, Susanna Clark, often welcomed local songwriters into their home where they could work on perfecting their craft in informal workshops. This open houses often hosted the likes of Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, and Steve Young. Clark’s songs have been hits for such country luminaries as Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, Ricky Skaggs, and Rodney Crowell. For his own recordings, Clark garnered numerous accolades, including a Best Folk Album Grammy for his 2014 release, My Favorite Picture of You. On May 17, 2016, Guy Clark died following a courageous battle against cancer. He was 74.
What You Should Own
Merle Haggard was a country music legend who, along with 
George Martin was a classically trained musician, record producer, and talent scout who most famously took a chance on the Beatles after they had been turned down by most other British record labels at the time. What followed was a collaboration that changed not only the musical landscape of the era, but also what would become popular music and pop culture for decades to come. With Martin as producer (and so much more) on the Beatles’ original albums, they scored 30 #1 singles in the UK and 23 in the US – and millions in sales, of course. Of the list of Beatles collaborators who were referred to as “the Fifth Beatle,” it was Martin who actually deserved the title. That alone on a person’s resume is enough to cruise through the rest of his or her life, but not Martin. Over the next six decades, he had a big hand in the success of the likes of Elton John, Dire Straits, Cheap Trick, ELO, and Celine Dion, to name a few. Martin also worked extensively in film, either arranging, scoring or producing. Two of the most famous songs he produced for films were Shirley Bassey‘s “Goldfinger” for Paul McCartney‘s “Live and Let Die” from the James Bond movies of the same name. He’s been recognized with six Grammys, an Academy Award, and countless other accolades. George Martin was 90 when he died in his sleep on March 8, 2016.
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