Guy Clark Inducted: November 7, 2004 Considered one of the master craftsmen of Nashville songwriting, Guy Clark is a Texas native who initially tried his luck on the California music scene. In 1971, he became one of the first Country personalities to relocate to Nashville from the West Coast. Guy is unusual as a composer in that he chooses quality over quantity. He is not prolific as either a songwriter or a record maker, but is undeniably influential as both. He has an enormous European following. His song “Immigrant Eyes” has been recorded by eight different Irish recording stars. Guy’s recording career as a singer-songwriter began with a pair of acclaimed LPs for RCA Records in 1975-76. His profile rose even higher as a result of three albums recorded for Warner Bros. in 1978, 1981 and 1983, the latter of which (Better Days) was named the #1 Country album of the year by Britain’s New Musical Express. By that time a number of artists were having hits with his tunes. Following one of his frequent pauses between recording projects, he issued a Sugar Hill album in 1988. That album, Old Friends, earned him a Grammy nomination (Best Contemporary Folk Recording), an honor he repeated in 1997 with his live album. After Asylum Records offered Guy Clark collections in 1992 and 1995, Guy returned to Sugar Hill, which issued CDs in 1997, 1999 and 2002. That’s only 11 albums over a 30-year career, but every song on every record is widely considered a perfect piece of craftsmanship. Song Highlights “Don’t Let The Sunshine Fool You” - Townes Van Zandt, 1972 “L.A. Freeway” Jerry Jeff Walker, 1973 (#98 Pop / Country-Rock standard) • Guy Clark, 1975 • also: Spanky & Our Gang • Jesse Hunter “Rita Ballou” Guy Clark, 1975 • also: Vince Gill • Jack Ingram • Del Reeves • Earl Scruggs “Texas, 1947” Guy Clark, 1975 • Johnny Cash, 1976 (#35) “That Old Time Feeling” Guy Clark, 1975 • also: David Allan Coe “A Nickel For The Fiddler” Guy Clark, 1975 • also: Jim Ed Brown • Rita Coolidge “Desperados Waiting For A Train” Guy Clark, 1975 • Highwaymen, 1985 (#15) • also: Rita Coolidge • Tom Rush • Jerry Jeff Walker • Nanci Griffith “Let Him Roll” Guy Clark, 1975 • Johnny Cash, 1988 “She Ain’t Going Nowhere” Guy Clark, 1975 • also: Rodney Crowell “Texas Cookin’” - Guy Clark, 1976 “The Last Gunfighter Ballad” Guy Clark, 1976 • Johnny Cash, 1977 (#38) “Black Haired Boy” Guy Clark, 1976 • also: Jessi Colter “Broken Hearted People” Guy Clark, 1976 • also: Steve Young “Comfort And Crazy” Guy Clark, 1978 • also: Jerry Jeff Walker “Fools For Each Other” Guy Clark, 1978 • Ed Bruce & Lynn Anderson, 1986 (#46) “Fool In The Mirror” - Guy Clark, 1983 “I Take My Comfort In You” Waylon Jennings, 1986 • Pirates of the Mississippi, 1990 “The Partner Nobody Chose” - Guy Clark, 1981 (#38) “Heartbroke” Guy Clark, 1981 • Ricky Skaggs, 1982 (#1) • also: George Strait “New Cut Road” Guy Clark, 1981 • Bobby Bare, 1982 (#18) “She’s Crazy For Leavin’” Guy Clark, 1981 • Rodney Crowell, 1989 (#1) • also: Steve Wariner • John McEuen “Home Grown Tomatoes” - Guy Clark, 1983 (#42) “The Randall Knife” - Guy Clark, 1983 “Blowin’ Like A Bandit” Guy Clark, 1983 • also: Asleep At The Wheel “The Carpenter” Guy Clark, 1983 • John Conlee, 1986 (#6) “Oklahoma Borderline” - Vince Gill, 1986 (#9) “Baby I’m Yours” - Steve Wariner, 1988 (#2) “Old Friends” Guy Clark, 1988 (Grammy nominated CD) • also: Lacy J. Dalton “Fair Shake” - Foster & Lloyd, 1989 (#5) “Too Much” Pirates of the Mississippi, 1992 (#36) • Guy Clark, 1993 “Boats To Build” Guy Clark, 1993 • Jimmy Buffett, 2004 “Rose Of Memphis” - Rodney Crowell, 1994 “Stuff That Works” Rodney Crowell, 1994 • Guy Clark, 1995 “Dublin Blues” - Guy Clark, 1995 “Jenny Dreamed Of Trains” - Vince Gill, 1996 “Indian Head Penny” Guy Clark, 1999 • also: Billy Dean