Parking is still a hot issue in the trucking world, and the lack of it creates headaches for most every truck driver at some point. Well, country music was worried about your plight long before ELDs and down time became an issue.
Yep, it was the fall of 1983 when long-time singer-songwriter William “Ed” Bruce hit the radio waves with his homage to parking lots. In fact, at least according to my research, Bruce’s No. 4 single, “After All,” is the only song in country music history that kicks off with a lead line that mentions these places that leave a lot of room when they are empty but are much needed when they are not.
Bruce begins “After All” with the famed line, “There’s a parking lot where the corner café stood, one of the places we first fell in love.”
There you have it. Even back in 1983, Ed Bruce could see the area of study we now call “urban archeology.” All those great local landmarks from our youth are gone, and all too often a parking lot fills the void. Now, if you’re a late-night driver looking for a parking space, chances are that you’ve “fallen in love” with whoever had the grand idea of replacing that corner café with a rest area for vehicles.
Bruce was a native of the Arkansas Delta, born in Keisner (Mississippi County) — a town that would later become Exit 44 on Interstate 55, which connect West Memphis, Arkansas, to St. Louis. While he may have been born along the Mississippi River, his claim to fame awaited him a few miles east of Keisner and south along the waterway’s east bank in Memphis.
Like so many musical hopefuls of the 1950s, Bruce did a little singing at Sun Records, where he caught the ear of the legendary Sam Phillips. Phillips asked Bruce to record the song “Rock Boppin’ Baby,” which one can guess by its title fell into the rockabilly genre that was making the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis famous at the time — with a little help from Elvis Presley.
While Bruce may not have been Elvis, and “Rock Boppin’ Baby” may not have secured a slot on the record charts, he hung around town a few years. In the early 1960s, he recorded for some small labels. Those records didn’t turn into hits, but he gained experience as a songwriter, where he had more success.
Bruce wrote a handful of country and pop tunes. In 1965, he had his first success when Charlie Louvin reached No. 7 with the Bruce-penned “See the Big Man Cry.” A year later, Bruce returned to the studio and recorded the albums that gave him his first charting records — “Walker’s Woods” and “Last Train to Clarksville.”
Still, stardom eluded him.
Despite the slow ride up the country music ladder, Bruce stuck with songwriting. In the early 1970s, he wrote his biggest hits to date with the Tanya Tucker-recorded “The Man that Turned my Mama On” (No. 4) and “Restless” for Crystal Gayle.
But his most famous song waited in the trenches.
It was 1976 when Bruce wrote “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.” Bruce originally recorded the song on a self-titled album, and cowboy singer Chris LeDoux used the tune on one of his albums the same year.
Bruce still had to wait for fame and fortune … but not for long. In 1978, the hottest duo in country music recorded the song and made it famous. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, leaders of the “outlaw” movement, covered “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” for their album “Waylon and Willie.”
The tune stayed atop the charts for four weeks — an impressive stretch even in the days when songs had lasting power — and opened the door for Bruce to become an entertainer in his own right. A year later, Tanya Tucker recorded Bruce’s “Texas (When I Die)” on her infamous “TNT” album. The song registered in the Top 5. Undoubtedly, the controversy over the “TNT” album and its cover kept the song in the news longer than it might have been, and it was a boon to Bruce: Recording executives decided it was time for him to do some singing of his own.
Recording for MCA, Bruce opened 1981 with hits like “Diane,” “When You Fall in Love (Everything’s a Waltz)” and “The Last Cowboy Song.” In 1982, he recorded his biggest hit, the No. 1 “You’re the Best Break This Old Heart Never Had.”
It was also at this time that Bruce earned his persona. Even though he was from eastern Arkansas, songs like “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies” and “The Last Cowboy Song” naturally made his fans think of Bruce as a Texas cowboy. He joined right in and promoted his love of the Old West. Most notably, he accepted the role of the sheriff in James Garner’s “Bret Maverick,” a remake of the 1957 TV western “Maverick.” The show lasted two years and firmly implanted Bruce as a cowboy in the public eye. He appeared in several other bit roles during the 1980s as well. as providing voiceovers and making appearances in some TV commercials. Closer to home, he hosted the show “Truckin’ USA” in the late 1980s.
Bruce had an up-and-down career, but he’ll always be associated with Waylon and Willie and their cowboy ways. “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” still receives plenty of airplay today, and country DJs often give a nod to Ed Bruce as they cue the song. Following a strong career in the late 20th century, Bruce made his way during the early 2000s, largely living off his previous successes. He died in January 2021 in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Until next time, when you’ve been looking for a parking spot for what seems like hours, check out any spot where a corner café once stood. You just might find what you’re looking for.
Since retiring from a career as an outdoor recreation professional from the State of Arkansas, Kris Rutherford has worked as a freelance writer and, with his wife, owns and publishes a small Northeast Texas newspaper, The Roxton Progress. Kris has worked as a ghostwriter and editor and has authored seven books of his own. He became interested in the trucking industry as a child in the 1970s when his family traveled the interstates twice a year between their home in Maine and their native Texas. He has been a classic country music enthusiast since the age of nine when he developed a special interest in trucking songs.
