Guy Clark: 1941-2016 – Grammy Award-Winning Country/Folk Songwriter

On his Facebook page early this morning, it was announced that legendary Texas singer-songwriter Guy Clark has passed away at 74. Clark was a celebrated fixture in folk music songwriting, having been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and winning a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for My Favorite Picture of You as recently as 2014. His death comes after a lengthy battle with numerous health problems, including cancer.

Clark’s prodigious career encompasses 13 studio albums and countless songwriting credits, most notably for Jerry Jeff Walker’s “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting on a Train”. His soulful music has been covered by many illustrious country and rock artists over the decades, including Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett, and was influenced by his upbringing in Texas and life in Nashville. Clark’s songs were known for their lyrical intricacy, emotional richness and poetic qualities, which drew heavily from the singer-songwriter’s personal life and added depth to his music. Clark and his wife Susanna, whom he lost to cancer in 2012, were famed in Nashville as patrons of the local music scene.

Despite his renowned storytelling abilities and prestige in the folk music community, Clark was known for his humble dignity and quiet integrity, preferring intimate venues like clubs and theaters over packed stadiums for his performances and spending most of his life in Tennessee with family and friends. Currently, the musician is survived by his son Travis and grandchildren Dylan and Ellie.

Above, you can hear Clark’s final Daytrotter session in Nashville’s Big Light Studio from 2013.