Bruce was born in Keiser, Arkansas and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1957, at the age of 17, he went to see Jack Clement, a recording engineer for Sun Records. Bruce caught the attention of Sun owner Sam Phillips, for whom he wrote and recorded "Rock Boppin' Baby" (as "Edwin Bruce"). In 1962, he wrote "Save Your Kisses" for pop star Tommy Roe and in 1963 he reached No. 109 on the Billboard "Bubbling Under" chart with his own recording of "See the Big Man Cry" (Wand 140). Charlie Louvin recorded "See the Big Man Cry" (Capitol 5369) in 1965; Louvin's version reached No. 7 on the Billboard "Country Singles" chart.
In the early 1960s, Bruce recorded for RCA and some smaller labels like Wand/Scepter, singing rockabilly music, as well as more pop-oriented material such as "See the Big Man Cry." However, he didn't achieve significant success as a vocalist during this period.
In 1966, he returned to RCA and recorded "Puzzles", "The Price I Pay to Stay" and "Lonesome Is Me". He still did not achieve great charting action. He made money doing voice-overs for television and radio commercials.[1] He scored his first charted single with "Walker's Woods" in 1967, and also charted with his version of The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville." Both of these singles were minor hits. In 1969, Bruce signed with Monument Records, where he continued to have minor successes with "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven" and "Song For Jenny". Meanwhile, he continued to write songs like "The Man That Turned My Mama On," which was a major hit for Tanya Tucker in 1974 and "Restless" for Crystal Gayle the same year. He signed with United Artists Records in 1973 and released several singles, but only one single in 1974 became a minor hit. He finally made the upper regions of the charts when he made the Top 20 on the country charts with his version of "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" in 1976.
In 1978, "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys" was recorded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. It became a major hit, and put Bruce on an upward swing. Two more Top 40 hits followed for Bruce in 1976, and in 1977, he signed with Epic Records where he would score minor hits. In 1979, Tanya Tucker took Bruce's song "Texas (When I Die)" into the country Top 5.
In 1980, Bruce signed with MCA Records, where he would score his biggest successes. His early hits with MCA included "Diane", "The Last Cowboy Song", "When You Fall In Love (Everything's A Waltz)", "Evil Angel", and "Love's Found You And Me". His biggest hit, "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" went to number one on the country chart in 1982. This also was Bruce's first Top 10 as a singer after 15 years. He had other hit songs that made the Top 10 like "Ever, Never Lovin' You", "My First Taste of Texas", and "After All".
In 1984, he returned to RCA Records and scored a No. 3 hit with "You Turn Me On Like A Radio" in 1985. His last Top 10 single was "Nights" in 1986 and his last Top 40 single (and last chart single to date) was "Quietly Crazy" in 1987.
During this time, Bruce began to act and do commercials. One of his biggest acting roles was as the second lead on the television revival of 1957's Maverick, called Bret Maverick. Starring James Garner as a legendary western gambler, the series ran on NBC-TV during the 1981-82 season but was unexpectedly cancelled despite respectable ratings. Bruce played the irascibly surly town lawman who found himself reluctantly co-owning a saloon with Maverick, with whom he seemed to maintain a surreally adversarial relationship more or less throughout the entire season. Bruce also sang and wrote the theme song to the show, while Garner himself sang the same song over the end titles at the show's close, albeit while being relentlessly interrupted by network announcements about upcoming programming.
After the 1986 album entitled Night Things and a 1988 self-titled follow-up, Bruce made a conscious decision to cut back on his music to focus on his acting career, appearing in several made-for-TV films. He hosted two shows in the late 1980s, Truckin' USA and American Sports Calvacade Bruce has also appeared in several theatrical releases, including Fire Down Below with Steven Seagal.
Bruce's son, Trey Bruce, is a songwriter and record producer.
Diane
Ed Bruce Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You might as well do the wrong again with me
I haven't told a soul nobody knows about you and me
Diane if you're gonna do him wrong again
You might as well do the wrong again with me
We both lost our heads in the red wine
Left the lounge and drove to another town
You woke me the next morning crying
You ask me to forget about the things we did
Said you had no cause to be with me
And I believed you loved him so I stayed away
Diane you're back again and you swore you wouldn't be
Repeat #1
Here we sit at the same corner table
Playing the same songs with our dimes
Talking the same old conversation
Losing our heads again in the red wine
Repeat #1
The song "Diane" by Ed Bruce is about a woman, Diane, who cheats on her partner and is torn between two lovers. The singer of the song is admitting that he is also in love with Diane and is willing to continue their affair despite knowing that she is in a committed relationship. He encourages Diane to have an affair with him instead of her partner, and argues that because no one knows about their relationship, there won't be any harm done. The lyrics hint at a history between Diane and the singer, as they have previously had a sexual encounter but Diane asked him to forget about it.
The lyrics also describe a night where they both lost control and ended up spending the night together in a cheap motel. In the morning, Diane is regretful and asks the singer to forget about what happened. He obliges and stays away, believing that Diane truly loves her partner. However, Diane comes back to the singer and once again asks for his affection. The song ends with the two of them drinking red wine and losing control again.
Overall, the song explores themes of infidelity and love triangles. The singer seems to be aware of the immoral nature of his actions, but is unable to resist his feelings for Diane. It is also notable that the song uses gender-neutral language, leaving it up to the listener to imagine the gender of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Diane if you're gonna do him wrong again
If you plan to betray your partner, Diane, again
You might as well do the wrong again with me
It would be better if you repeat your mistake with me instead of someone else
I haven't told a soul nobody knows about you and me
Our secret relationship is hidden from everyone else
We both lost our heads in the red wine
We got drunk and made poor decisions
Left the lounge and drove to another town
We escaped from our usual surroundings
Spent the night in a ten dollar mansion
We stayed in a cheap motel
You woke me the next morning crying
You expressed remorse for what happened
You ask me to forget about the things we did
You requested me to erase the incident from my memory
Said you had no cause to be with me
You justified that being with me made no sense
And I believed you loved him so I stayed away
I assumed that you truly loved your partner and kept my distance
Diane you're back again and you swore you wouldn't be
You returned despite promising otherwise
Here we sit at the same corner table
We are present in the same place
Playing the same songs with our dimes
We are listening to the same songs with our coins
Talking the same old conversation
We are engaging in the same repetitive discussion
Losing our heads again in the red wine
We are getting drunk and making reckless choices again
Repeat #1
Repeating the first chorus
Contributed by Violet N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pall Mall
another underrated singer that just wasnt flashy enough to become a huge name.Ed Bruce would be in my top 10 singers,maybe top 5
Jenna Fletcher
One of the finest, purest voices in not only country music but of any genre. Could listen to this man sing all day long.
walter frantz
i do...lol
Ken 1706
Jenna - try listening to Waylon Jennings. I think his voice is similar to Ed Bruce. I like them both.
Wayne Reynolds
I like just about everything Ed Bruce sings
Patrick Saxon
One of the best country singers and song writers, sadly gone.
matthew hayes
Love his voice pure and clear.
Darthsdroid
Country music at its' best. What a voice!
Joyce Emigh
I love Ed Bruce!!!!!!a voice smooth as silk
Donna Keeley
Man, I do love this guy!!! Grew up with all his 8 track tapes and casettes. Let the good times roll! Brings back so wonderful memories of the band and I. God bless you Ed.