Ed Bruce (born William Edwin Bruce Jr. on 29 December 1939; died 8 January… Read Full Bio ↴Ed Bruce (born William Edwin Bruce Jr. on 29 December 1939; died 8 January 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer and actor. He is remembered for writing the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" and recording the 1982 country number one hit "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had". He also co-starred in the television series Bret Maverick with James Garner during the 1981-82 season.

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.

Rock Boppin' Baby
Ed Bruce Lyrics

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When my baby loves me, when my baby hugs me
When my baby holds me tight
Man, I'm in level and I'm in heaven
When my baby loves me right
Well, she's not short, brother, she's not tall
'Cause man, she's just about right
Oh, she's my rock boppin' baby
And I don't mean maybe

She'll do it up right tonight
Well, my rock boppin' baby
You oughta see her shakin'
Well, my rock boppin' baby's got tricks
Well, you oughta see her rock
She don't move in one spot
But she bops all over the place
When we go out for a night on the town
We don't ever fool around
When we start boppin', all the other cats stop
And they just start standin' around
When we get goin' it ain't no slowin'
And we just have a ball
I'm puttin' you wise, my baby ain't got eyes
For any other guys at all
Well, my rock boppin' baby
You oughta see her shakin'
Well, my rock boppin' baby's got tricks
Well, you oughta see her rock
She don't move in one spot
But she bops all over the place
Well, she's not short and brother, she's not tall
'Cause man, she's just about right
Oh, she's my rock boppin' baby

And I don't mean maybe
She'll do it up right tonight

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ed Bruce's song Rock Boppin' Baby describe the pure joy and excitement that the singer feels when he's with his girlfriend. He feels complete and content when she loves him, hugs him, and holds him tight. He describes her as just about the perfect height, not short or tall, and refers to her as his rock boppin' baby. The singer expresses his admiration for his girlfriend's dance moves, and how she shakes, bops and rocks all over the place.

When they go out for a night on the town and start to bop, all the other people around them just stop and start to stare. People are amazed by the energy and joy that the couple exudes while they're together. The singer is confident that his girlfriend has eyes only for him and is not interested in anyone else because he is the one that makes her happy.

Overall, the song Rock Boppin' Baby is a joyous celebration of love and the happiness that comes with finding the perfect partner. It captures the exuberance and excitement of youth, and the elation that comes with finding someone who makes you feel alive and complete.

Rock Boppin' BabyEd Bruce Lyrics

Rock Boppin' Baby
Ed Bruce Lyrics