Country Songsmith, Earl Cranston dies and “We Can’t Break It to Our Hearts”

We are all mourning for Earl Cranston Clark. He is one of the greatest country song writer based in Tennessee and last July 7, he died at 70 years old.

He wrote songs for George Strait, Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker and Tim McGraw, to name a few. Some of the successful songs he wrote include “Can’t Break It to My Heart” and “Renegades, Rebels and Rogues” for Tracy Lawrence in 1990. These songs reached No.1 and No. 7, respectively, on the country charts. Some other songs he wrote was, “What She Left Behind,” for Tim McGraw’s debut album in 1993 then, “One Step at a Time” for George Strait.

According to an obituary in ‘My Leader Paper,’ Clark started out as a tour bus driver for country music artists like Ernest Tubb, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Jerry Reed.

He is also a member of the Lumbee Indian Tribe and he is known to be the most productive Native American storyteller specially in his songs. In fact, he has written more than 80 songs that are also published by BMI in Nashville.

Clark is a native of South Carolina. He was born on November 24, 1946 in Dillon S.C., to parents Joseph and Anna Mae Clark. He died on July 7^th in Smyrna, Tennesse leaving behind two siblings brother Joe “Fred” and sister Audrey. Also Niki Corbert and Quicha Bryson whom he considers “two young women he helped raise from a young age.” Others include his former wife Linda, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by a sister: Gwen Graham; and three brothers: Kenny, Willie and Aubrey.

Visitation will be at Chapel Hill Mortuary in Cedar Hill, Tennesse. It is scheduled Friday (July 14) at 11 am then funeral follows at 2 pm.

In memory of Clark, here is a video of Clark’s performance with his nephew, Dustin.