Born 51 Years Ago Today in Washington, the Award-Winning Songwriter Whose Songs Have Been Recorded by Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, and Miranda Lambert

October 9, 2026, 8:12am

On this day (October 9) in 1975, Brandy Clark was born in Morton, Washington. Her parents and grandmother introduced her to classic country music as a child. After earning a degree from Belmont, she became a full-time songwriter. Since the early 2010s, Clark has written and co-written songs that have been recorded by Miranda Lambert, the Band Perry, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, and many more.

Clark’s family introduced her to two generations of country music. Her parents were fans of contemporary country music, including Ronnie Milsap and Eddie Rabbit. Her grandparents, specifically her grandmother, loved classic country and introduced her to Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Merle Haggard. At nine, she began playing guitar and singing in school programs.

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According to AllMusic, Clark moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University in 1998. After earning her degree, she began working at Leadership Music while performing and writing songs in her downtime. Before long, she started working with her longtime collaborator Shane McAnally.

Reba McEntire cut two songs from Clark’s catalog on her album All the Women I Am. Not long after that, two songs that she co-wrote became major hits. She and McAnally co-penned “Mama’s Broken Heart” with Kacey Musgraves. Miranda Lambert took it to No. 2 on the country chart. Clark and McAnally also wrote the Band Perry’s No. 1 single “Better Dig Two.”

Brandy Clark’s Solo Career

By 2012, people within the music industry were starting to notice Brandy Clark. That year, she opened multiple shows for Sheryl Crow. Additionally, Marty Stuart took an interest in her and helped her make her Grand Ole Opry debut in December 2012. She also released her debut EP that month. It included “Pray to Jesus,” “Stripes,” and “Take a Little Pill.”

In 2013, she released her debut album 12 Stories. It peaked at No. 28 on the country albums chart. A month later, she appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman to perform “Stripes.”

In 2014, she won Song of the Year at the CMA Awards for co-writing Kacey Musgraves’ hit “Follow Your Arrow.”

She followed that with Big Day in a Small Town, her Warner Bros. Records debut. It peaked at No. 8 on the country chart and produced her only charting single, “Girl Next Door.”

In 2023, Clark released her self-titled album. Produced by Brandi Carlile, it didn’t do well on the charts. However, it received universal praise from critics. After being nominated 16 times, Clark won her first Grammy for “Dear Insecurity,” a duet with Carlile.

Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally also co-wrote the Broadway musical Shucked. It won Outstanding Music at the Drama Desk Awards. It was also nominated for Best Original Score at the Tony Awards.