Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys

"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
Single by Gibson/Miller Band
from the album Red, White & Blue Collar
B-side	"Johnny Get Your Gun"
Released	1994
Genre	Country
Length	3:27
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Ed Bruce; Patsy Bruce;
Producer(s)	Doug Johnson; Blue Miller
Gibson/Miller Band singles chronology

"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
Single by Waylon Jennings with Willie Nelson
from the album Waylon & Willie
B-side	"I Can Get Off on You"
Released	January 1978
Genre	Country; outlaw country;
Length	2:31
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Ed Bruce; Patsy Bruce;
Producer(s)	Waylon Jennings; Willie Nelson
Waylon Jennings singles chronology
Willie Nelson singles chronology

"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
Single by Ed Bruce
from the album Ed Bruce
B-side	"It's Not What She's Done (It's What You Didn't Do)"
Released	November 15, 1975
Genre	Country; outlaw country;
Length	3:08
Label	United Artists #732
Songwriter(s)	Ed Bruce; Patsy Bruce;
Producer(s)	Larry Butler
Ed Bruce singles chronology

"Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" is a country music song first recorded by Ed Bruce, written by him and his wife Patsy Bruce. His version of the song appears on his 1976 self-titled album for United Artists Records. In late 1975 and early 1976, Bruce's rendition of the song went to number 15 on the Hot Country Singles charts. This song was featured on Chris LeDoux's album released January 20, 1976, Songbook of the American West.

Members of the Western Writers of America chose the song as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.^[3]

Content

The narrator warns mothers not to let their children become cowboys because of the tough and rootless life of cowboy culture.^[4]

Critical reception

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #69 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.^[5]

Chart performance

Chart (1975–1976)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[6]	15
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	36

Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson version

Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson covered the song on their 1978 duet album Waylon & Willie. This rendition peaked at No. 1 in March 1978, spending four weeks atop the country music charts. It also reached 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, and won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.^[7] Also in 1979, Nelson's version was featured in the film The Electric Horseman with Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. It is also featured in a 2015 TV commercial for the Volkswagen Passat engine.

Chart performance

Chart (1978)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[8]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[9]	42
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[10]	33
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles	57
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	42

Gibson/Miller Band version

In 1994, country music group Gibson/Miller Band recorded a cover version on its album Red, White and Blue Collar. This version peaked at #49 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and was featured in the soundtrack for the movie The Cowboy Way.^[11] It also appeared on the band's second and final studio album, Red, White and Blue Collar.

Chart performance

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[12]	71
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[13]	49

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
^ Billboard. 1976-10-09. p. 43. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
^ Randall, Alice; Carter Little; Courtney Little (2006). My Country Roots: The Ultimate MP3 Guide to America's Original Outsider Music. Thomas Nelson, Inc. p. 92. ISBN 1-59555-860-8.
^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
^ "Ed Bruce Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ ^a ^b Whitburn, p. 209
^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
^ ^a ^b Whitburn, p. 159
^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2548." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 1, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
^ "Gibson/Miller Band Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[whitburn_bruce-1] Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.

[2] Billboard. 1976-10-09. p. 43. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

[Top100-3] Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.

[4] Randall, Alice; Carter Little; Courtney Little (2006). My Country Roots: The Ultimate MP3 Guide to America's Original Outsider Music. Thomas Nelson, Inc. p. 92. ISBN 1-59555-860-8.

[5] "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Ed_Bruce-6] "Ed Bruce Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[whitburn_jennings-7] Whitburn, p. 209

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Waylon_Jennings-8] "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Waylon_Jennings-9] "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardadultcontemporary_Waylon_Jennings-10] "Waylon Jennings Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.

[whitburn_gibson-11] Whitburn, p. 159

[sc_Canadacountry_-12] "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2548." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 1, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Gibson/Miller_Band-13] "Gibson/Miller Band Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

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v t e Ed Bruce
Albums	If I Could Just Go Home (1968) Ed Bruce (1976) Ed Bruce (1980) One to One (1981) I Write It Down (1982) You're Not Leavin' Here Tonight (1983) Homecoming (1984) Night Things (1986)
Singles	"Last Train to Clarksville" "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" "Texas (When I Die)" "The Man That Turned My Mama On" "Girls, Women and Ladies" "(When You Fall in Love) Everything's a Waltz" "You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had" "Love's Found You and Me" "Ever, Never Lovin' You" "My First Taste of Texas" "After All" "You Turn Me On (Like a Radio)" "Nights"
Related topics	Discography Trey Bruce Lynn Anderson Bret Maverick Fire Down Below

v t e Willie Nelson singles
1950s	"No Place for Me" "Man With the Blues" / "The Storm Has Just Begun" "What a Way to Live"
1960s	"Nite Life" "The Part Where I Cry" / "Mr. Record Man" "Willingly" "Touch Me" "Wake Me When It's Over" "Half a Man" / "The Last Letter" "Am I Blue" "I Never Cared For You" "Pretty Paper" "San Antonio Rose" "I Love You Because" "The Party's Over" "Blackjack County Chain" "Johnny One Time" "Bring Me Sunshine"
1970s	"Fire and Rain" "Yesterday's Wine" "Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)" "Bloody Mary Morning" "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" "Georgia on My Mind" "Blue Skies" "All of Me" "Whiskey River" "September Song" "White Christmas"
1980s	"Help Me Make It Through the Night" "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" "Midnight Rider" "On the Road Again" "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" "Mona Lisa" "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" "Always on My Mind" "Let It Be Me" "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning" "Little Old Fashioned Karma" "Why Do I Have to Choose" "Take It to the Limit" "Without a Song" "City of New Orleans" "Forgiving You Was Easy" "Living in the Promiseland" "Heart of Gold" "Spanish Eyes" (with Julio Iglesias) "Twilight Time" "Nothing I Can Do About It Now" "There You Are" "Mr. Record Man"
1990s	"Ain't Necessarily So" "Graceland"
2000s	"Mendocino County Line" (with Lee Ann Womack) "Wurlitzer Prize" (with Norah Jones) "Beer for My Horses" (with Toby Keith) "The Harder They Come" "You Don't Know Me" "Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other" "Gravedigger"
2010s	"Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" "Just Breathe" "Grandma's Hands" (with Mavis Staples) "The Wall" "It's All Going to Pot" "Summer Wind" "Vote 'Em Out" "Forever Country"
Category:Willie Nelson