The whole "Texas music" thing tends to suck, and he's the reason why. Not because he was terrible, but just the opposite: he (and his buddy Townes Van Zandt) set such an impossibly high standard that nearly everything that claims to take inspiration from him (Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett being significant exceptions) sounds banal and superficial. What a craftsman he was - funny, insightful, capable of making you both laugh your guts out and cry your eyes out.
My mind was blown by his work when I was working at a record store in Austin in the early 90s and I put the album
Boats to Build on the in-store stereo. That's still my favorite Clark album. I've never understood why it's not held in higher esteem. He was one of the greats.
