Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
| Townes Van Zandt | |
|---|---|
 Van Zandt in the film Heartworn Highways |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Townes Van Zandt |
| Born | March 7, 1944 Fort Worth, Texas |
| Died | January 1, 1997 (aged 52) Mt. Juliet, Tennessee |
| Genres | Blues, folk, country |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter, producer, arranger |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1965–1996 |
| Labels | Poppy, Tomato, Sugar Hill, TVZ, Fat Possum |
| Associated acts | Lightnin' Hopkins, Mickey Newbury, Steve Earle, Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys, Guy Clark |
| Website | townesvanzandt.com |
John Townes Van Zandt[1] (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997), best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet. Many of his songs, including "If I Needed You," "To Live is to Fly," and "No Place to Fall" are considered standards of their genre.
While alive, Van Zandt was labeled as a cult musician; though he had a small and devoted fanbase, he never had a successful album or single, and even had difficulty keeping his recordings in print.[2][3] In 1983, six years after Emmylou Harris had first popularized it, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered his song "Pancho and Lefty," scoring a number one hit on the Billboard country music charts.[2][4] Despite achievements like these, the bulk of his life was spent touring various dive bars,[5] often living in cheap motel rooms, backwoods cabins, and on friends' couches.[3] Van Zandt was notorious for his drug addictions,[6]alcoholism,[6] and his tendency to tell tall tales.[7] When young, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and insulin shock therapy erased much of his long-term memory.[8][9][10]
Van Zandt died on New Years Day 1997 from health problems stemming from years of substance abuse.[6] The 2000s saw a resurgence of interest in Van Zandt.[2] During the decade, two books, a documentary film, and a number of magazine articles about the singer were created.[2] Van Zandt's music has been covered by such notable and varied musicians as Bob Dylan,[11], Norah Jones,[12]Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Cowboy Junkies. Robert Plant on his "Band of Joy" album (2010) covered Van Zandt's "Harm's Swift way"
