Townes Van Zandt Biography

Townes Van Zandt Biography

 Townes Van Zandt was a country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet. Throughout his career he was widely admired by fellow songwriters, particularly in the folk and country genres, but greater fame eluded him, in part because of his unconventional vocal style and in part because of his erratic personal behavior. Many of his songs, including "Pancho and Lefty," "If I Needed You," and "To Live Is to Fly," have been recorded by other notable performers and are considered standards of their genre. Van Zandt's songs have been covered by such notable and varied musicians as Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Hoyt Axton, Tindersticks, Devendra Banhart, Norah Jones, The Be Good Tanyas, and the Dixie Chicks. One of his major influences was Texas blues man Lightnin' Hopkins, whose songs were a constant part of his repertoire. He also cited Bob Dylan (in particular, Dylan's early records) as having had a major impact on his music as well as the music of Hank Williams. Close friend Guy Clark was also often noted as an influence.

In 1968, Van Zandt met Houstonian and songwriter Mickey Newbury in a Houston coffee shop. It was Newbury who persuaded Van Zandt to go to Nashville, where he was introduced, by Newbury, to the man who would become his producer, Cowboy Jack Clement. For much of the 1970s, he lived a reclusive life in a cabin in Tennessee, with no indoor plumbing or phone, appearing only occasionally to play shows. He normally played small venues (often to crowds of fewer than 50 people) but began to move towards playing larger venues (and even made a handful of television appearances) during the 1990s.

Van Zandt's unique songs and poetic lyrics defied category; although they were clearly influenced by rock and roll, blues, folk, and country music, his songs could not be strictly classified in either idiom. Consequently, producers and record executives were often confounded as to how to present his music. His first album, For The Sake Of The Song, reflected this problem, with many of Van Zandt's early classics, such as "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria" and "Sad Cinderella," being overwhelmed with medieval instrumentation and heavy production. Van Zandt's hypnotic vocals and haunting lyrics, however, pierced through the heavy handed arrangements. His second album, Our Mother The Mountain, is generally considered his first masterpiece. In John Fruth's biography on the singer, "To Live's to Fly : The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt", it is made clear by many who knew him that Van Zandt maintained a flippant attitude towards the recording process, with songwriting being his primary concern. Throughout the seventies Van Zandt earned the reputation as "a songwriter's songwriter" with songs like "Flying Shoes," "Waiting Around To Die," "Mr.Gold & Mr. Mudd" (which contained mesmerizing lyrics about a game of five-card stud) and "Nothing But The Rain" leaving his contemporaries galvanized. Some of his songs also focussed on his addictions, such as "Nothin'" and "Kathleen." Following the release of The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt in 1972, Van Zandt recorded tracks for an album called "Seven Come Eleven," which would remain unreleased due to a dispute between his manager Kevin Eggers and producer Jack Clement. This would mark the beginning of a decline for the Texas songwriter, who continued touring while indulging in drugs and alcohol. In 1977, Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas was released, which showcased Van Zandt, much like Johnny Cash on his later American Recordings, at his best, playing his songs with just an acoustic guitar in front of a small, captivated audience. The Los Angeles Times hailed Van Zandt as "a cross between Woody Guthrie and Leonard Cohen." Despite continuing stellar reviews, Van Zandt remained a cult figure in the same manner that other unconventional recording artists of the time did, such as Cohen and Tom Waits.

 In 1975, Van Zandt was featured prominently in the documentary film Heartworn Highways with Guy Clark, Steve Earle, and David Allen Coe. The highlight of the film is when Van Zandt plays "Waiting Around To Die"; an old black gentleman named Uncle Seymour breaks down into tears as Van Zandt sings about a friend who knew "where some easy money was." Van Zandt's material often served as a crutch for many fans who were dealing with depression and suicidal tendencies and his management often received mail revealing the powerful impact his music had made on their lives.