Townes Van Zandt

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Biography

John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997), best known as Townes Van Zandt , was an United States|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. AllMusic biography page: "". Onion AV Club article: "". In 1983, six years after Emmylou Harris had first popularized it, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard Pancho & Lefty (album)|covered his song " Pancho and Lefty ," scoring a number one hit on the Billboard charts|Billboard country music charts. AllMusic review: "." Despite achievements like these, the bulk of his life was spent touring various dive bar s, San Francisco Gate article: "". often living in cheap motel rooms, backwoods cabins, and on friends' couches. Van Zandt was notorious for his drug addiction s, Pop Matters review: "". alcoholism , and his tendency to tell tall tales . When young, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder , and insulin shock therapy erased much of his long-term memory .J.T. Van Zandt: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=2t_X9WXvF5E

Van Zandt died on New Years Day 1997 from health problems stemming from years of substance abuse. The 2000s saw a resurgence of interest in Van Zandt. During the decade, two books, a Be Here to Love Me|documentary film , and a number of magazine articles about the singer were created. Van Zandt's music has been covered by such notable and varied musicians as Bob Dylan ,Freewheelin' Bob Dylan Archive article: "." Norah Jones , IMDB combined details page for . Lyle Lovett , Steve Earle and Cowboy Junkies .

Biography

Early life

Townes Van Zandt was born in Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth , Texas , to a wealthy Petroleum|oil family. He was the third-great-grandson of Isaac Van Zandt , a prominent leader of the Republic of Texas and second great-grandson of Khleber M. Van Zandt, Confederate Major and one of the founders of Fort Worth. (archived at TownesVanZandt.com) Van Zandt County in east Texas was named after his family in 1848. Townes' parents were Harris Williams Van Zandt (1913–1966) and Dorothy Townes (? -1983). He had two siblings, Bill and Donna. Harris was a corporate lawyer , and his career required the family to move several times during the 1950s and 1960s. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; pp. 14-16. In 1952 the family transplanted from Fort Worth to Midland, Texas|Midland , Texas, for six months before moving to Billings, Montana|Billings , Montana .

At Christmas in 1956, Townes' father gave him a guitar, which he practiced while wandering the countryside. Billboard Music Charts|Billboard review: . He would later tell an interviewer that, "watching Elvis Presley 's October 28, 1956, performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was the starting point for me becoming a guitar player... I just thought that Elvis had all the money in the world, all the Cadillacs and all the girls, and all he did was play the guitar and sing. That made a big impression on me." In 1958 the family moved to Boulder, Colorado|Boulder , Colorado . Van Zandt would remember his time in Colorado fondly and would often visit it as an adult. He would also later refer to Colorado in the songs "My Proud Mountains" and "Colorado Girl."

During his youth, Townes was noted as a good student and active in team sports. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 17. In grade school, it was recognized that Van Zandt had a genius IQ and his parents began grooming him to become a lawyer or United States Senate|senator . Texas Monthly article: ". Fearing that his family would move again, he willingly decided to attend Shattuck-Saint Mary's|Shattuck School in Faribault, Minnesota|Faribault , Minnesota . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 25. He received a score of 1170 when he took the SAT in January 1962. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 27. His family soon moved to Houston, Texas|Houston , Texas.

Van Zandt was accepted into the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1962. In the spring of his sophomore year, his parents flew to Boulder to bring Townes back to Houston, apparently worried about his binge drinking and episodes of depression. They admitted him to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston , where he was diagnosed with manic depression . He received three months of insulin shock therapy , which erased much of his long-term memory . Afterwards, his mother's "biggest regret in life was that she had allowed that treatment to occur." In 1965 he was accepted into the University of Houston 's pre-law program. He soon after attempted to join the Air Force , but was rejected due to a doctor's diagnosis that called him "an acute manic-depressive who has made minimal adjustments to life." He finally quit school for good around 1967, having been inspired by his singer-songwriter heroes to pursue a career in playing music.

Early musical career

In 1965 Van Zandt began playing regular shows at the Jester Lounge in Houston for $10 per night. YouTube video: "." There he met fellow musicians Lightning Hopkins , Guy Clark , Jerry Jeff Walker , and Doc Watson . His repertoire consisted mostly of covers of songs written by Hopkins, Bob Dylan , and others, as well as original novelty songs like "Fraternity Blues." A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 60. In 1966, right before his death, Harris Van Zandt had encouraged his son to stop playing covers and write his own songs. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 212. In 1968 Van Zandt met songwriter Mickey Newbury in a Houston coffee shop. Newbury persuaded Van Zandt to go to Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville , where he was introduced by Newbury to the man who would become his longtime producer, Jack Clement|"Cowboy" Jack Clement .

Among Van Zandt's major influences was Texas blues man Lightnin' Hopkins , whose songs were a constant part of his repertoire. He also cited early Bob Dylan and Hank Williams as having had a major impact on his music. Van Zandt also cited such varied artists as Guy Clark , Muddy Waters , Mozart , The Rolling Stones , Blind Willie McTell , Tchaikovsky , Richard Dobson , and Jefferson Airplane as influences.

For much of his career, Van Zandt maintained a flippant attitude towards the recording process, with songwriting being his primary concern.In John Kruth's biography on the singer, ''To Live's to Fly'', it is described how Van Zandt maintained a flippant attitude towards the recording process, with songwriting being his primary concern. As a result, his regular producer Jack Clement would take creative license, turning some of Van Zandt's early albums into uneven and wildly over-produced affairs. Pop Matters review: "". 1968's For the Sake of the Song features " harpsichord s, flute s, martial music|martial drum beats , and a whole host of backup singers that would make the most overproduced Southern Gospel album hang its head in disgrace." Clement has since expressed regret over some of his production choices.

1970s

The years between 1968 and 1973 would prove to be Van Zandt's most prolific era. He released five albums during the time period: Our Mother the Mountain , Townes Van Zandt (album)|Townes Van Zandt , Delta Momma Blues , High, Low and in Between , and The Late Great Townes Van Zandt . Among the tracks written for these albums were "For the Sake of the Song," "To Live is to Fly," Tecumseh Valley," and "Pancho and Lefty." These songs would eventually raise Van Zandt to near-legend status in American and European songwriting circles. In 1972 Van Zandt recorded tracks for an album with a working title of Seven Come Eleven , which would remain unreleased for many years due to a dispute between his manager Kevin Eggers and producer Jack Clement. Eggers either could not or refused to pay for the studio sessions, so Clement erased the master tapes. However, before they were deleted, Eggers snuck in to the studio and recorded rough mixes of the songs on to a cassette tape . Tracks from the aborted Seven Come Eleven debacle would later surface on The Nashville Sessions.

In 1975 Van Zandt was featured prominently in the documentary film Heartworn Highways with Guy Clark , Steve Earle , and David Allen Coe . His segment of the film was shot at his run-down trailer home in Austin, Texas|Austin , Texas, where Van Zandt is shown drinking straight whiskey during the middle of the day, shooting and playing with guns, and performing the songs "Waitin' Around to Die" and "Pancho & Lefty." IMDB entry for . His soon-to-be second wife Cindy and dog Geraldine (a large, "keenly intelligent" half-wolf, half- husky ) are also featured in the film. Dallas Music article: "".

In 1977 Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas was released. The album showcased Van Zandt solo at a 1973 concert before a small audience, and less elaborately produced than many of his early records.Blurt Online review: "". The album received positive reviews, Rolling Stone Magazine|Rolling Stone review: "" and is considered by many to be among the best albums that the songwriter ever released. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 130. Several points on the album showcased his dry sense of humor, a feature that also showed in some of his songwriting.

In the mid-1970s, Van Zandt split from his longtime manager, Kevin Eggers. He found a new manager, John Lomax III (grandson of the famed folk music historian John Lomax ), who set up a fan club for Van Zandt. Under the Radar (magazine)|Under The Radar article: "". Though the club was only advertised through small ads in the back of music magazines, Lomax immediately began to receive hundreds of impassioned letters from around the world written by people who felt touched by Van Zandt. Some of the letters described how his material often served as a crutch for those who were dealing with Depression (mood)|depression . In the summer of 1978, the singer fired Lomax and re-hired Eggers. He soon after signed to Egger's new label, Tomato Records . The following year, he recorded '' Flyin' Shoes ''; he would not release another album until 1987's At My Window (album)|At My Window .

Despite critical acclaim, Van Zandt remained a cult figure. He normally played small venues (often to crowds of fewer than fifty people) but began to move towards playing larger venues (and even made a handful of television appearances) during the 1990s. For much of the 1970s, he lived a reclusive life outside of Nashville in a tin-roofed, bare-boards shack with no heat, plumbing or telephone, occasionally appearing in town to play shows. Steve Earle would later say that Van Zandt's primary concerns during this time period were planting morning glory|morning glories , listening to Paul Harvey 's radio show, and watching the sitcom Happy Days .

1980s - 1990s

Several of Van Zandt's compositions were recorded by other artists, such as Emmylou Harris who, with Don Williams , had a #3 country hit in 1981 with " If I Needed You ," and Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard , the pair taking "Pancho & Lefty" to number one on the country charts in 1983. Van Zandt had a small cameo appearance in the video for the song. In his later years he recorded less frequently, his voice and singing style altered in part because of his lifestyle and alcoholism. However, he continued writing songs, such as "Marie" and "The Hole."

According to Susanna Clark, Van Zandt turned down repeated invitations to write with Bob Dylan. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 203. Dylan was reportedly a "big fan" of Townes and claimed to have all of his records; Van Zandt admired Dylan's songs, but didn't care for his celebrity. The two first met during a chance encounter outside a costume shop in the South Congress district of Austin, Texas, on June 21, 1986. According to Johnny Guess, Dylan later arranged another meeting with the songwriter. The Drag (Austin, Texas)|Drag in Austin was shut down due to Dylan being in town; Van Zandt drove his motorhome to the cordoned-off area, after which Dylan boarded the vehicle and requested to hear him play several songs. Be Here to Love Me bonus features: Johnny Guess interview.

In May and June 1990, he opened for The Cowboy Junkies during a two-month-long tour of the United States and Canada , which exposed him to a younger generation of fans. As a result, he wrote the song "Cowboy Junkies Lament" for the group, with a verse about each respective member of the band.

Death

Van Zandt continued writing and performing through the 1990s, though his output slowed noticeably as time went on. He had enjoyed some sobriety during the early 1990s, but was actively abusing alcohol during the final years of his life. In 1994 he was admitted to the hospital to detoxification|detox , during which time a doctor told Jeanene Van Zandt that trying to detox Townes again could potentially kill him. KUT-FM 's Texas Music Matters: . He grew increasingly frail during the mid-1990s, with some long-time friends noting that he seemed to have "withered." A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 247.

In the spring of 1996, he was contacted by Sonic Youth 's Steve Shelley , who informed Van Zandt that he was interested in recording and releasing an album for him on the band's Ecstatic Peace label, funded by Geffen Records|Geffen . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 245. Van Zandt agreed, and sessions were scheduled to begin in Memphis during late December of that year.

On December 19 or 20, Van Zandt fell down the concrete stairs outside his home, badly injuring his hip. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 255. After lying outside for an hour, he dragged himself inside and called his ex-wife Jeanene, who sent their friends Royann and Jim Calvin to check on him. He told the couple that he had sustained the injury while getting out of bed, and refused medical treatment. They took him back to their home, and he spent the Christmas week on their couch, unable to get up even to use the bathroom.

Determined to finish the album that he had scheduled to record with Shelley and Two Dollar Guitar, Van Zandt arrived at the Memphis studio being pushed in a wheelchair by road manager Harold Eggers. Shelley canceled the sessions due to the songwriter's erratic behavior and drunkenness. Van Zandt finally agreed to hospitalization, but not before returning to Nashville. By the time he had consented to receive medical care, eight days passed since the injury. On December 31, X-ray s revealed that Van Zandt had an impacted left Femur neck|femoral neck fracture in his hip, and several corrective surgeries were performed. Jeanene informed the surgeon that one of Townes' previous rehab doctors had told her detoxing could kill him. The medical staff tried to explain to her that detoxing a "late-term alcoholic" at home would be ill-advised, but he would have a better chance at recovering under hospital supervision. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 260. She did not heed these warnings, and instead checked Townes out of the hospital against medical advice . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 261. Understanding that he would most likely drink immediately after leaving the hospital, the physicians refused to prescribe him any painkiller s. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 262.

By the time Van Zandt was checked out of the hospital early the next morning, he had begun to show signs of DTs . Jeanene rushed him to her car, where she gave him a hip flask|flask of vodka to ward off the Delirium tremens|withdrawal delirium . She would later report that after getting back to his home in Smyrna, Tennessee|Smyrna , Tennessee , and giving him alcohol, he was "lucid, in a real good mood, calling his friends on the phone." Jim Calvin shared a marijuana joint with him, and he was also given about four Tylenol PM tablets.

While Jeanene was on the phone with Susanna Clark, their son Will noticed that Townes had stopped breathing and "looked dead." He alerted his mother, who attempted to perform CPR , "screaming his name between breaths." Townes Van Zandt died in the early morning hours of January 1, 1997, at the age of 52. His official cause of death was "natural" cardiac arrhythmia . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 264. He died forty-four years to the day after Hank Williams, one of his main songwriting influences. John Kruth|Kruth, J. (2007) "To Live's to Fly : The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt".

Two services were held for Van Zandt: one in Texas, mostly attended by family; and another in a large Nashville church, attended by friends, acquaintances, and fans. Some of his cremation|ashes were placed underneath a headstone in the Van Zandt funeral plot|family plot at the Dido Cemetery in Dido, Texas, outside of Fort Worth.

Personal life

Relationships

Van Zandt married Fran Petters on August 26, 1965; a son, John Townes "J.T." Van Zandt II, was born to them on April 11, 1969, in Houston. The couple were divorced on January 16, 1970.. She would later remarry, changing her last name to Lohr. Texas Monthly article: "".

He moved in with Cindy Morgan in late 1974, and the two married in Nashville in September 1978. They became estranged for much of the early 1980s, and were divorced on February 10, 1983, in Travis County, Texas . They had no children together. She would later remarry, changing her last name to Lindgram. at IMDB .

Van Zandt's third and final marriage was to Jeanene Munsell (born February 21, 1957). They met on December 9, 1980 at a memorial for John Lennon . When the terminally-ill Dorothy Van Zandt learned that her son had impregnated Munsell, she told him, "You're going to do the right thing and honor that baby." A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 190. He soon after divorced from his estranged second wife, and married Munsell on March 14, 1983; their first child, William Vincent, was born ten days later. Another child, Katie Belle, was born February 14, 1992. Van Zandt and Munsell were divorced on May 2, 1994. However, the two remained close until Townes' death, and Jeanene became an executor of the Estate of Townes Van Zandt.

Around the time of their April 1993 separation, Jeanene Van Zandt coaxed the musician into signing over the publishing rights of his entire back catalog and recording royalties to her and their children. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 228. Townes's only source of income after this point was money received from concert engagements, A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 229. and even then Townes would frequently visit his ex-wife and "give her all the money in his pockets." A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 231. Following their divorce in 1994, his only worldly possessions were listed as a 1989 GMC (automobile)|GMC Truck with camper shell , a 1984 Honda Shadow|Honda Shadow Motorcycle and a 1983 Starwind 22-foot boat named Dorothy ; he also retained sole ownership of his family inheritance of "ownership in oil lease and mineral rights." A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 232.

At the time of his death, he had begun a long-distance relationship with a woman named Claudia Winterer from Darmstadt , Germany . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 241. The two met in November 1995 during a concert of his in Hanau . Van Zandt told several friends that he planned on marrying Winterer, A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 266. but the two never became formally engaged.

Addiction

Van Zandt struggled with heroin addiction and alcoholism throughout his adult life. At times he would become drunk on stage and forget the lyrics to his songs. At one point, his heroin habit was so intense that he offered Kevin Eggers the publishing rights to all of the songs on each of his first four albums for $20. Austin Chronicle article: "". At various points, Van Zandt's friends saw him shoot up not just heroin, but also cocaine , vodka, as well as a mixture of rum and Coke . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; pp. 127-128. On at least one occasion, he shot up heroin in the presence of his son J.T., who was only eight years old at the time.

As a result of Van Zandt's constant drinking, Harold Eggers, Kevin's brother, was hired on as his tour manager and 24-hour caretaker in 1976, a partnership that would last for the rest of the singer's life. Although the musician was many years older than he was, Eggers would later say that Van Zandt was his "first child."

Van Zandt's battle with addiction led him to be admitted to rehab almost a dozen times throughout the 1970s and 1980s. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 195. Medical records from his time in recovery centers show that he believed his drinking had become a problem around 1973, and by 1982 he was drinking at least a pint of vodka daily. Doctors notes reported: "He admits to Hallucination#Auditory hallucinations|hearing voices , mostly musical voices," and "Affect is blunted and mood is sad. Judgment and insight is impaired." At various points in his life, he was prescribed to take the antidepressant Zoloft and the mood stabilizer Lithium pharmacology|lithium . A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 230.''Hittin' the Note article: "". His final and longest period of sobriety during his adult life was a period of about a year in 1989 and 1990. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 216.

Legacy

Legal issues over Van Zandt's work

In the years immediately following Van Zandt's death, his former manager and label owner Kevin Eggers issued fourteen albums of both new and previously unreleased material by the singer, all without consent of his estate (represented by Jeanene Van Zandt and his three children). Austin Chronicle article: "". Eggers also claimed a 50% interest in eighty of Van Zandt's songs. After nearly ten years of legal battles, the court sided with the estate, issuing "injunctive relief against Eggers, restraining him from reproducing or distributing any of Van Zandt's songs."

It was revealed through these proceedings that Van Zandt's annual income in the years before his death had climbed to over $100,000, thanks in large part to the royalties accrued from his songs being covered by Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, Cowboy Junkies, and other major music stars. Austin Chronicle article: ".

After Van Zandt's death, Harold Eggers (Kevin's brother, Van Zandt's longtime road manager ), whose job it was to make sure Townes' shows were recorded, released many video and audio recordings from hundreds of the songwriter's concerts he kept in his possession over a twenty-year period. At issue was whether Eggers or the estate should be in legal ownership of the tapes. An out-of-court settlement in 2006 "essentially granted the Van Zandts eventual control over all of Harold Eggers' mastered recordings (once certain undisclosed obligations were met), while Harold Eggers retained a 50% ownership interest in seven of the albums at issue and a royalty interest in the remaining recordings." However, both parties eventually found fault with the settlement and the issue was taken back to court.

On October 21, 2008, a number of Van Zandt's personal possessions were auctioned off at The Northside in Akron, Ohio|Akron , Ohio , at a benefit for Wrecks Bell, Van Zandt's close friend and bandmate who was the inspiration for the song "Rex's Blues." Bell was half-owner of the nightclub in Houston where Townes recorded his album Live at the Old Quarter . He now owns the "new" Old Quarter in Galveston, which was uninsured and destroyed by Hurricane Ike . The Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe reopened on December 11, 2008, after a series of benefit concerts held state-wide.

In music

Van Zandt has been referred to as a cult musician and "a songwriter's songwriter." Musician Steve Earle , who met him in 1978 and considered Van Zandt a mentor , once called Van Zandt "the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." The quote was printed on a sticker featured on the packing of At My Window (album)|At My Window , much to Van Zandt's displeasure. A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 205. In the years following, the quote was often cited by the press, much to Van Zandt and Earle's embarrassment; New York Times article: "." in 2009, Earle told the New York Times , "Did I ever believe that Townes was better than Bob Dylan? No." Earle has championed the songwriter on a number of occasions: his eldest son, Justin Townes Earle , also a musician, is named after Van Zandt; Earle wrote the song "Fort Worth Blues" as a tribute to the singer in the late 1990s, and in 2009 released an album titled Townes (album)|Townes , which featured all covers of Van Zandt songs.

Influential in the sub-genre referred to as outlaw country , his Texas-grounded impact stretched farther than country. He has been cited as a source of inspiration by such notable artists as Bob Dylan, Neil Young , A Deeper Blue: The Life & Music of Townes Van Zandt by Robert Earl Hardy; p. 197. Willie Nelson, John Prine , AllMusic review: "". Lyle Lovett , Austin Chronicle article: "." Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers ,Muzzle of Bees article: "." Emmylou Harris , Nanci Griffith , Cowboy Junkies ,CMT.com article: "." Vetiver , AllMusic review: "." Guy Clark , Devendra Banhart ,Blurt Online article: "." Norah Jones , Robert Plant & Alison Krauss , AllMusic page: "". The Be Good Tanyas , AllMusic review: "." Josh Ritter , Gillian Welch ,Amazon.com entry: "." Garth Brooks ,Garth Brooks official website: "." Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes (band)|Bright Eyes , The Daily Telegraph article: " ." and Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon .Goodman, Frank (May 2007). . Puremusic.com.

In 2012, Van Zandt was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame. http://texasheritagesongwriters.com/bios/townes_van_zandt.php

In July 2012 Neurot Recordings will release a three-way split CD in tribute to Van Zandt, featuring Neurosis singer/guitarists Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till and doom/stoner metal legend Wino . http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2012/04/13/steve-von-till-scott-kelly-album-to-see-us-release-via-neurot-in-june/

In film and television

Van Zandt's Roadsongs (Townes van Zandt album)|Roadsongs album version of The Rolling Stones ' " Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones song)|Dead Flowers " was used during the final scene of the Coen Brothers ' 1998 film, The Big Lebowski . The song was also included on the movie's soundtrack.

Since his death, Van Zandt's recordings have been licensed by his family for use in a number of films and television programs, including Stepmom (film)|Stepmom , Six Feet Under (TV series)|Six Feet Under , In Bruges , Crazy Heart , Leaves of Grass (film)|Leaves of Grass , and Deadwood (TV series)|Deadwood .

In the film Country Strong , the Austin Statesman describes the character of Beau Hutton as the next "Townes Van Zandt."

Films and books about Van Zandt

In 2006, the film Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt|Be Here To Love Me , chronicling the artist's life and musical career, was released in the United States. It was very well received, earning a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes . Georgia Christgau of the Village Voice called the documentary "sympathetic but frank." Eddie Cockrell of Variety Magazine|Variety called the film "a dignified and wistful look at the unusual life, difficult career and lasting influence" of Van Zandt.

A biography, titled ''To Live's To Fly: The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt by John Kruth , was released in 2007. It received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly '' lamenting that Kruth's "efforts are diminished by oddly alternating first-person narrative|first - and third-person narrative s, awkward transitions and text cluttered with excessive quotes... more insight into why - rather than countless tales of how - would have made this bio a more worthwhile read."

In April 2008, the University of North Texas Press published Robert Earl Hardy's biography on the songwriter, titled A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt . The book featured the fruits of over eight years of research, including interviews with Mickey Newbury, Jack Clement, Guy and Susanna Clark, Mickey White, Rex Bell, Dan Rowland, Richard Dobson, John Lomax III, Van Zandt's brother and sister, cousins, and all three of his ex-wives, and many others. It has been described by Kirkus Reviews as a "poignant, clear and vivid portrait."

Discography

Studio albums

For the Sake of the Song: First Album|For the Sake of the Song - 1968

Our Mother the Mountain - 1969

Townes Van Zandt (album)|Townes Van Zandt - 1969

Delta Momma Blues - 1971

High, Low and in Between - 1972

The Late Great Townes Van Zandt - 1972

'' Flyin' Shoes - 1978

At My Window (album)|At My Window - 1987

The Nashville Sessions - 1993 (recordings from the aborted Seven Come Eleven album, recorded 1972)

No Deeper Blue - 1994

Riding The Range( only two songs: Riding The Range and Dirty Old Town ) - 1996

A Far Cry From Dead - 1999 (later-life studio guitar and vocal recordings posthumously overdubbed)

Texas Rain: The Texas Hill Country Recordings - 2001

In The Beginning (Townes Van Zandt album)|In the Beginning - 2003 (studio demo recordings from 1966)

Singles

Waiting Around to Die/Talking Karate Blues - 1968

Second Lovers Song/Tecumseh Valley - 1969

Come Tomorrow/Delta Mama Blues - 1971

If I Needed You/Sunshine Boy - 1972

''Honky Tonkin'/Snow Dont Fall - 1972

''Fraulein/Don't Let the Sunshine Fool Ya - 1972

Greensboro Woman/Standin - 1972

Pancho and Lefty/Heavenly Houseboat Blues - 1972

Pancho and Lefty/If I Needed You - 1973

Who Do You Love/Dollar Bill Blues - 1978

''When She Don't Need Me/No Place to Fall - 1978

Dead Flowers/Fraulein/Racing in the Street - 1993 (German CD single)

''Ain't Leavin' Your Love - 1999 (US CD single)

Riding the Range/Dirty Old Town - 1996

Snowin On Raton - 2001 (US CD single) -from Texas Rain

Highwaykind - 2002 (CD single)

Live albums

Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas - 1977 (recorded July 1973)

Live and Obscure - 1989 (recorded in 1985)

Rain on a Conga Drum: Live in Berlin - 1991 (recorded October 1990)

Roadsongs (Townes van Zandt album)|Roadsongs - 1993

Rear View Mirror - 1993 (recorded live Oklahoma, 1979)

Abnormal (Townes Van Zant album)|Abnormal - 1996 (reissued in 1998 with 3 tracks replaced)

The Highway Kind - 1997

Documentary (album)|Documentary - 1997

Last Rights (Townes Van Zandt album)|Last Rights - 1997 (alternative version of Documentary )

In Pain - 1999 (recorded live, 1994/1996)

Together at the Bluebird Café w/ Guy Clark and Steve Earle - 2001 (recorded September 1995)

'' Live at McCabe's (Townes Van Zandt album)|Live at McCabe's - 2001 (recorded February 1995)

A Gentle Evening with Townes Van Zandt - 2002 (recorded November 1969)

Absolutely Nothing - 2002 (recorded 1991-1996)

Acoustic Blue - 2003 (recorded 1994/1996)

Live at the Jester Lounge, Houston, Texas, 1966 - 2004

Rear View Mirror, Volume 2 - 2004 (recorded 1978/79)

Live at Union Chapel, London, England - 2005 (recorded April 1994)

Houston 1988: A Private Concert - 2005

Videos

Heartworn Highways - 1981

Be Here to Love Me - 2004

Houston 1988: A Private Concert - 2004

Townes Live In Amsterdam - 2008 (recorded 11/12/91)

Compilations

Last Rights: The Life & Times of Townes Van Zandt - 1997

Masters (Townes Van Zandt album)|Master - 1997

Anthology: 1968-1979 - 1998

The Best of Townes Van Zandt - 1999

Drama Falls Like Teardrops - 2001

The Very Best of Townes Van Zandt: The Texan Troubadour - 2002

Singer Songwriter (Townes Van Zandt album)|Singer Songwriter - 2002

Texas Troubadour (Townes Van Zandt album)|Texas Troubadour - 2002

Legend (Townes Van Zandt album)|Legend - 2003

Buckskin Stallion (Townes Van Zandt album)|Buckskin Stallion - 2006

Copyright Citations

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1. Clifton Chenier 2. Jimmy LaFave 3. Guy Clark 4. David Allan Coe 5. Lightnin' Hopkins 6. Country music 7. The Little Willies 8. The Be Good Tanyas 9. Richard Buckner 10. Eric Taylor 11. Great Lake Swimmers 12. Kelly Joe Phelps 13. Louis Black 14. New Grass Revival 15. Reverend Gary Davis 16. The Avett Brothers 17. The Walkabouts 18. Vendetta Red 19. Walkabouts 20. Hayes Carll 21. Conor Oberst 22. Justin Townes Earle

Undetermined Music Artists

Townes Van Zandt

Biography

Biography

Early life

Early musical career

1970s

1980s - 1990s

Death

Personal life

Relationships

Addiction

Legacy

Legal issues over Van Zandt's work

In music

In film and television

Films and books about Van Zandt

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Live albums

Videos

Compilations

References

External links

Copyright Citations