The blogger at Cuckoo Bird says Van Zandt "speaks to some of the darkest places of the human psyche." Trust me, Cuckoo Bird got that right. Before we listen to a few of his songs, here's a whole lotta wiki info on Mr. Van Zandt, who died in 1997.
John Townes Van Zandt[1] (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997), best-known asTownes Van Zandt, was an American 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, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggardcovered 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 manic depression, and insulin shock therapy erased much of hislong-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 Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan,[11] Norah Jones,[12] Steve Earle, Meat Puppets and Robert Plant's Band of Joy.In a funk? Want to hear a truly bleak song? Try Van Zandt's "Nothin."
He could laugh too. Here he is performing his "Talking Thunderbird Blues" in 1993.
A very sad Van Zandt song, in a moving performance by Nancy Griffith: "Tecumseh Valley."
Thanks for Nancy Griffith Dan. I first heard her music many moons ago on CMT (a US feed) when she had 'Daddy Said' out and instantly fell in love with her music. I have 3 of her discs but my favorite is 'One Fair Summer Evening'. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI first became aware of Van Zandt through Emmylou's cover of "Pancho and Lefty," which is just achingly beautiful. He was such a talented, tragic figure.
ReplyDeleteVan Zandt's "If I Needed You" sung by Don Williams and Emme Lou, has been a long time favorite. He had talent, no doubt about it!
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