Growing up in Austin, I was no stranger to blues, country & roots music. As a kid, my dad would record onto cassette tape every Austin City Limits that was simulcast. When I was old enough to drive, I frequently took those tapes with me and play them in the deck of my 83 Ford pickup. Those tapes turned me onto a lot of music that I would have never found on conventional radio. One of these artists in particular was Townes Van Zandt.

Though a popular singwriter, his music was an enigma of its time. Throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, the gritty and rough folk/roots music he played was unlike most everything else going on around him. His voice, high and lonesome, often was accompanied with only guitar and occasionally a few additional instruments. His music, gritty and rough, was compared by his critics and peers to that of to Bob Dylan. He was a singer/songwriter in the truest sense, par excellence.

With sounds of both old and new, transcendental and reflective, it wasn’t hard for me to like Townes. For some I’ve found it takes being in a certain state of mind to appreciate him.

His death, as well as his life, is seen as a tragedy. During the last years of his life, Townes played around town, often without even a cover. He died early in the morning New Years Day, January 1997. I was to seem him play that night live for the very first time. Not ever hearing him play live is a regret that I still have to this day.

If you have a chance, check out some of his music. There is also a recent documentary, from 2004, dedicated to his musical talent entitled Be Here to Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt.

Check out his music here:
Pancho and Lefty
Tecumseh Valley
Waitin Round to Die
If I Needed You

Image and album cover from Fat Possum Records.