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A little drunk and listening to some good outlaw country, it occurred to me that maybe Townes Van Zant is the American version of all the flamenco geniuses who died in absolute poverty. And to be clear, I think he's the greatest singer-songwriter in American history. I don't think he has an equal. Even Dylan thought he was the man.
I don't know about the greatest singer/songwriter in American history, but he was damn good for sure. The song "Pancho and Lefty," recorded by both Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson, is as good as it gets.
By the way, Greg, you might consider moving this thread to the off-topic section, as it has nothing to do with flamenco. You may have noticed lately that the Flamenco Police are getting a bit touchy about off-topic threads, perceiving that they are competing with uploads and the like. To leave this thread in the "General" section may give the impression that the enemy is at the gates.
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
Carl Perkins was among many who got their start recording at Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis, TN in the mid-1950s. Sun Records was an amazing outfit that produced, recorded, and introduced probably the greatest number of singers at one time (the mid-'50s) than any other studio before or since.
What a line-up: Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, and a host of others. Amazing talent from one studio in those early days.
Bill
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And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
In the 1970s Austin was rapidly becoming the "Live Music Capital," as it presently advertises itself.
Townes was among the leading lights of the era. He always drew good crowds in Austin. His performances were generally excellent, though occasionally erratic.
Townes and his girlfriend lived in a trailer in the Old Enfield neighborhood close to dowtown. A good friend of mine was an aspiring singer-songwriter who was a great fan of Townes and of Guy Clark.
On a few occasions we visited Townes at his trailer. He was sometimes drunk in the middle of the day. Most people understood it was self-medication for the bipolar disorder he suffered from.
Despite his afflictions Townes was always likable and good natured the few times I was around him, and was generally the same, according to people who knew him well.
I never knew of any ill effects, but I left whenever got out his pistol.
Very nice music! Never heared from the guy. Pure music in my ears. Van Zandt is a duch name, are his ancestors from Duch origine?
I don't know about Dutch origins, but the Van Zandts were an influential family in Texas history. One of Townes's ancestors was an influential leader of the Republic of Texas (1836-1845). A county in east Texas is named after him.
A subsequent ancestor was one of the founders of the city of Fort Worth.
Oops, sorry about posting in General. That was just a, erm, mistake at the hands of...oh, what the hell, I was drunk.
Dead Flowers is the song that gets me.
The dude was probably the most sought after country song writer. Everyone wanted his stuff. And Pancho and Lefty is a great song. But not only that, he was a serious stud on the blues scene, too.
Just too bad he ended up in such poverty in the end. Does this happen to flamencos still today like it did 100 years ago? Is it because the "geniuses" refuse to record today like they did 100 years ago?
Wait a minute, this was originally about flamenco!!!
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