Watching Heartworn Highways for the umpteenth time I was reminded of how damn good Townes Van Zandt is. It is unbelievable that someone who has written so many fantastic songs is not more well known or widely appreciated.
The closest that country music came to having a songwriter to compare with Dylan, Townes Van Zandt spent most of his life on the fringes. A cult musician he never had a commercially successful album or single in his lifetime and even had difficulty for many years keeping his recordings in print. Success, of sorts, came in the early eighties when Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard had a number one on the country music charts with a cover of his song "Pancho and Lefty", but achievements like these were too few and far between and Van Zandt, notorious for his drink and drug addictions died on New Years Day 1997 from health problems stemming from his years of substance abuse.
MP3: Townes Van Zandt - Colorado Girl
MP3: Townes Van Zandt - Waitin' Around To Die (Heartworn Highways Version)
Townes Van Zandt Central
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