Townes Van Zandt

Birth : 1944-03-07, Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Death : 1997-01-01

History

John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter. He wrote numerous songs, such as "Pancho and Lefty", "For the Sake of the Song", "If I Needed You", "Tecumseh Valley", "Tower Song", "Rex's Blues", and "To Live Is to Fly", that are widely considered masterpieces of American songwriting. His musical style has often been described as melancholy and features rich, poetic lyrics.

Profile

Movies

Without Getting Killed or Caught

Himself (archive footage)

Follow Guy Clark, Susanna Clark, and Townes Van Zandt as they rise from obscurity to reverence: Guy, the Pancho to Van Zandt’s Lefty, struggling to establish himself as the Dylan Thomas of American music, while Susanna pens hit songs and paints album covers for top artists, and Townes spirals in self-destruction after writing some of Americana music’s most enduring and influential ballads.

Heartworn Highways Revisited

Self (archive footage)

On the 38th anniversary of the seminal music documentary, Heartworn Highways - a film that explored and captured the nascent roots of the Outlaw Country movement in the mid-70s - this followup documentary celebrates the authenticity and expresses the feelings of the legendary original, via a community of contemporary "outlaws" living and creating music in Nashville, Tennessee.

For the Sake of the Song: The Story of Anderson Fair

Self (archive footage)

A devoted community of artists, volunteers and patrons transform a politically subversive little neighborhood coffee house and restaurant into a unique American music institution.

Be Here to Love Me

Self (archive footage)

Chronicles the fascinating and often turbulent life of Townes Van Zandt.

Nanci Griffith: Other Voices, Other Rooms

Self

Nanci Griffith performs her Grammy Award winning album "Other Voices, Other Rooms" live at Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on April 28th, 1993 with special guests including Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Odetta, John Prine, Guy Clark, Iris DeMent, and many more.

Townes Van Zandt: Live in Amsterdam

Himself

Recorded in Amsterdam at De Melk Weg (The Milky Way) on 11/2/91. Townes was touring Europe with his family, 9 year old will and his pregnant wife Jeanene. He was in good shape and working on a year of sobriety. This is the only film footage of an entire Townes concert known to exist.

Houston 1988: A Private Concert

himself

Private concert performed by Townes van Zandt in Holiday Inn, Houston, TX in 1988

Heartworn Highways

Self

The music speaks for itself in this performance documentary that highlights some of the biggest names within the country-folk scene in Texas and Tennessee during the last weeks of 1975 and the first weeks of 1976, eschewing narration and staged interviews.