Q2.
Who is Townes Van Zandt (biographical information)?
Townes is a songwriter and singer who usually performs original
material, while occasionally performing traditional folk and blues
classics, especially those of a major early influence, Lightnin' Hopkins.
He has recorded ten studio albums and released five live recordings on a
variety of labels before his death. Currently, (May 2001), 25 albums have
been released and several more are upcoming.
Townes was born on March 7, 1944. He grew up in parts of Texas, Colorado, Montana, and
elsewhere. He spent his Jr and Sr years in High School (1960-62) at Shattuck
Military Academy in Minnesota. He lived in a number of areas growing
up, but is most strongly associated with the Houston/Austin axis of the '70s,
and has lived in Nashville since the 1980s. Although none of his recordings
sold extremely well, several of his songs have been major hits for other
artists (especially Pancho & Lefty and If I Needed You). He toured the
world regularly, usually appearing alone with his guitar, although he has
appeared with Guy Clark on some tours, and fronted various acoustic and electric
bands, mostly throughout the 1980s.
More on Townes' lineage and biographical data (provided by the Van Zandt
Society and Jeanene Van Zandt, updated 5/26/01 with info provided by Robert Hardy):
On Townes' Lineage:
We have traced the lineage of Townes Van Zandt this far
back. Do you have anything going farther back and can we get this
information registered with The Van Zandt Society? (contact Jeanene
Van Zandt).
Jacob Van Zandt Sr. was born about 1750, came from Holland with the
Moravian Colony that settled in Pennsylvania and later moved to North
Carolina. He married Catherine Moon of Virginia who was born in 1751.
About the beginning of the 19th century they moved to Franklin County, TN.
Both are buried in Salem TN.
Jacob Van Zandt Jr. was born in 1786 and died in 1834. He married Mary
Isaacs, born in 1795 and died in 1840. Both are buried in Salem TN.
Isaac Van Zandt was born in Franklin County, TN July 10, 1812. In 1833 he
married Francis Cooke Lipscomb born in 1816. He died October 11,1847 and
is buried in Marshall, TX. She died in Ft. Worth in 1909 and is buried in
Oakwood Cemetery there.
Isaac Lycurgus Van Zandt was born January 5, 1840. He married Ellen
Henderson who was born in 1849 in Shelby County TX. He died in 1935 and
both are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Ft. Worth.
Townes' paternal grandparents were:
William Lipscomb Van Zandt was born Feb. 3, 1875 in Tarrant County TX. He
married Bell Williams [born June 30, 1882] also of Tarrant County TX. He
died April 8, 1948. She died in Feb. 24, 1965. Both are buried in Dido
Cemetery, Tarrant County.
Townes' family:
Harris Williams Van Zandt born 1913 in Dido Community, Tarrant County, TX.
He married Dorothy Townes of Houston, TX in 1940. He died in Houston in Jan. 1966.
and she in Sept. 1983. Both are buried in River Oaks Cemetery in Houston.
Townes' sister is Donna Spence. Townes had a brother William Lipscomb Van Zandt
(Bill), born in Fort Worth, Texas on May 5, 1949. Bill graduated from The Kinkaid
School and the University of Texas at Austin. Bill worked in the computer industry
and taught computer classes. He passed away Aug. 20, 2009 at age 60.
Marriages and children:
John Townes Van Zandt was born March 7, 1944 in Ft. Worth Texas.
He married Fran Petters in 1965. The marriage produced a son, John
Townes Van Zandt II born April 11, 1969 in Houston TX. Townes and his
first wife (Fran) were divorced on January 16, 1970. She later remarried,
changing her last name to Lohr.
Townes married his second wife, Cindy Morgan, in Nashville in September 1978 (they
had lived together since late 1974); they were divorced on February 10, 1983
in Travis County Texas. Cindy later remarried, changing her last name to Lindgram.
Townes third and final marriage was to Jeanene Munsell, who was born in Corpus Christi,
Texas on February 21, 1957. The pair met in Austin TX December 9th 1980 the day after
John Lennon was killed. They took up residency together that very day. They were legally
married March 14, 1983 ten days before the birth of their first child William Vincent.
Their second child, Katie Belle Van Zandt was born nine years later on February 14, 1992
in Nashville, TN. They were divorced May 2, 1994 although they remained extremely close
and bought a second home together on Old Hickory Lake in Mt. Juliet TN which Townes named
Bayou Self. When off the road back home in Tennessee, Townes split his time between the
family home, The Ponderosa when he was behaving well enough to be around the children and
Bayou Self when he wasn't.
Townes died at the cabin in Mt Juliet TN of a heart attack following hip surgery on New
Years Day, 1997, the same day his idol, Hank Williams, passed away. Jeanene and the children
were by his side. Some of his remains (ashes) are buried in the Van Zandt family plot at
Dido Cemetery, Tarrant County, Texas which is on land donated to the town by Townes' ancestors.
Q3.
Is there a Townes fan club?
Currently, the mail-list about-townes (see Q1 above) can be considered
Townes' fan club. The best place to go for merchandise including CDs, videos,
T-shirts, and posters, is Townes Van Zandt Central, at
//www.townesvanzandt.com - LC 31/Dec/1998
Q4.
What were Townes' musical influences/favorites?
There are many interviews where Townes was asked this question, and usually he
mentions Lightnin' Hopkins, Hank Williams, and Bob Dylan, among others. Here is one
fairly recent (1991) answer by Townes:
"Up until Elvis hit, which was when I was about 9, it had been totally Hank
Williams and Lefty Frizzell and Roy Acuff. I used to hear it on my dad's radio as
he would drive up and down from oilfield to oilfield. Then Elvis hit and Ricky
Nelson and Jerry Lee and Chuck Berry. Seeing Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan
Show was the starting point for me becoming a guitar player. My sister had two
or three of her girlfriends over to watch it, and they were screaming, and I was
just a little kid, barely allowed in the room. I just thought that Elvis had all the
money in the world, all the Cadillacs and all the girls, and all he did was play the
guitar and sing. That made a big impression on me. As I got older, I would search for
things to listen to as opposed to listening to whatever was being played, and I
discovered Lightnin' Hopkins, and then Booker White and Muddy Waters and all of those
guys. Lightnin' Hopkins had a big effect upon my guitar playing. I had been totally
strumming the guitar, but listening to Lightnin' I realized you could play separate
notes. Bob Dylan came along about that time and I heard 'The Times Thay Are A
Changing'. He was using a regular guitar and regular words and putting them together
and coming out with songs that meant something, and I've been writing songs ever since."
One magazine interview (published Aug. 1987) listed these as Townes' favorite LP's:
1. Hard Again - Muddy Waters
2. Mozart's Violin Concertos Nos. 4 & 5
3. The Times They Are a Changin' - Bob Dylan
4. Sticky Fingers - Rolling Stones
5. Automobile Blues - Lightnin' Hopkins
6. Atlantic 12 String - Blind Willie McTell
7. Tchaikovsky - Piano Concertos - Van Cliburn
8. Richard Dobson's first LP
9. Complete Hank Williams
10. Old #9 - Guy Clark
11. Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane
12. Waiting for the Naked Girl to Call - Tim Henderson
- LC 31/Dec/1998
Q5.
Why has Townes been ignored by the mainstream music business?
The artistic reason: the intensity of his lyrics, often dealing
in stark terms with depressing topics, are not commercial, although
several of his romantic songs have sold many copies for other artists
(e.g. Doc Watson, Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, Willie Nelson and
Merle Haggard, Don Gibson).
The pragmatic business reason: a lack of exposure, his long-standing
health problems and an average of only 1 new studio album every 7-8 years for
two decades. He has been known to put on somewhat erratic shows at times as
well.
Q6.
How do I collect his albums, cassettes, and CDs?
also see Q13. What albums by Townes should I buy?.
Townes originally recorded his first several LPs for Poppy records
from 1969 through 1973, which then went bankrupt, only to re-emerge as
Tomato records, which re-issued the LPs in 1977 when they issued the 1973
concert "Live At The Old Quarter", and then the 1978 studio release "Flyin' Shoes".
These were also released on cassette and 8-track tapes. In 1987 he
released "At My Window" on Sugar Hill Records, and has subsequently released
CDs and cassettes on Sugar Hill and other labels in the USA and abroad.
The Poppy/Tomato albums were reissued by Rhino in the 1990s, along with
"First Album" (previously the LP "For The Sake Of The Song", which was the
only LP he refused to issue on CD in the 1980s), and the previously
unreleased "The Nashville Sessions" from 1973.
His most recent recordings include "No Deeper Blue" (1994, Sugar Hill),
"A Far Cry From Dead" (1999 Arista Austin), and "In Pain" (1999 Normal).
See the TvZ Blue Sky home page - URL:
//ippc2.orst.edu/coopl/tvzdisco.html
for a complete discography.
Q7.
How do I collect concert tapes?
Carefully; very carefully :-)
Since Townes has gone as long as eight years between recordings
of new material, many of his songs are performed in concert for several
years before being recorded. Those looking for tapes of concerts may
try the tape traders network, now with many "deep catalog" traders, at
//www.tapetracker.com.
Q8.
Where can I find lyrics and guitar chords of Townes music?
Many songs with chords and lyrics may be found at the Blue Sky web pages:
//ippc2.orst.edu/coopl/tvztabs.html.
A songbook [For The Sake Of The Song] was published in 1977,
and is sometimes available from Jeanene Van Zandt's website,
Jeanene has a full lyrics book that has yet to be published.
Bo Sjogen has transcribed lyrics from most of Townes' songs and can
be found here:
//ippc2.orst.edu/coopl/lyrics/index.html
Q9.
What songs by Townes have other people recorded?
There are more than 3,600 recordings of Townes' songs by others,
full list, with listings linked by each song from the Guide to TVZ Songs. If you
would like to submit either commercial or non-commercial cover songs
that others have recorded, be sure to contact Frans and Hans.
Q10.
How do I contact Townes or book him for shows?
While this question is no longer relevant since 1/Jan/1997, you may wish
to contact his former booking agent, Keith Case:
Keith Case and Associates
59 Music Square West
Nashville, TN 37203
615-327-4646 Phone
615-327-4949 FAX
Q11.
What publications and periodicals contain more info on Townes?
Remarkably, up until March, 2007, no books had been written exclusively
about Townes. Townes' 1977 songbook, "For the Sake of the Song"
[edited by Joseph F. Lomax, published 1977 by Wings Press, usually available],
is perhaps the best source to date, as it has a brief biography by Lola
Scobey, an introduction by John M. Lomax, and words and music to 14 songs.
We count at least eight book-type efforts that are either in the works, are
just completed, or are finished but await the right publisher to come along:
1. A new TvZ songbook was put together by Jeanene in the fall of 1998, but it
is waiting for the right publisher before it gets released.
2. In March 2007, a biography by John Kruth, "To Live's to Fly - The Ballad
of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt" published by Da Capo Press (March 30, 2007).
collected reviews
3. Robert Earl Hardy has signed a contract with the University of North Texas
Press to publish a biography of singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt in the
spring of 2008. UNT Press is a top-tier academic publisher with a highly
respected line of books in the field of American (particularly Texas) music and
cultural history. The book titled A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes
Van Zandt will draw on meticulous research that spanned eight years,
including interviews with Van Zandt's family, colleagues and friends (Mickey Newbury,
Jack Clement, Guy and Susanna Clark, Mickey White, Rex Bell, Dan Rowland,
Richard Dobson, John Lomax III, Van Zandt's brother and sister, cousins, and
all three of his ex-wives, among many others).
Websites now available from Robert Hardy and the Univ. of N. Texas Press.
4. A biography by William Hedgepath (see Q18),
which is said to have been in the making since 1972, and that it is mainly
waiting for the right publishing contract.
5. Another biography is in preparation by Larry Monroe (KUT Austin DJ, interviewer and
friend of Townes) together with Harold Eggers (Townes' friend and road manager for
many years). Harold has started a website/blog on Townes, available at: //townesvanzandt20yearshfe.com/.
6. Wrecks Bell and Don Morris are close to releasing a book of remembrances about
Townes.
A couple other works are out there with references to Townes:
Richard Dobson wrote "The Gulf Coast Boys" which was published Jan 1998 and
is about Townes, Richard, Rex Bell, Mickey White and others during the
era when they played and traveled together as the Hemmer Ridge Mountain Boys.
See the webpage //nativetexas.com/_pages/dobson_gcb.shtml for more info.
Da Capo Press in 1997 released "Songwriters on Songwriting : The Expanded
Version" by Paul Zollo, editor of the wonderful SONG TALK magazine. This
book is 52 of his really great, technical craft talks with the nation's
great songwriters. His interview with Townes Van Zandt done in Nashville
in 1990 is included.
Nanci Griffith has a book out entitled "Nanci Griffith's
Other Voices : A Personal History of Folk Music" that mentions Townes'
influence quite a lot.
Goldmine published a comprehensive career retrospective in the
late 1980s. Musician had a major interview with TvZ and Steve Earle in
summer 1995 (re-published in Australia in late 1995; Rhythms? ). TvZ CDs
get reviewed in most magazines which cover folk music.
Townes has been written up in many more periodicals such as Acoustic Songwriter
and No Depression, but a comprehensive compilation is not available at this time.
-LC 21/Jan/08 & 27/Apr/08
Q12.
What movies and television shows feature Townes or info about him?
Rake Films released the only feature documentary on Townes thus far, "Be Here To Love
Me", see //www.townesthemovie.com/.
This is an excellent film for fans and those curious about creative genius vs. self-
destructive habits. The director, Margaret Brown did an excellent job; the movie has
received very favorable reviews for the most part. The film is widely distributed on DVD.
Townes performed 2 songs (Waitin Around To Die, Pancho & Lefty) in "Heartworn Highways",
a 1981 released film featuring numerous Texas and alt-country performers including Guy Clark,
Steve Earle, The Charlie Daniels Band, Rodney Crowell, Steve Young, Richard
Dobson, and numerous others, filmed during 1975-76. Re-released on DVD with
numerous bonus performances in 2004. The tour of holes and such by Townes with Cindy
and Geraldine is a major highlight in the movie.
There was a 30 minute TV special about TvZ on Dutch Television around
1990. The name of the program: All along the Watchtower: interview and studio
performance). Other places to look is for videos taken at various venues.
Look out for a 3 hr show from Woolwich Tramshed in London 1987, where a TV
film crew reportedly filmed the whole thing.
He appeared on Austin City Limits twice (including in 1976), on Texas Connection
twice, on American Music Shop at least once (the Nanci Griffith special),
and gave a brief interview in Nanci Griffith's Other Voices, Other Rooms video (1993).
He has appeared on numerous FM radio shows, and had concerts broadcasted
or performed live in the studio, including a BBC session for Mary Costello
in the early 1990s.
The Austin Music Network features in-studio videos of Townes, and
has aired a 60 minute special, filmed Jan 17, 1995.
At least six movies feature Townes songs: "The Big Lebowski" (1998) (a critically
acclaimed movie by the Coen brothers) - Townes rendition of "Dead Flowers" is perfectly
matched to the tone at the movies end; "The Stepmom" (1998) starring Julia Roberts, who
sings the first verse to "If I Needed You"; "In Bruges" (2008) w/Colin Farrell and Ralph
Fiennes featured "St. John the Gambler"; "Crazy Heart" (2009) featured "If I Needed You", the
song was loosely based in part on TVZ and other Texas/Country Troubadours; Tim Blake
Nelson's movie "Leaves of Grass" (2009) features a live version of "Rex's Blues" and other
signs of Townes throughout, plus Steve Earle is in the cast. "Lawless" (2012) features
Emmylou Harris singing "Snake Song" after Ralph Stanley Sings a Nick Cave song, "Fire In the Blood".
Q13.
What albums by Townes should I buy?
Review "TVZ - discography with comments" at:
//ippc2.orst.edu/coopl/tvzdisco.html
Currently (2008) there are 13 original studio, 11+ re-packaged studio, and
18+ live albums, covering ca. 122 original songs and 48 "cover" songs (see
"TVZ - A guide to his recorded music at:
//ippc2.orst.edu/coopl/tvzguide.html)
The strongest consensus seems to be that beginners should start
with Live At The Old Quarter (LATOQ) stunning performances, solo, of many of
his major songs as of 1973) and his 3rd album "Townes Van Zandt" (1970),
which was a re-strategizing production of several songs from the somewhat strangely
produced first album "For the Sake of the Song (1968), and backs off from the
intensity of his most brilliant and gripping "Our Mother the Mountain" (1969).
That 3rd album is lightly produced, immediately compelling, and can sustain
repeated listening without producing fatigue or excessive loss of body fluids ;-)
After starting with the two above, I would obtain them in this approximate order:
"At My Window" - 1987, "Flying Shoes" - 1978, "Our Mother the Mountain" - 1969,
"High, Low, & In Between" - 1972, "No Deeper Blue - 1994, "Nashville Sessions"
- recorded 1977, released 1993, and Delta Momma Blues, released 1971.
I am less enthralled by another early album "The Late, Great, Townes Van Zandt"
- 1973 (his least focused and most over-rated, yet perhaps recorded
at the peak of his genius), and while most shun his first album "For the Sake
of the Song", I find it rather quant and a neat contrast to his more accessible
3rd album mentioned above.
The later studio albums are mainly re-recorded songs with added production (so use
modern studio practices but without Townes input), such as "A Far Cry From Dead" -
1999, and "Texas Rain" - 2001 (Townes with Guest artists), which are both
interesting efforts that canot be dismissed.
His best live albums other than LATOQ include Rear View Mirror - recorded 1979,
released 1993, "Road Songs" - 1994 (all great cover songs), and "In Pain" - 1999.
Next I would get "Live and Obscure" - 1987, which for some reason (production most
likely) I rate lower than I would like to - These are well rehearsed live tracks
when Townes had a full band, during a great era of his career. It is a nice
change of pace from all his live and studio releases in any case. I believe no
album captured the live feel of Townes with his Band in the 1980s, but this does
come close at times.
The live series produced by Harold Eggers (and Townes in some cases), including
"Road Songs" and "In Pain", above, plus "The Highway Kind" and "Absolutely Nothing"
in particular, are quite collectable and not without interesting and
unusual takes, and can be viewed as a fantastic, almost bootleg archive, It is
doubtful that new or casual fans should seek out very many in the series. More
likely I would suggest next "A Gentle Evening With Townes Van Zandt" - recorded
1969, released 2002, and the oldest available studio recordings "In The Beginning"
- recorded 1967, released 2003. This was trumped a bit in digging up the past
by the 2004 release of "Live at the Jester Lounge (Houston Texas 1966) which is
a real gift to those fascinated with the development of genius in folk musicians.
If you want to get to know Townes via songs + interviews, check out "Last Rights
(US) / Documentary (Europe)" - 1997.
Other than perhaps the reissues such as "Best of" and "Anthology", I like nearly
every album.
These reissues are unnecessary because they are completely recycled material and mostly
offer no benefit to Townes' Estate, but otherwise are not bad as reissues. One reason
a "Best of" compilation does not make sense to true fans is because 90% of his written
songs are real gems, and none were true hits excepting Pancho and Lefty, and so
cherry picking is wasted effort.
Some people do not like Townes' last live works, because his voice tended to stray
off key and become strained. I think as a matter of taste, that this is a minor
fault and that these performances actually served the nature of the music
("In Pain" is a fitting title and good example of this).
There are several tribute albums and many many covers of Townes' songs, so if you
don't especially like his voice do seek them out. Check out Nora Jones, Cowboy Junkies,
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Paul K., etc.
In summary, get any three early albums, especially those listed above, and you
will be hooked and want to seek the remainder out. - LC updated 21/Jan/2008
Q14.
Would you explain the song Talkin' Karate Blues? I can't tell
if the song is funny or offensive.
When the song was written in the '60s, it was meant to be
humorous and it probably was. Townes has introduced the song saying that
he once performed it for the Japanese embassy and they liked it - so it
can't be that bad. I believe he performed it later in his career because,
as a simple talking blues type song, he has not forgotton how to perform
it. It was not in Townes' character to try to be offensive.
Q15.
What is happening with that 3 or 4 CD compilation project?
July 1996 - This project is a major retrospective of Townes work, with
re-recordings of 60 of his songs. So far, other artists have contributed
vocal and instrumentals on 30 tracks. There are promises from several
other artists including the Cowboy Junkies and Sonic Youth to help with
more tracks. The producers are seeking financial support to help finish
recording, mix and master this long-awaited effort.
LC - as per conversation with Jeanene Van Zandt, July 24, 1996
Jan. 1997 - Details for the project were brought up to date by Kevin Eggers,
and posted at the Blue Sky pages at:
//ippc2.orst.edu/coopl/tvztomato1.html
Feb. 1998 - The project has been delayed due to disputes about production
values between Tomato records and the estate of TVZ. Specifically, many of
the tracks are claimed to be overproduced, with female backup vocalists
and other such excesses. I have heard a few of the tracks myself and agree
that they tend to be overproduced. On the bright side, hopefully, these
issues will be resolved and the basic tracks, which Townes laid down mostly
between 1988 and 1990, sound great, and are well worth waiting for the
right versions. - LC
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2001 09:20:39 -0600
From: "Jeanene Van Zandt" Subject: Newthology
>I really hope this doesn't end up abandoned and forsaken, eternally lost,
Yea well, too bad Kevin decided to put the Johnson Wax Singers, out of tune,
off time and on another planet, mudded all over 30 of Townes precious tracks
or it would all ready be out. Oh please Kevin, more string and horns! (added
after Townes died) Remember that step of artistic control everybody keeps forgetting
about.
Oh and by the way the Townes vocal track of Marie with Willie is STOLEN!
It's my vocal track from "NO Deeper Blue" that when I was trying to help
Kevin before I heard all the crap he had added to Townes's tracks after he
died and before he died with out his artistic consent, I took it down to the
studio to see if it would work because when Townes recorded that collection
he was saying "No new songs!" Marie was new at the time he did those
recordings, and I might add with the condition that Kevin sign a contract
that all his advances were paid back and that he would finally be accounted
to for past royalties. Kevin got his recordings, Townes never saw any accounting.
Kevin was hot in the studio to get it out 3 months after Townes died and I
was helping him all I could...till I heard the stupid doo whop crap he had
added and we were all buddy ,buddy till I said, "You have to take those
background ( really foreground singers) OFF!" Then I was the she devil from
Hell.
You folks will just have to wait till Mr. Eggers Conforms! Sorry, Hope we're
not holding up your lives! All Kevin Has to do is push one button and get
those stupid singer OFF and compensate us for Townes' Marie vocal or that
record would already be out.
It also could have something to do with all the DIFFERENT people he got
advances money from using Townes' name. I heard he's asking a million
dollars for the recording. Good Luck!
Can you believe that he has a recording of two dead Texas legends, Townes
and Doug Sahm singing "Two Girls" which was Townes' favorite track and he
put those stupid singers on that too! Townes would be mortified!
Townes said in an interview in '95. "if they are waiting for me to die to
put that out, so I'll be less trouble to them, they are making a big
mistake, cause Jeanene will still be here!"
Townes must have seen the future!
Jeanene Van Zandt
> P.S. Are they really called the Johnson Wax Singers?
No, they are The Chromatics. Two sisters and a brother. And it's not their
fault either. Here's the story.
While Townes was in Austin during one of the recording sessions Townes took
time to do a benefit that was going on and the Chromatics were also on the
ticket. As was Townes' habit many times when he was recording, if he was
around other musicians or ran into one in a bar, he'd say, Hey, I'm
recording a record why don't you drop by and play some. He did the same on
this evening and asked the Chromatic to drop by and sing on a few songs,
which they did the next day. Which is fine, that's what Townes wanted to do
that day and he was right there. We have no problem with them being on those
songs.
When the recordings were finished Townes was sent his tape copy of the
recordings (which I still have) and the singers were on about 5 songs out of
the 60, which is reasonable.
As far as Townes knew before he died the record was finished and he was
extremely proud of it. These are the tapes Townes played for his friends
saying, "Here's my new record. It only has to be mixed and mastered!"
There was never any talk about adding any more background vocals. But
somewhere between then and Townes' death, Kevin took it upon himself to call
them back into the studio and put them on 25 more songs. According to
written statements and testimony from people who were in the studio, Kevin
had them in the studio singing all day and into the dawn and that's exactly
what it sounds like. Very tired singers. That's why I say it isn't their
fault. Putting them all over the album has totally messed up the diversity and
dynamics of the album as a whole.
When mixing began here in Nashville I went to the studio to represent the
Estate as the Executrix (female for Executor for those of you not in the
probate biz) and it was then that it was discovered what had been done.
It freaked me out so bad, I cried. As each song rolled by I begged, Oh No,
not on that one too.... and on and on it went till I was sick to my stomach
with a deep sinking feeling. The droning drags down the recordings and all
you remember about the song is "nothing", it's totally distracting to the
point that you forgot what song you just heard.
I immediately contacted JT (Townes' eldest son) and he flew up here.
I played him copies of the "new versions" and he too was sickened.
We both immediately wrote letters of disapproval and sent them registered
mail to kevin and got the lawyers after him. I guess when Will turns 18
next week he too will be sending a letter. He thinks it sucks also.
All we want is the record to be put back the way it was that Townes loved.
It is his career that will be damaged. The producer would take the backlash
from the press, but the general public doesn't care about producers, they'll
think Townes did it on purpose, which he did not.
We are not asking for the moon. We contacted him immediately and even stated
that it would be wise to fix it now so he would not incur the cost of having
to go back and redo the mixing which in a digital studio is very expensive.
Townes was very insistant that the clause in the contract about his rights
passing to us was in there. He had good reason!
The last time I left the studio the tapes were being sent to New Orleans to
be orchestrated! OH BOY!
Jeanene Van Zandt
Q16.
Concerning Townes' personal life, what was behind his divorce from Jeanene?
Excerpted from Jeanene Van Zandt's response to a query on about-townes:
> When I read Jeanene's posts they give the impression that she and Townes
> were inseparable.
> But I understand that he had moved (or rather was kicked out) from their
> house in Smyrna to an apartment in Nashville.
> And that Jeanene had divorced Townes.
...if you are referring to divorce as two people not loving each other
and going their seperate ways, well that never happened to me and Townes.
We Loved each other the same from the moment we met until he took his last
breath. We have sixteen years of history and two and a half (JT) children
together and Townes never referred to me as anything other than his wife
till the day he died.
If you are asking if there is a stack of papers down at the
courthouse that says I was no longer liable for his actions or
responsible for his debts, you bet there is which right now as I go
through an IRS audit for him as the Executrix to his Estate and the
natural and legal guardian to the two minor heirs who's inheritance is at
stake I am so thankful. He gave his songs to me and he knew that they would
be protected and would stay in his family till they belong to the folks 100
years from now. - JVZ Jan 6, 1998
Q17.
Were Townes ashes placed in a cemetery or memorialized somewhere where I can visit?
Some of Townes' ashes were laid beneath a headstone in the Dido Cemetery
in Dido Texas just outside of Ft. Worth. It is in the Van Zandt Family
plot just to the left, close to the entrance. - JVZ Jun 30, 1998
Q18.
Where can I read the article on Townes by William Hedgepath that is referred to
by Lola Scobey in the TVZ songbook?
The article in question, it seems, is not available, but another article from the same
era by that author is available in full, "Townes Van Zandt - messages from the outside".
This was published in Atlanta's Hittin' the Note magazine back in May 1977.
The article was mailed to me by Jeanene back in 1996 to add to the Blue Sky pages.
The article included two nice photographs of Townes, which I could scan in - but it
would look pretty bad, being a photocopy and all. The article mentioned by Lola Scobey
quoted Townes talking about his depression and included him saying "There's been times
when my hands--I took them--and I have the feeling, a very strange feeling, that
if I had a machine and could just chop my hands off, then everything would be fine".
If anyone knows of such a quote in an article by Hedgepath, please let us know.
Q19.
What guitars did Townes play and what do we know about them?
[material added by other sources in brackets, otherwise posted by Jinder 5-11-2005]
pre-1968
After seeing the effect Elvis had, a Harmony guitar became his christmas present (presumably
ca 1956-7 [7th grade as per TVZ interview 3/28/71]) because he solemnly promised his father
that the first song he'd learn would be Bobby Helms' 1957 hit "Fraulein". The Harmony was
"almost plastic and had a heavy black finish". Guitar lessons came with the guitar but were
too boring [3/28/71].
[Ovation - When I knew TVZ he was playing an Ovation. I once called it "plastic" and he
informed me that it was 'fiber glass". I think I irritated him with that one.
reslems on about-townes 9-19-1999]
ca. 1968-ca. 1971
Gibson Hummingbird, J45 or similar (back cover shot of "Our Mother The Mountain")
ca. 1971-ca. 1979
[It seems implied that one or more Martin guitars were used over this period - LC]
Martin D35 (up 'til and including the "Late Great..." album period)
[D35 Martin...that was the guitar on "Rear View Mirror" and "Roadsongs."
That guitar had a lot of bass overtone and was hard to mike properly.
(This period was before the ubiquity of acoustic pick-ups built in
guitars.) The Martin was customised with "RJ" in mother of pearl in the neck
I think he got it in a pawnshop, it probably went the same way.
- Ruester 3/29/04 and ealier postings on about-townes]
[Townes told me once that while parting in Austin he found himself alone at
closing time with nothing to drink and decided to go to an after hours club
with a friend he''d just met that night. The club wound up be an after hours
gay club but had booze but was also in a real sleazy part of town. After
drinking for several more hours he left and was confronted by some jerks that
beat him up and stole his Martin. His last comment on that was "I really liked
that guitar". - Skip 9-19-1999]
ca. 1973
A red Gibson J45 or J50 slope-shoulder [seen in "Heartworn Highways" and in
"Be Here To Love Me", including where Townes is at the the Austin club Castle
Creek with Rex Bell and Mickey White. This guitar was loaned to Townes for
making the movie by his amigo Richard (Ricardo) Dobson, who later lost it
in a divorce. It had been customized a bit, with a hand-carved ebony bridge
made by Guy Clark - R. Dobson 2-28-2006]
ca. 1977-ca. 1983
Epiphone EJ200 (jumbo) or similar (late '70s/early '80s pics-according to Steve Earle, Townes
"Hated (this guitar) so much he shot it full of holes") (3/11/77 observed playing this by ND)
ca. 1983-ca. 1990
Takamine F340S Dreadnought or similar (Houston '88 footage, various '80s pics...
there is a Harold Eggers quote saying about how the guitar was nicknamed "The Tin Man"
because it was prone to being trebly..."He (Townes) loved that guitar, but if the treble
was turned up too high you could really hear it ring." )
ca. 1991-ca. 1996
Gibson J200 ('91/'92 onwards...I believe this was made by Gibson luthier Chip Phillips, who
said "Every time I saw him since he got that guitar, he was very appreciative. Townes wasn't
a materialistic person, but you'd have had a hard time prying that guitar away from him. It
was his pride and joy.") [Townes got the J-200 through a Gibson endorsement. According
Phillips a friend of Van Zandt's, the instrument has a spruce top, maple back and sides,
a maple neck, a rosewood mustache bridge, and factory-installed SORS (Symbiotic-Oriented
Receptor System) electronics with a piezo-type saddle pickup and built-in preamp.
- about-townes 12-9-2000]
[It's a Gibson J-200--it's big enough to hide behind--and sometimes, I swear, my guitar plays
itself. Guitars are alive--I say that and people go, 'Yeah, far out!'--but I mean it. My guitar
is alive! That wood ain't dead yet, you know?! - TVZ, New York Times, 11/24/1994]
[When Townes died he had 3 guitars. I gave Tin Man to Katie Belle which she makes up
Blues songs on in open tuning. I gave the J-200 to JT (you may have seen him play it on the
ACL tribute). Will, who started playing just before Townes died; Townes called him
a natural, got the custom TVZ & Newman(sp?)Jones (who makes guitars for Keith Richards)
electric guitar. It's a beauty. Will has never played again since Townes died.
Jeanene Van Zandt 9-19-1999]
I'm curious to know what Townes' choicest pick of guitar was as I regard him as a general
all-round doyen of both playing and great tone.
by Len Coop, Chris Friedrich, Jeanene Van Zandt and others from the TVZ mail list