Townes Van Zandt Somebody Had To Write It

An essential time capsule of Townes Van Zandt acoustic performances and showcasing his brilliant song writing. A re-imagined collection available on vinyl for the first time in the USA. Includes classic Townes Van Zandt songs, ''If I Needed You'', ''Pancho & Lefty'', ''Waiting Round To Die'', and ''I'll Be Here in The Morning'', (duet with Barb Donovan). Include digital download containing bonus interview tracks with KUT's Larry Monroe. From the liner notes by Harold Eggers Jr.: ''These recordings are as close to the bone of Townes as you can get. They give the listener a very unique and detailed insight into and overview of his songwriting, music, and life as no other. Townes often made light of the dark, living in the shadows more than not. This album and Townes spoken words (bonus tracks) are significant because Townes personally chose each track, and in his own words revealed the private person and singer/songwriter/artist he was. These recordings and spoken words were very important to Townes for the world to hear his music and life story as he lived it, as told from the man himself.'' Artist Info: ''He wrote numerous songs, such as ''Pancho and Lefty'', ''For the Sake of the Song'', ''Tecumseh Valley'', ''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. During his early years, Van Zandt was respected for his guitar playing and fingerpicking ability. In 1983, six years after Emmylou Harris had first popularized it, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered his song ''Pancho and Lefty'', reaching number one on the Billboard country music chart. Much of Van Zandt's life was spent touring various dive bars, often living in cheap motel rooms and backwood cabins. For much of the 1970s, he lived in a simple shack without electricity or a telephone. His influence has been cited by countless artists across multiple genres, and his music has been recorded or performed by Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, Counting Crows, Steve Earle, Robert Earl Keen Jr., Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Wade Bowen, Gillian Welch, Pat Green, Colter Wall, Jason Isbell, Calvin Russell, Natalie Maines, and Frank Turner...'' Townes Van Zandt died at age 52 on January 1, 1997 in Tennessee.