The Trunk

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221 Plays
Pancho And LeftyTownes Van Zandt

Townes Van Zandt, “Pancho And Lefty” — his recording of his best-known song, which was a hit for the duet of Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. (And there’s an amazing live version by Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan.) Van Zandt, who struggled with drugs and mental illness, died fifteen years ago today, Jan. 1, 1997, at age 52.

I was saw Townes play the Cactus Cafe twice in the year or two before his death … they were good performances (which wasn’t the case in his darker years). And after his death, I saw the memorial show at the Cactus Cafe, where all of Austin’s elite musicians payed tribute to Townes. People like Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Kelly Willis, Jimmy Lafave, Bill Joe Shaver, Beaver Nelson, and J.T. Van Zandt, who shocked everyone. Townes’ songs are all great, and some really terrific singers have sung them (at the memorial or otherwise), but as far as I’m concerned, no version of these songs is every as lovely or haunting as Townes’ own.

Source: peterfeld