The book has been described by Kirkus Reviews as a "poignant, clear and vivid portrait."[93]. “My mother hated Townes Van Zandt," he said in … John Townes Van Zandt, born on March 7, 1944, was groomed to be an entirely different kind of Texas legend. [43] Medical records from his time in recovery centers show that he believed his drinking had become a problem around 1973, and by 1982 he was drinking at least a pint of vodka daily. [2][3] 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. Photo courtesy of Jeanene Van Zandt. Van Zandt remembered his time in Colorado fondly and often visited it as an adult. [59] In the years following, the quote was often cited by the press, much to Van Zandt and Earle's embarrassment;[60] in 2009, Earle told the New York Times "Did I ever believe that Townes was better than Bob Dylan? Van Zandt finally agreed to hospitalization, but not before returning to Nashville. [32], Van Zandt married Fran Peterson on August 26, 1965; a son, John Townes "J.T." [60], His Texas-grounded impact stretched farther than country. Middle-named for the late revered Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt, his father’s mentor, Earle … 03. He later referred to Colorado in "My Proud Mountains", "Colorado Girl", and "Snowin' on Raton". [19], At one point around 1967, Van Zandt was roommates with 13th Floor Elevators singer Roky Erickson. [8] He quit school around 1967, having been inspired by his singer-songwriter heroes to pursue a career in playing music. [32], Van Zandt continued writing and performing through the 1990s, though his output slowed noticeably as time went on. When he was young, the now-discredited insulin shock therapy erased much of his long-term memory. Mr. Van Zandt broke his hip last week and had just returned home after undergoing surgery, she said. [1], Van Zandt's final marriage was to Jeanene Munsell. [30] The two first met during a chance encounter outside a costume shop in the South Congress district of Austin, on June 21, 1986. Born in Nashville, Earle was named after songwriter Townes Van Zandt. ''I'd as soon be dead/All of this world be forgotten.''. [87], In the film Country Strong, the Austin Statesman describes the character of Beau Hutton as "the next Townes Van Zandt". He had since recorded nearly a dozen records and toured virtually nonstop, driven, his friends said, by inner demons that neither he nor they could account for. Hearts have been changed through history when the Word of God is absorbed and put into practice in the lives people when their hearts were open to God! [45] Townes Van Zandt died in the early morning hours of January 1, 1997 at the age of 52. [8] They admitted him to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he was diagnosed with manic depression. In 1968, Van Zandt met songwriter Mickey Newbury in a Houston coffee shop. "[92], In April 2008, the University of North Texas Press published Robert Earl Hardy's biography on the songwriter, titled A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt, which took more than eight years of research, including interviews with 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, his three ex-wives, and many others. In 1994, he was admitted to the hospital to detox, during which time a doctor told Jeanene Van Zandt that trying to detox Townes again could potentially kill him. , Israeli singer David Broza performed with Van Zandt was his `` first child American... Described by Kirkus Reviews as a `` poignant, clear and vivid portrait. `` [ 41 ] his with... 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