A Deeper Blue

by Hardy, Robert Earl

• ISBN13: 9781574412857
• ISBN10: 157441285X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-15
• Publisher: Univ of North Texas Pr

Summary

Like Jimmie Rodgers, Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt was the embodiment of that mythic American figure, the troubled troubadour. A Deeper Blue traces Van Zandt's background as the scion of a prominent Texas family; his troubled early years and his transformation from promising pre-law student to wandering folk singer; his life on the road and the demons that pursued and were pursued by him; the women who loved and inspired him; and the brilliance and enduring beauty of his songs. "Hardy delineates the musician's chaotic life in honest, often dramatic detail, but always brings the focus back to Van Zandt's music and the classic songs he penned."--Billboard.com "A Deeper Blue demonstrates why Van Zandt has become Texas' version of Mozart, Van Gogh, and Hank Williams all rolled up into one brilliant and beautiful burrito."--Kinky Friedman "A Deeper Blue gives fascinating insight into what inspired this sweet-singing, tortured genius and what inevitably brought him down. Save a tear for Townes. You'll need it."--Joe Ely

Author Biography

Robert Earl Hardy has been a professional writer for twenty-five years, with articles on twentieth century American music and the arts published in newspapers, journals, and magazines, most recently in The Oxford American. Also a Musician, since the 1970s, Mr. Hardy has played guitar in rock roll, rhythm blues, and honky-tonk bands in the Washington, DC, area. He lives in Maryland.

Table of Contents

List of Photographs	p. vi
Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction: High, Low, and In Between	p. 1
Many a River: The Van Zandts of Texas	p. 7
No Lonesome Tune	p. 13
Where I Lead Me	p. 20
No Place to Fall	p. 33
Sanitarium Blues	p. 46
Waitin' for the Day	p. 52
For the Sake of the Song	p. 72
Don't You Take It Too Bad	p. 92
Highway Kind	p. 111
White Freightliner Blues	p. 132
Dollar Bill Blues	p. 150
Still Lookin' for You	p. 173
No Deeper Blue	p. 196
Flyin' Shoes	p. 221
The Blue March	p. 245
Afterword	p. 268
Endnotes	p. 271
Audio and Video Sources	p. 288
Index	p. 292
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