A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt

by Hardy, Robert Earl

• ISBN13: 9781574412475
• ISBN10: 1574412477
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of North Texas Pr

Summary

This is the first serious biography of a man widely considered one of Texas' - and America's - greatest songwriters. 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, which are explored in depth.
The author draws on eight years' extensive research and interviews with Townes' family and closest friends and colleagues. He looks beyond the legend and paints a portrait of a complex man who embraced the darkness of demons and myth as well as the light of deep compassion and humanity, all "for the sake of the song."

Table of Contents

List of Photographs	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. viii
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
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.