Van Zandt CD coming
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Van Zandt CD coming

Monday, January 14, 2019 – A new Townes Van Zandt record will drop in March, 46 years after they were recorded and 22 years after the Texas singer/songwriter died at 53

"Sky Blue" is a collection of unreleased versions of songs and two new songs set for release by TVZ Records and Fat Possum Records on March 7, which would have been his 75th birthday.

The 11 songs were recorded in early 1973 with the late Bill Hedgepeth, a journalist, musician and a close friend of Van Zandt. The singer-songwriter was splitting his time between Texas, Colorado and a shack outside Franklin, Tennessee. Throughout his life, he would often return to Hedgepeth's home studio in Atlanta, later with family in tow, to record, re-work, and experiment with new songs as well as old favorites.

These versions of "Pancho & Lefty" and "Rex's Blues" show these songs as early drafts. The disc also includes two new songs that have never been heard before-"All I Need" and "Sky Blue"-as well as covers of songs by Richard Dobson and Tom Paxton. There is a smoky version of "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues" and an interpretation of "Hills of Roane County," an East Tennessee murder ballad from the 1880s that was popularized by Tony Rice.

The disc was conceived by Townes' surviving family-his wife and literary executor Jeanene, along with his children, J.T., Will, and Katie Bell.

The track list is:
1. All I Need
2. Rex's Blues
3. Hills of Roane County
4. Sky Blue
5. Forever For Always For Certain
6. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Smoky Version)
7. Pancho and Lefty
8. Snake Song
9. Silver Ships of Andilar
10. Dream Spider
11. The Last Thing On My Mind


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CD reviews for Townes Van Zandt

CD review - Sunshine Boy The Unheard Studio Sessions & Demos 1971-1972 When one thinks about the music of the late, great Townes Van Zandt, it is easy to presume it is primarily in the context of the stark, downer nature of his songs, a pivotal turning point in the direction of American country music that has inspired everyone from Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle to such renowned heavy metal acts as Neurosis and Scott "Wino" Weinrich. It is a style the Texas icon had woven from his twin loves for both the Depression era hillbilly country of Dock Boggs and ...
Recorded two years prior to his official debut album, these recently discovered demo tracks reveal a younger Townes Van Zandt already in prime form. These 1966 recordings, produced by the legendary Jack Clement, sound more like finished works than demos. Though mostly acoustic, several tracks ("Black Widow Blues" and "Hungry Child Blues") feature a full band and recall Dylan's "Bringing It All Back Home" era work. The influence of Hank Williams is also strong, particularly in the tortured love ...
Fans of hardcore troubadour Townes Van Zandt will be relieved that there's still some music left from this enigmatic artist. Executive produced by his widow, Jeanene, and former Willie Nelson cohort Eric Paul, this breathes new life into the Van Zandt legend. The author of such timeless entries as "Pancho and Lefty" and "Rex's Blues" resuscitates these old chestnuts and others, like "To Live's To Fly" and "Greensboro Woman." Why buy an album of songs any die-hard will have heard before? Van Zandt ...


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