This clip is taken from the documentary Heartworn Highways. Townes had one other performance in it doing the song Waiting Around To Die. I highly recommend checking out that song as well as the whole documentary. It features many great artists at the start of their careers including David Allan Coe, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Larry Jon Wilson and several others.
That album is the best compilation of his songs, Sober enough to make it clean and joke with the audience the entire time. I would suggest he gives the entire thing a strong listen........to realize why TVZ is THE GOAT! TECUMSEH VALLEY is one of his darker and stronger songs.
I knew Townes, An Austinite. This was in a small old shack east of town. A hangout for musicians and artists. His story is sad. A great writer, troubled by the demons, the monkey on his back..
Townes is considered THE BEST singer/songwriter. All those great songwriters out there everyone talks about? They all say Townes is better. Waiting Around to Die comes to mind.
Trivia: In the Willie Nelson - Merle Haggard video of Pancho and Lefty the guy playing the Mexican Federale officer was Townes. 🙂 Townes recommendations? Just play anything he wrote; To Live Is To Fly, Waiting Around To Die, If I Needed You, For The Sake Of The Song...............
A great song by one of America's greatest unsung song writing legends. As Paul Smith said below "waiting around to die" from Heartworn highways will bring a tear to your eye.
if you know Emmylou Harris, she sings this song with any number of male vocalists and she will rip your heart out. and her albums from the 70s are slow and country and high and lonesome. you will enjoy... oh and you are pretty man. 🙂
Waitin' Around To Die. The old gentleman in the back is "Uncle Seymore" who was literally waiting to die with bladder cancer. Also on Heartworn Highways.
Good catch on somebody on set. It was Suzanna Clark who was a very successful songwriter herself and also Uncle Seymour Washington. Townes lived in the Clarksville neighborhood of Austin, Texas. At the time (1974) Clarksville was the African American neighborhood that started out with servants to the rich people downtown. But poor hippies started moving in in the 70's. Uncle Seymour was a blacksmith and amateur preacher. At this time he was dying of cancer. If you look up the version of Townes singing "Waiting Around to Die" from the same film, Uncle Seymour is seen in the background tearing up thinking about his own demise which was less than a year later. Seymour was a great guy and quite a philosopher.
I LOVE his beautiful picking pattern here. I paid for a guitar lesson video on how to play this. Unfortunately it was of one of his recorded version, which has a slightly different sounding picking pattern. But it's better than nothing. I had gotten a lot of it down, but didn't practice enough to play it seamlessly.
Some time ago, you reacted to Willie Nelson and Mere Haggard doing this song. But, believe me -- to get a better understanding of the storyline, you NEED to see the official video with Willie and Merle. You would enjoy it, and it would be a true kindness to your fans. It s not a song that stands well on its own, but is a part of the whole.
One of the greatest songwriters that has ever walked this earth.
This clip is taken from the documentary Heartworn Highways. Townes had one other performance in it doing the song Waiting Around To Die. I highly recommend checking out that song as well as the whole documentary. It features many great artists at the start of their careers including David Allan Coe, Charlie Daniels, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Larry Jon Wilson and several others.
Tecumseh Valley is another brilliant song by Townes in the same storytelling style. I recommend the version from Live at the Old Quarter.
That album is the best compilation of his songs, Sober enough to make it clean and joke with the audience the entire time. I would suggest he gives the entire thing a strong listen........to realize why TVZ is THE GOAT!
TECUMSEH VALLEY is one of his darker and stronger songs.
I was going to say this. Marie is another great story song from Townes
A heartbreaker of a song by a wonderful songwriter!
I knew Townes, An Austinite. This was in a small old shack east of town. A hangout for musicians and artists. His story is sad. A great writer, troubled by the demons, the monkey on his back..
Went to party he had in early 80s there. It was a beautiful time in Austin.
on par with John Prine as one of our national treasures in songwriters.
Better prine
He's a great songwriter
Townes is considered THE BEST singer/songwriter. All those great songwriters out there everyone talks about? They all say Townes is better. Waiting Around to Die comes to mind.
Trivia: In the Willie Nelson - Merle Haggard video of Pancho and Lefty the guy playing the Mexican Federale officer was Townes. 🙂
Townes recommendations? Just play anything he wrote; To Live Is To Fly, Waiting Around To Die, If I Needed You, For The Sake Of The Song...............
A great song by one of America's greatest unsung song writing legends. As Paul Smith said below "waiting around to die" from Heartworn highways will bring a tear to your eye.
Agreed. So does Tecumseh Valley. Townes Van Zandt is one of the greatest country musicians ever and sadly does not get the recognition he deserved
if you know Emmylou Harris, she sings this song with any number of male vocalists and she will rip your heart out. and her albums from the 70s are slow and country and high and lonesome. you will enjoy... oh and you are pretty man. 🙂
Waitin' Around To Die. The old gentleman in the back is "Uncle Seymore" who was literally waiting to die with bladder cancer. Also on Heartworn Highways.
Good catch on somebody on set. It was Suzanna Clark who was a very successful songwriter herself and also Uncle Seymour Washington. Townes lived in the Clarksville neighborhood of Austin, Texas. At the time (1974) Clarksville was the African American neighborhood that started out with servants to the rich people downtown. But poor hippies started moving in in the 70's. Uncle Seymour was a blacksmith and amateur preacher. At this time he was dying of cancer. If you look up the version of Townes singing "Waiting Around to Die" from the same film, Uncle Seymour is seen in the background tearing up thinking about his own demise which was less than a year later. Seymour was a great guy and quite a philosopher.
"Waiting Around to Die"
You have to check out "Our Mother the Mountain," my favorite song by Townes. Great story telling and very haunting.
Please please please do more Townes!
Townes couldn't sing for shxt but he was a legend of a songwriter.
Waiting Around to Die from this same session is pretty moving.
Listen to "Marie" by Townes, probably the saddest song ever written.
True poet
"Caroline' is amazing songwriting.
Dont know this version but good song!
I LOVE his beautiful picking pattern here.
I paid for a guitar lesson video on how to play this. Unfortunately it was of one of his recorded version, which has a slightly different sounding picking pattern. But it's better than nothing.
I had gotten a lot of it down, but didn't practice enough to play it seamlessly.
Check out Mike’s Music Method on RUclips, he teaches the live version of the song very well, and it’s free.
You probably heard Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings sing this song
Willie did it with Merle Haggard.
Townes was a master song writer and very good with a guitar. I still think Steve Earle improved on the original.
This is done in the style of Mexico's corridos.
Excellent. Check out his tune Lungs.
Jayy Grams - Unstoppable
Music video transitions are wild
Some time ago, you reacted to Willie Nelson and Mere Haggard doing this song. But, believe me -- to get a better understanding of the storyline, you NEED to see the official video with Willie and Merle. You would enjoy it, and it would be a true kindness to your fans. It s not a song that stands well on its own, but is a part of the whole.
Listen to dead flowers
Waitin' Around to Die
Great songwriter but Willie and Merle certainly have the vocal advantage over Townes.