• March 7, 1944 - January 1, 1997
• He was born John Townes Van Zandt in Fort Worth, Texas, into a wealthy oil family whose prestige was known throughout the state. His great-great-grandfather Khleber Miller Van Zandt was one of the founders of Fort Worth, and Khleber's own dad, Isaac Van Zandt, was a leader of the Republic of Texas. Van Zandt County, located in the northeastern part of the state, was named for Isaac in 1848.
• He was diagnosed with schizophrenic-reactionary manic depression after a week-long binge-drinking session ended with him purposely throwing himself off of a third-floor balcony at the University of Colorado.
• His father, Harris Williams Van Zandt, was a corporate lawyer. Townes tried to follow in his footsteps but dropped out of school to become a musician.
• Songwriter Susanna Clark on Townes' songwriting: "He said that every song had to work as a poem on paper first. That was a Townes rule."
• Had an exceptionally high IQ. His first wife, Fran Lohr, said: "Townes was a genius. They couldn’t test him because his IQ was so high - way above 140."
• A lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse caught up with Townes in the end, and his poor health was exacerbated by a bad fall that left him with a broken hip. He died on New Year's Day in 1997 at age 52, exactly 44 years after the death of his idol, Hank Williams.
• His poetic sensibilities and brooding lyrics, often tinged with dark humor, kept him off the charts but earned him a cult following. He did gain some notoriety when artists like Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson covered tracks like "Pancho and Lefty," which soared to #1 as a duet with Nelson and Merle Haggard in 1983.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Gonna Get Over YouSara Bareilles

Jonah Hill directed the video for Sara Bareilles' song "Gonna Get Over You." It's a mash-up of Grease and West Side Story.

Big LoveFleetwood Mac

"Big Love" is a showcase song for Lindsey Buckingham and the first single from Fleetwood Mac's 1987 album Tango In The Night, but he left the group soon after the album was released and the band didn't perform it live until he returned 10 years later.

How To Save A LifeThe Fray

"How To Save A Life" by The Fray was inspired by a teenager lead singer Isaac Slade mentored at a camp for troubled youth in Colorado.

Street HassleLou Reed

Lou Reed's 11-minute "Street Hassle" features a spoken part by Bruce Springsteen.

Turn On The RadioReba McEntire

When "Turn On The Radio" topped the January 1, 2011 Country chart, Reba McEntire became the first female solo act to have a #1 hit on that tally in four straight decades.

You Get What You GiveThe New Radicals

"You Get What You Give" by The New Radicals was the first hit song to use the word "frenemies" in the lyrics.

Editor's Picks

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

Tony Joe WhiteSongwriter Interviews

The writer of "Rainy Night in Georgia" and "Polk Salad Annie" explains how he cooks up his Louisiana swamp rock.