A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt (North Texas Lives of Musician Series) - Hardcover

Hardy, Robert Earl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1574412477 ISBN 13: 9781574412475

Publisher: University of North Texas Press, 2008

Synopsis

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."

About this title

About the Author

Robert Earl Hardy has been a professional writer and editor for twenty‑five years. Also a musician, he has played guitar in rock'n'roll, rhythm & blues, and honky‑tonk bands in the Washington D.C. area since the 1970s. He has published work on contemporary music, baseball, and other subjects in newspapers, journals, and literary magazines, and he is currently doing research for a cultural history of 1960s and '70s suburban American garage bands. Mr. Hardy spent eight years researching and writing his biography of Townes Van Zandt

Edition details

• Publisher: University of North Texas Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1574412477
• ISBN 13: 9781574412475
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320