Townes Van Zandt’s 12 favourite albums
Townes Van Zandt’s life was cut short when he was just 52. After years of addiction to alcohol and heroin, a heart attack caused the singer’s untimely death in 1997. These issues plagued Van Zandt for much of his career, sometimes struggling to perform his music due to his reliance on addictive substances.
Yet, Van Zandt was a hugely gifted singer-songwriter, cementing himself as one of America’s most vital artists. He started his career playing in bars around Texas, although he continued to play in small venues for the rest of his life. He soon started writing original compositions, leading him to release a series of successful albums, such as 1970’s Delta Momma Blues, 1971’s High, Low and In Between, 1972’s The Late Great Townes Van Zandt.
Despite receiving praise for his writing skills and fingerpicking techniques, Van Zandt’s tenure slowly faded as he succumbed to addiction, mental health struggles, and managerial issues. Some of Van Zandt’s compositions were made famous by other artists, most notably, ‘Pancho and Lefty’, which was covered by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard in 1983.
Discussing his early exposure to music, he once highlighted the importance of discovering Elvis Presley as a child. “Seeing Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show was the starting point for me becoming a guitar player. […] I just thought that Elvis had all the money in the world, all the Cadillacs and all the girls, and all he did was play the guitar and sing. That made a big impression on me.”
However, as he grew older, Van Zandt was introduced to other artists who would shape his approach to music. He continued: “I would search for things to listen to as opposed to listening to whatever was being played, and I discovered Lightnin’ Hopkins, and then Booker White and Muddy Waters and all of those guys. Lightnin’ Hopkins had a big effect upon my guitar playing. I had been totally strumming the guitar, but listening to Lightnin’ I realized you could play separate notes.”
Picking out some of his favourite albums, he selected Lightnin’ Hopkins’ Autobiography in Blues, released in 1960. Van Zandt also picked out Muddy Waters’ 1977 album Hard Again, which includes tracks such as ‘Mannish Boy’, ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’ and ‘The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll, Pt. 2’.
Van Zandt was a big fan of Bob Dylan, stating: “He was using a regular guitar and regular words and putting them together and coming out with songs that meant something, and I’ve been writing songs ever since.”
His favourite record by Dylan was 1964’s The Times They Are a-Changin’, his third studio album. It was released around the time Van Zandt began singing, influencing the trajectory of his musical career.
Discover Van Zandt’s complete list of favourite albums below.
Towne Van Zandt’s favourite albums:
- Hard Again – Muddy Waters
- Mozart’s Violin Concertos Nos. 4 & 5
- The Times They Are a Changin’ – Bob Dylan
- Sticky Fingers – Rolling Stones
- Autobiography in Blues – Lightnin’ Hopkins
- Atlanta Twelve String – Blind Willie McTell
- Tchaikovsky – Piano Concertos – Van Cliburn
- In Texas Last December – Richard Dobson
- The Complete Hank Williams – Hank Williams
- Old #1 – Guy Clark
- Surrealistic Pillow – Jefferson Airplane
- Waiting for the Naked Girl to Call – Tim Henderson
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