Townes Van Zandt
Overview
 
John Townes Van Zandt best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Texas Country
Texas Country
Texas country music is a rapidly growing sub-genre of American country music. Texas country is known for fusing traditionalist root sounds with the outspoken, care-free views of outlaw country...

-folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

, performer, and poet. Many of his songs, including "If I Needed You
If I Needed You
"If I Needed You" is a single written by Townes Van Zandt, most famously performed by American country music artists Emmylou Harris and Don Williams. Released in September 1981, it was the first single from Harris' album Cimarron. The song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and...

," "To Live is to Fly," and "No Place to Fall" are considered standards of their genre.

While alive, Van Zandt was labeled as a cult musician; though he had a small and devoted fanbase, he never had a successful album or single, and even had difficulty keeping his recordings in print.
 
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