Townes Van Zandt - In the Beginning
No one would ever mistake Townes Van Zandt for Red Foley, not even before the ravages of drugs and booze rendered his vocals brittle and unsure; near the end, his voice was the sound of dissipation itself. And it'd be a stretch to say that Townes is crooning
Willie Nelson - The Essential Willie Nelson
William Hughes Nelson, who turned 70 in April, has made his most lasting contributions to country music via three artistic personas. There's "W. Nelson," the songwriter; "Shotgun Willie," the single and album artist; and just plain "Willie," the celebrity. These categories don&
David Olney – Character study
In her fine new biography of the great Sandy Koufax, writer Jane Leavy describes a poster of the legendary pitcher that former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky used to keep pinned to the door of his office at the University of California at Berkeley. Capturing Koufax at the midpoint
Townes Van Zandt's Sixth Annual Wake - Old Quarter (Galveston, TX)
"Thank you for coming. Townes will be late, as usual," Rex Bell, owner of the Old Quarter and MC for the evening, wryly noted after opening this year's wake with a foot-thumping rendition of Van Zandt's gospel-tinged "Two Hands".
Marking the seventh
Rosanne Cash- The long journey home
If looks could kill, the cover shot of Rosanne Cash's 1985 album Rhythm & Romance would have landed her on somebody's most wanted list. Staring hard into the camera, a country-rock femme fatale in boudoir white, she dared you to crack wise about her shoulder-padded jacket,
Jeannie Kendall - Of missing persons
Jeannie Kendall is seated in a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Branson, Missouri, and she's nervous. A moment ago she announced she wasn't hungry. Now, confronted by a waitress, she orders two scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon, and a biscuit. "They have pretty good biscuits