Townes Van Zandt

From 1965-1970, Zandt was married to Fran Petters and the couple had a son together.

A few years later he entered in a live-in relationship with Cindy Morgan and married her 1978 and few years after got divorced from her too.

He married for a third time to Jeanene Munsell in 1983, because he had impregnated Munsell. They had two children together: William Vincent and Katie Bell. Although, the couple divorced after a decade but they remained close until Zandt’s death.

Townes Van Zandt was born on March 7, 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas, to Harris Williams Van Zandt and Dorothy Townes. He belonged to a wealthy oil family and his father worked as a corporate lawyer.

Due to the nature of his father’s job, Zandt had to move quite frequently as a kid with his family. The whole family first moved to Midland, Texas, and then again changed base to Billings, Montana.

Zandt was presented with his first guitar at Christmas in 1956 and it was during this period that he was getting greatly influenced by singer Elvis Presley. In the same year, the family again had to move to Boulder, Colorado.

He attended the Shattuck School in Faribault, Minnesota, and he was a student with high IQ, which is why his parents aspired for him to become a lawyer and a senator. He later went to the University of Colorado.

Shortly after his admission in Colorado University, Zandt started to suffer from bouts of depression and binge drinking. He was diagnosed with manic depression and was admitted into the University of Texas Medical Branch.

When all doors closed for Zandt, he still had his music, which is why he started playing guitar at the Jester Lounge, Houston, for about $ 10 per show. He used to cover songs written by Hopkins, Dylan, etc.

In 1968, while still doing his shows at the Jester Lounge, Zandt met songwriter Mickey Newbury, who convinced Zandt to go to Nashville and meet with a man who would later become his longtime producer, “Cowboy” Jack Clement.

The period from 1968 to 1973 proved to be Zandt’s most creative period. He released albums—‘Our Mother the Mountain (1969)’, ‘Townes Van Zandt (1969)’, ‘Delta Momma Blues (1971)’, ‘High, Low and In Between (1972)’ and ‘The Late Great Townes Van Zandt (1972)’.

Zandt featured in a documentary, ‘Heartworn Highways’ in 1973 with other artists like, Charlie Daniels, Steve Young, etc. He was shown in the movie at his run-down trailer home in Austin, Texas, drinking, shooting with gun and playing music.

In 1977, an album containing Zandt’s solo at a 1973 concert was released titled ‘Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas’. It gained considerable success at the time and is still considered to be his best work.

Zandt’s most creative work was released between 1968 and 1973-- ‘Our Mother the Mountain’, ‘Townes Van Zandt’, ‘Delta Momma Blues’, ‘High, Low and in Between’ and ‘The Late Great Townes Van Zandt’. It earned him a prestigious status in America and Europe.