Townes Van Zandt And The Fort Worth Blues: A Tribute at Arts Fifth Avenue

​Join us for a Multi-Media Live Performance exploring the life and death of Fort Worth native, John Townes Van Zandt (b.1944 - d.1997) compiled, written and directed by Bruce Payne.

ABOUT THE MAN
Townes Van Zandt was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to a wealthy oil family. He was the third-great-grandson of Isaac Van Zandt, a prominent leader of the Republic of Texas and second great-grandson of Khleber M. Van Zandt, Confederate Major and one of the founders of Fort Worth. Van Zandt County in east Texas was named after his family in 1848. Townes Van Zandt died in the early morning hours of January 1, 1997, at the age of 52...44 years to the day after the death of Hank Williams, one of Van Zandt's self-named songwriting influences...

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​Join us for a Multi-Media Live Performance exploring the life and death of Fort Worth native, John Townes Van Zandt (b.1944 - d.1997) compiled, written and directed by Bruce Payne.

ABOUT THE MAN
Townes Van Zandt was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to a wealthy oil family. He was the third-great-grandson of Isaac Van Zandt, a prominent leader of the Republic of Texas and second great-grandson of Khleber M. Van Zandt, Confederate Major and one of the founders of Fort Worth. Van Zandt County in east Texas was named after his family in 1848. Townes Van Zandt died in the early morning hours of January 1, 1997, at the age of 52...44 years to the day after the death of Hank Williams, one of Van Zandt's self-named songwriting influences. His official cause of death was "natural" cardiac arrhythmia but is commonly known that it was the result of years of alcohol and drug abuse. Van Zandt had a genius IQ and a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder for which he received "insulin shock treatment" that resulted in a loss of much of his long-term memory. While alive, Van Zandt had a small and devoted fanbase, but he never had a successful album or single, and even had difficulty keeping his recordings in print but was widely respected and admired as one of the greatest country and folk artists of his generation. Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Nanci Griffith, Hoyt Axton, Bobby Bare, and the Cowboy Junkies recorded Van Zandt's songs with much success.

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