He listed Lightnin' Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Hank Williams, and such varied artists as Muddy Waters, The Rolling Stones, Blind Willie McTell, Tchaikovsky, and Jefferson Airplane as having had a major impact on his music.
This is episode 22 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thanks to Sarah at the Caffe for compiling the list of artists and songs for the feature.
In the mid-60’s, Towne’s Van Zandt was playing mostly covers in Houston clubs for $10 nightly. In 1966, his father convinced him to begin writing his own songs. It was Mickey Newbury who introduced Townes to his longtime producer, Cowboy Jack Clement. 1968 to 1973 were highly prolific years during which time, he released 6 albums. Among the tracks written for these albums were "To Live Is to Fly", "Pancho and Lefty", and "If I Needed You". These songs eventually raised Van Zandt to near-legend status in American and European songwriting circles. And in 1982, he made a stop at Caffe Lena.
When your father is a legendary songwriter, who wrote big hits, how do you follow him? Catherine MacLellan, is a musician’s musician, respected by her peers since releasing Dark Dream Midnight, her first solo album, in 2004. As with many performers, Catherine feels most at home on stage. That moment of connection is what matters most.
Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song, a production of WEXT Radio.