A Deeper Blue cover art

A Deeper Blue

The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt (North Texas Lives of Musician Series)

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About this listen

This is the first serious biography of a man widely considered one of Texas’ - and America’s - greatest songwriters. Like Jimmie Rodgers, Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, and Hank Williams, Townes Van Zandt was the embodiment of that mythic American figure, the troubled troubadour.

A Deeper Blue traces Van Zandt’s background as the scion of a prominent Texas family; his troubled early years and his transformation from promising pre-law student to wandering folk singer; his life on the road and the demons that pursued and were pursued by him; the women who loved and inspired him; and the brilliance and enduring beauty of his songs, which are explored in depth.

The author draws on eight years’ extensive research and interviews with Townes’ family and closest friends and colleagues. He looks beyond the legend and paints a colorful portrait of a complex man who embraced the darkness of demons and myth as well as the light of deep compassion and humanity, all “[F]or the sake of the song".

The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2008 Robert Earl Hardy (P)2018 Redwood Audiobooks Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity
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This is a painful listen — not because of the book’s content (though parts of it are naturally upsetting), but because of the narration. Robert Earl Hardy’s decision to lump Ireland in with the UK — referring to it as part of the British Isles — is grating. Nothing irritates an Irish listener more than being casually thrown in with our colonisers. But what really derails the experience is the narration style. Rather than a straightforward read, Hardy attempts to "perform" different characters using wildly exaggerated accents. They’re irritating from the start, but when we reach the German voices — holy hell — it’s laughable. It completely takes you out of the story.

My advice? Read this one instead of listening.

Those accents?

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