Townes' Blues

Album: Black Eyed Man (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When the Cowboy Junkies were touring for their album The Caution Horses in 1990, they invited Texan singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt to join them. The tour must have sparked some serious inspiration because Van Zandt penned a song specifically for the band called "Cowboy Junkies Lament." Not to be outdone, Cowboy Junkies guitarist Michael Timmins paid homage to Van Zandt with the track "Townes' Blues." Both songs found a home on the Cowboy Junkies' fourth album, Black Eyed Man, alongside their cover of Van Zandt's classic "To Live is to Fly," a fitting closer for the record.
  • "Townes' Blues" is a true story. "Townes was a big craps player, you know, dice," Michael Timmins told Uncut magazine. "We did a lot of craps playing in the back lounge of the bus. Money was exchanged very fast. Craps is like that. You're up a hundred dollars, and you're down a hundred dollars within five minutes."

    "We did this one drive from Boulder, Colorado, to Houston on the bus – a 24-hour drive - and played craps the whole time," he continued. "Townes was very familiar with that area because he'd lived in Colorado for a long time and was born in Texas. There's a route that you can go through the Raton Pass, which cuts six hours of that journey. We had this bus driver who was an intimidating guy, a racist and a weird fly in the ointment of this nice tour. This whole time we were playing craps, and Townes would be up, then suddenly he'd be down, and he'll be complaining about the driver because 'if he'd just gone through the Raton Pass, we'd be there by now. I'll be up all this money. "

    Timmins concluded: "That's what the song is: the characters on the bus, the band, about Townes, and about winning and losing and the ups and downs of craps and life."
  • Released in 1992, Black Eyed Man incorporates a mix of folk, blues, and rock influences, maintaining the band's signature atmospheric and melancholic sound.
  • Michael Timmins produced the album. Timmins' production style is known for its minimalist approach, emphasizing the natural sound of the instruments and Margo Timmins' haunting vocals.
  • Black Eyed Man was The Cowboy Junkies' only album to reach the Top 10 in their native Canada, peaking at #8 on the Canadian albums chart.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."