# Who says white men can't sing the Blues **URL:** \ **Category:** Entertainment and Pop Culture\ **Created:** [January 13, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324 "2014-01-13T04:42:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/1 "2014-01-13T04:42:23Z")
Townes Van Zandt singing [Waitin’ Around to Die](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6JG-yE8UTw)]. I met Townes five or six times. He was a great performer when he was sober. Unfortunately he was not sober nearly enough. ---
**Author:** ![vyazma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d9b06d/32.png) [@vyazma](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vyazma)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/2 "2014-01-13T20:05:38Z")
> Townes Van Zandt singing [Waitin' Around to Die](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6JG-yE8UTw)]. I met Townes five or six times. He was a great performer when he was sober. Unfortunately he was not sober nearly enough. eeeshhh....I had to stop it Foto. That's the _blues_ alright. ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/3 "2014-01-13T22:29:11Z")
I wasn’t really impressed with his singing but he’s one hellova a finger picker. Cap’t Jack ---
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/4 "2014-01-13T22:30:10Z")
Townes was a renowned songwriter. Sorta the Texas version of Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 3:31am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/5 "2014-01-14T03:31:01Z")
Ok, I’m not gonna say it but I guess he really was huh? It’s sad when tortured artists slowly kill themselves with drugs or alcohol (or both). There are too many examples of this ala the 27 club. Cap’t Jack ---
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 3:43am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/6 "2014-01-14T03:43:57Z")
I don’t know what inspired Townes to write this song, but he wrote in it 1969 when he was 25 years old. He was diagnosed as manic-depressive in the early 1960s and fought alcoholism and drug abuse his entire life, so maybe he foresaw what was coming. Townes was a brilliant songwriter, and could actually sing pretty well when he was young, but substance abuse took its toll on his voice and his body. He was five years younger than I am now when he died in 1997. Edit: Apparently Townes wrote _Waiting Around to Die_ earlier than I thought, as it was on his 1968 debut album. Also, Townes was six years younger than I am when he died on Jan. 1, 1997. ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 4:34pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/7 "2014-01-14T16:34:28Z")
Was he a local performer Darron because I don’t remember hearing about him? At that time I was heavily into the folk scene, listening to and learning songs from Ian and Sylvia, Dylan, Mississippi John Hurt, Buffy St. Marie, Tom Paxton et. al. Cap’t Jack ---
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/8 "2014-01-14T17:59:09Z")
Townes wrote _Pancho and Lefty_, among other songs. His songs have been covered by Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Steve Earle and dozens of others. Yeah, he was a regional performer, but you’ve heard his songs. ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/9 "2014-01-15T01:33:50Z")
Ah, can you name a few off the top of your head? I bet I have then. Cap’t Jack ---
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/10 "2014-01-15T01:50:53Z")
Cowboy Junkies Lament To Live is to Fly Snake Mountain Blues For the Sake of the Song White Freightliner Blues Delta Momma Blues You’d have to be a fan of Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and similar artists to have heard Townes’ songs. ---
**Author:** ![vyazma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d9b06d/32.png) [@vyazma](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vyazma)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/11 "2014-01-15T04:51:32Z")
> Cowboy Junkies Lament To Live is to Fly Snake Mountain Blues For the Sake of the Song White Freightliner Blues Delta Momma Blues You'd have to be a fan of Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and similar artists to have heard Townes' songs. White Freightliner Blues! I lived in a White Freightliner for 2 years. I got the blues.... :lol: ---
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 5:33am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/12 "2014-01-15T05:33:10Z")
Check out this cover Vy. The Flatlanders [**White Freightliner Blues**.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIfsfMKhVJ0)] They have the Twang and the Rock. Edit: Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band Covering [**Pancho and Lefty**.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMPydiR4NaQ)] Townes is up there with Willie Nelson and Guy Clark in the pantheon of Texas songwriters. ---
**Author:** ![vyazma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d9b06d/32.png) [@vyazma](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/vyazma)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/13 "2014-01-15T20:14:19Z")
> Check out this cover Vy. The Flatlanders [**White Freightliner Blues**.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIfsfMKhVJ0)] They have the Twang and the Rock. Edit: Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band Covering [**Pancho and Lefty**.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMPydiR4NaQ)] Townes is up there with Willie Nelson and Guy Clark in the pantheon of Texas songwriters. Listened to both of these. Good stuff. Good songwriting. That "Pancho and Lefty" is a song I will have to go back and here again. That one could stick with me. ---
**Author:** ![thevillageatheist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85e7bf/32.png) [@thevillageatheist](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/thevillageatheist)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 12:05am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/14 "2014-01-16T00:05:15Z")
Yeah, I remember this song! Man, Emmylou sure does it justice! That brings back memories. I used to play in a band with a Texan named Joe Dobbs who played Texas swing style fiddle. It sounds like one of the songs he used to play. Cap’t Jack ---
**Author:** ![darrons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@darrons](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/u/darrons)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2014, 4:28am UTC](https://forum.centerforinquiry.org/t/who-says-white-men-cant-sing-the-blues/3324/15 "2014-01-16T04:28:38Z")
I will never, ever get tired of hearing _Pancho and Lefty_. I’m glad y’all enjoy it too. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that song around the campfires at Kerrville. The first time was Townes signing it at Camp Moco Verde, right after I heard Peter Yarrow sing _Blowin’ in the Wind_.