Townes Van Zandt is revered for his fine catalogue of American folk greats, but that’s not all he excelled at. The 2003 In The Beginning collection brought to light a number of tracks which had largely been forgotten bar the odd appearance on obscure compilations, and recorded before Van Zandt announced his talent to the world via 1968 debut album For The Sake of the Song. Among them was ‘Black Widow Blues’ – a rarity in that it was recorded with a full backing band. It’s a long way from your standard Van Zandt song, but it’s no less brilliant for it.
New folk music recommendations
