“His Voice Was Like the Ghost of Hank Williams”: The Country Icon That Left a “Haunting” First Impression on Emmylou Harris

The state of Texas has produced some of the best country talent of all time. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, George Jones, and of course the greatest Texas songwriter of all time, Townes Van Zandt. Most people who have ever picked up a guitar and tried to write a country or folk song try to mimic and capture the essence of Townes Van Zandt. He was just that good, and he even stunned one of the greatest country musicians of all time, Emmylou Harris.

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Prior to Emmylou Harris launching herself as a headlining act, she opened for several different country musicians across the country. One of those country musicians was none other than Townes Van Zandt, who Harris opened for on an arbitrary night in 1968. And this is when Emmylou Harris absolutely became stunned by the songwriter’s mystique and sheer talent and power.

How Townes Van Zandt’s Haunted Emmylou Harris

Years after Emmylou Harris opened for Townes Van Zandt, she sat down with The Guardian for an extensive interview. One of the topics that arose during the conversation was Townes Van Zandt. When most songwriters talk about the deceased songwriter, it’s typically a list of superlatives that one would attach with a fictional folkloric character. Though, to many, Townes Van Zandt was a larger than life figure.

It seems Emmylou Harris agreed with this notion to a certain extent, as when she recalled the first time she heard Van Zandt, she had nothing but amazing things to say. She told the publication, “I had never heard those kinds of lyrics with those melodies; the haunting quality in his voice was like the ghost of Hank Williams.” She added that she was “stunned” the first time she heard him.

Given Van Zandt’s first impression, Emmylou Harris would go on to cover Van Zandt’s songs “Pancho and Lefty,” “If I Needed You,” and “Snowin’ on Raton.” Regarding her cover of “Pancho and Lefty,” Harris told The Guardian, “I see it as: we make decisions in our lives that we regret, and Lefty had to live with those decisions. Townes recorded it, and I didn’t write it, but I always think that song is mine. I planted my flag right there. It became a very pivotal song in my repertoire.”

Needless to say, Harris holds a very special place in her heart for the great Townes Van Zandt. And it’s seemingly a space carved out for both gratitude and admiration.

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