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129-635: John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter. He wrote numerous songs, such as " Pancho and Lefty ", " For the Sake of the Song ", " If I Needed You ", "Snake Mountain Blues", "Our Mother the Mountain", "Waitin' Round to Die", and " To Live Is to Fly ". His musical style has often been described as melancholic and features rich, poetic lyrics. During his early years, Van Zandt

258-623: A rebadged variant of the Saab 9-3 and was offered in both sedan and station wagon configurations. In 2005, the Cadillac STS was introduced as the successor to the Cadillac Seville , which beginning in 1988 was available as an upscale performance-oriented STS (for Seville touring sedan) version, and comfort-oriented SLS (for Seville luxury sedan). The following year, STS received Cadillac's then-new Northstar System , including

387-735: A "poignant, clear and vivid portrait." I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt by Brian T. Atkinson was released on New Year's Day 2012 by Texas A&M University Press, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of Van Zandt's death. The book contains interviews with longtime Van Zandt friends Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Russell and Peter Rowan as well as younger disciples such as Scott Avett (the Avett Brothers), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Kasey Chambers, Josh Ritter, and Grace Potter. Van Zandt

516-647: A 1977 feature only (although they would re-appear in 1987). Coupe de Ville's popular "Cabriolet" option, priced at $ 348, included a rear-half padded vinyl roof covering and opera lamps. An optional electronic fuel-injected version of the standard 7.0-liter powerplant, adding 15 horsepower (11 kW), was available for an additional $ 647. Sales figures were 138,750 Coupe de Villes and 95,421 Sedan de Villes for an all-time sales record of 234,171 DeVilles sold. With these downsizings, fuel economy and handling improved. In 1979, Cadillac's flagship Eldorado coupe would downsize. The 1980s saw further downsizing of many models including

645-547: A No. 3 country hit in 1981 with " If I Needed You ," and Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard , the pair taking "Pancho and Lefty" to No. 1 on the country charts in 1983. Van Zandt had a small cameo appearance in the video for the song. In his later years, he recorded less frequently, his voice and singing style altered in part because of his drug addiction and alcoholism. However, he continued writing songs, such as "Marie" and "The Hole". According to Susanna Clark, Van Zandt turned down repeated invitations to write with Bob Dylan. Dylan

774-778: A Writers in the Round concert in Houston. When Van Zandt died, he left a shoe box full of unreleased poems and lyrics with a request that Broza set them to music. The resulting album was Night Dawn: The Unpublished Poetry of Townes Van Zandt . In 2012, Van Zandt was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame. In July 2012, Neurot Recordings released a three-way split album in tribute to Van Zandt, featuring Neurosis singer/guitarists Scott Kelly , Steve Von Till and doom/stoner metal legend Scott "Wino" Weinrich . Two years later another similar album

903-519: A committee—set up to decide whether the Cadillac brand would live on—to revoke that policy. After the policy was eliminated, brand sales increased by 70% in 1934, and Dreystadt was promoted to lead the entire Cadillac Division. By 1940, Cadillac sales had risen tenfold compared to 1934. In 1936, Dreystadt released the Series 60 as Cadillac's entry into the mid-priced vehicle market. It was replaced by

1032-639: A concert of his in Hanau , Germany. Van Zandt told friends, he planned on marrying Winterer, but the two never became engaged. Van Zandt was addicted to heroin and alcohol throughout his adult life. At times, he became drunk on stage and forgot the lyrics to his songs. At one point, his heroin habit was so intense that he offered Kevin Eggers the publishing rights to all of the songs on each of his first four albums for $ 20. At various points, his friends saw him shoot up not just heroin, but also cocaine, vodka, as well as

1161-522: A cult figure. He normally played small venues (often to crowds of fewer than fifty people) but began to move towards playing larger venues (and even made a handful of television appearances) during the 1990s. For much of the 1970s, he lived a reclusive life outside of Nashville in a tin-roofed, bare-boards shack with no heat, plumbing or telephone, occasionally appearing in town to play shows. Several of Van Zandt's compositions were recorded by other artists, such as Emmylou Harris who, with Don Williams , had

1290-795: A guitar, which he practiced while wandering the countryside. He later told an interviewer that "seeing Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show was the starting point for me becoming a guitar player... I just thought that Elvis had all the money in the world, all the Cadillacs and all the girls, and all he did was play the guitar and sing. That made a big impression on me." In 1958, the family moved to Boulder, Colorado . Van Zandt remembered his time in Colorado fondly and often visited it as an adult. He later referred to Colorado in "My Proud Mountains", "Colorado Girl", and "Snowin' on Raton". Townes

1419-508: A higher roofline, resulting in a vehicle that was more than nine inches shorter, four inches narrower, and half a ton lighter than the previous year, but with a larger trunk and more headroom and legroom. These were also the first DeVilles to be marketed without fender skirts over the rear wheels. The 500 in V8 (which produced 190 horsepower) was replaced for 1977 by a 180-horsepower 425 in V8 variant of similar design. The reduction in size and weight

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1548-464: A horse. I always like that. It took four and a half days and that video was four and a half minutes long...The money goes by a strange life, or elsewhere." When released as a single, this version of the song topped the Billboard country chart. The royalties would provide Van Zandt with some badly needed income, though by all accounts he remained impervious to the song's success. One story involving

1677-429: A living?', and I said, 'Well, I'm a songwriter,' and they both kind of looked around like "pitiful, pitiful," and so on to that I added, 'I wrote that song Pancho and Lefty. You ever heard that song Pancho and Lefty? I wrote that', and they looked back around and they looked at each other and started grinning..." The policemen explained that their police-radio code names were Pancho and Lefty and they let Van Zandt off with

1806-419: A major impact on Van Zandt, performed the song as a duet on television with Willie Nelson at Nelson's 60th birthday concert in 1993, which Andy Greene of Rolling Stone remembers as "the highlight of the night". A music video was released for the song in 1983, depicting Willie Nelson as Pancho, and Merle Haggard as Lefty. Townes Van Zandt also appears in a supporting role. Nelson's daughter Lana directed

1935-427: A memorial for John Lennon . When Townes' terminally-ill mother learned that he had impregnated Munsell, she told him, "You're going to do the right thing and honor that baby." He divorced his estranged second wife and married Munsell on March 14, 1983. Their first child, William Vincent, was born ten days later. Another child, Katie Belle, was born February 14, 1992. Van Zandt and Munsell divorced on May 2, 1994. However,

2064-431: A mixture of rum and Coke. On at least one occasion, he shot up heroin in the presence of his son J.T., who was only eight years old at the time. As a result of Van Zandt's constant drinking, Harold Eggers, Kevin's brother, was hired as his tour manager and 24-hour caretaker in 1976, a partnership that lasted for the rest of the singer's life. Although the musician was years older than he was, Eggers later said that Van Zandt

2193-610: A package of performance features introduced in mid-1992 that coupled variable valve timing , road sensing suspension, variable power steering and four-wheel disc brakes to the Division's high-output and high-torque Northstar engines. For 1992, the Seville was redesigned to better compete with luxury performance sedans from Europe and had adopted some styling cues from the 1988 Cadillac Voyage concept car. It also made Car and Driver magazine's Ten Best list that year. A year later,

2322-401: A real good mood, calling his friends on the phone." Jim Calvin shared a marijuana joint with him, and he was also given about four Tylenol PM tablets. While Jeanene was on the phone with Susanna Clark, their son Will noticed that Townes had stopped breathing and "looked dead", and alerted his mother, who attempted to perform CPR , "screaming his name between breaths". Townes Van Zandt died in

2451-720: A reliability test in 1908; this spawned the firm's slogan "Standard of the World". It won the trophy again in 1912 for incorporating electric starting and lighting in a production automobile. Cadillac was formed from the remnants of the Henry Ford Company . After a dispute between Henry Ford and his investors, Ford left the company along with several of his key partners in March 1902. Ford's financial backers William Murphy and Lemuel Bowen called in engineer Henry M. Leland of Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing Company to appraise

2580-494: A son, John Townes "J.T." Van Zandt II, was born to them on April 11, 1969, in Houston. The couple divorced on January 16, 1970. He began dating Cindy Morgan in 1974 and they married in 1978. Van Zandt and Cindy became estranged for much of the early 1980s, and were divorced on February 10, 1983, in Travis County, Texas . They had no children. Van Zandt's third marriage was to Jeanene Munsell. They met on December 9, 1980, at

2709-847: A source of inspiration by such notable artists as Bob Dylan, Neil Young , Willie Nelson, Guthrie Thomas, John Prine , Lyle Lovett , Chelsea Wolfe , Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers , Emmylou Harris , Nanci Griffith , Cowboy Junkies , Vetiver , Guy Clark , Devendra Banhart , Norah Jones , Robert Plant & Alison Krauss , The Be Good Tanyas and Jolie Holland , Rowland S. Howard , Michael Weston King , Hayes Carll , Josh Ritter , Gillian Welch , Garth Brooks , Simon Joyner , Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes , Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon , Marissa Nadler , Laura Marling , and Frank Turner , Folk musician Shakey Graves has credited his fast-paced, rhythmic style of finger picked guitar playing partially to Van Zandt's influence. In 1994, Israeli singer David Broza performed with Van Zandt during

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2838-429: A warning. The song is probably Van Zandt's most recognizable and is often covered. Steve Earle told John Kruth in 2004, "You won't find a song that's better written, that says more or impresses songwriters more." In the film Be Here To Love Me , Kris Kristofferson recites the opening lines of the song and then marvels, "And I could think, 'That was me!'" Bob Dylan , whose album The Times They Are A-Changin' had

2967-401: A working title of Seven Come Eleven , which remained unreleased for many years due to a dispute between his manager Kevin Eggers and producer Jack Clement. Eggers either could not or refused to pay for the studio sessions, so Clement erased the master tapes. However, before they were deleted, Eggers sneaked into the studio and recorded rough mixes of the songs on to a cassette tape . Tracks from

3096-463: Is considered by many to be among the best albums that the songwriter ever released. In the mid-1970s, Van Zandt split from his longtime manager, Kevin Eggers. He found a new manager, John Lomax III (grandson of the famed folk music historian John Lomax ), who set up a fan club for Van Zandt. Though the club was only advertised through small ads in the back of music magazines, Lomax immediately began to receive hundreds of impassioned letters from around

3225-460: Is sad. Judgment and insight is impaired." At various times he was prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft and the mood stabilizer lithium . The longest and final period of sobriety during his adult life was about a year in 1989 and 1990. Van Zandt continued writing and performing through the 1990s, though his output slowed noticeably. He had enjoyed some sobriety during the early 1990s, but actively abused alcohol during his final years. In 1994, he

3354-554: The American Expeditionary Force in World War I . General Motors of Canada had built Cadillacs from 1923 until 1936 and LaSalles from 1927 until 1935. Pre-World War II Cadillacs were well-built, powerful, mass-produced luxury cars aimed at an upper-class market. In the 1930s, Cadillac added cars with V12 and V16 engines to their range, many of which were fitted with custom coach-built bodies. In

3483-1124: The Billboard country music chart. Van Zandt's influence has been cited by countless artists across multiple genres and his music has been recorded or performed by Bob Dylan , Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett , Merle Haggard , Norah Jones , Emmylou Harris , Counting Crows , Steve Earle , Whitey Morgan , Rodney Crowell , Robert Earl Keen Jr., Nanci Griffith , Guy Clark , Wade Bowen , Gillian Welch , Richard Buckner , Pat Green , Colter Wall , Billy Strings , Molly Tuttle , Jason Isbell , Calvin Russell , Natalie Maines , Jason Molina , Kevin Morby , Stephen Duffy , Doc Watson , Cowboy Junkies , Frank Turner , Rowland S. Howard , Tindersticks , Cave In , Amenra , Charley Crockett , Tyler Childers Lost Dog Street Band and Marissa Nadler . Van Zandt died on New Year's Day 1997 from cardiac arrhythmia caused by health problems stemming from years of substance abuse. A revival of interest in Van Zandt blossomed in

3612-641: The Cadillac XLR roadster. Cadillac's model lineup mostly included rear- and all-wheel-drive sedans, roadsters, crossovers and SUVs. The only exceptions were the front-wheel drive compact executive Cadillac BLS (which was not sold in North America) and the Cadillac DTS , neither of which is still in production. The Cadillac BLS was developed by Saab in Trollhättan , Sweden. The BLS was

3741-472: The Lincoln Navigator and luxury SUVs from various import brands. In 2000, Cadillac introduced a new design philosophy for the 21st century called "Art and Science", which it states "incorporates sharp, sheer forms and crisp edges—a form vocabulary that expresses bold, high-technology design and invokes the technology used to design it." This new design language spread from the original CTS and to

3870-578: The M41 Walker Bulldog army tank, which saw service in the Korean and Vietnam wars . In 1953, the "Autronic Eye" was introduced. This feature would automatically dim high-beam headlamps for the safety of oncoming motorists. In 1957, Cadillac attempted to move further upmarket, creating the hand-built Series 70 Eldorado Brougham . It featured self-levelling suspension , "memory seat" function, and an all-transistor signal-seeking car radio that

3999-487: The Northstar engine , which was a family of high-performance 90° V engines produced by General Motors from 1991 to 2010. Regarded as GM's most technically complex engine, the original double overhead cam, four valve per cylinder, aluminum block/aluminum head V8 design was developed by Oldsmobile's R&D, but is most associated with Cadillac's Northstar series. The related Northstar System was Cadillac's trademarked name for

Townes Van Zandt - Misplaced Pages Continue

4128-574: The Runabout and Tonneau , were completed in October 1902. They were two-seat horseless carriages powered by a 10 hp (7 kW) single-cylinder engine . They were practically identical to the 1903 Ford Model A . Many sources say the first car rolled out of the factory on October 17; in the book Henry Leland—Master of Precision , the date is October 20; another reliable source shows car number three to have been built on October 16. Cadillac displayed

4257-595: The Series 61 in 1939, but a popular model that was derived from it, the Sixty Special , continued through 1993. Another factor helped boost Cadillac growth over the next few years: a revolution in assembly-line technology. In 1934, Henry F. Phillips introduced the Phillips screw and screwdriver to the market. He entered into talks with General Motors and convinced the Cadillac group his new screws would speed assembly times and therefore increase profits. Cadillac

4386-671: The University of Colorado Boulder , wrote poetry, and listened to records by Lightnin' Hopkins and Hank Williams . In the spring of his second year, his parents flew to Boulder to bring Townes back to Houston, worried about his binge drinking and episodes of depression. They admitted him to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he was diagnosed with manic depression. He received three months of insulin shock therapy , which erased much of his long-term memory . Afterwards, his mother said that her "biggest regret in life

4515-474: The dual-plane V8 crankshaft in 1918. In 1928 Cadillac introduced the first clashless Synchro-Mesh manual transmission , utilizing constant mesh gears. In 1930 Cadillac implemented the first V-16 engine, with a 45-degree overhead valve, 452 cubic inches (7.41 litres), and 165 horsepower (123 kW), one of the most powerful and quietest engines in the United States. The development and introduction of

4644-517: The "turret top", the first all-steel roof on a passenger car. Previously, car roofs had been made out of fabric-covered wood. The Great Depression sapped the auto industry generally, with the luxury market declining more steeply; between 1928 and 1933, Cadillac sales declined by 84% to 6,736 vehicles. Exacerbating sales performance for the Cadillac brand was a policy, reflective of the times, which discouraged sales to African Americans. Nick Dreystadt, mechanic and national head of Cadillac service, urged

4773-415: The 111 inches used on the Seville. Production moved to Hamtramck, Michigan . Also for 1994, all DeVille models included a standard SRS driver-side front airbag, as well as fully digital instrumentation with an integrated message center, which provided important vehicle information and status, current speed, outside temperature and more, with controls mounted to the left of the instrument cluster. Also standard

4902-594: The 1920s and 1930s Cadillac and Buick vehicles were popular with longer-distance passenger service operators e.g. the Nairn Transport Company in the Middle East (Baghdad-Damascus) and Newmans Coach Lines in New Zealand. In 1926, Cadillac recruited automobile stylist Harley Earl in a one-time consulting capacity, but his employment lasted considerably longer: by 1928, Earl was the head of

5031-475: The 1965 model year (remaining vestigially only on the limited production 1965 Series 75 chassis, a carry-over from 1964). Cadillac's other distinctive styling attribute was its front-bumper. What had started out after the war as a pair of artillery shell-shaped bumper guards moved higher on the front-end design as the 1950s wore on. Becoming known as Dagmar bumpers for their similarity to the buxom 1950s television personality, they were toned down in 1958 and gone

5160-452: The 1973 model, while the Sedan deVille remained pillarless through 1976. The 1970s saw new extremes in vehicle luxury and dimension. The 1972 Fleetwood was some 1.7 in (43 mm) longer in wheelbase and 4 in (100 mm) overall, compared to the 1960 Series 75 Fleetwood ; the entry-level 1972 Calais was 2.4 in (61.0 mm) longer than the equivalent 1960 Series 62 , on

5289-583: The 2000s. During the decade, two books, a documentary film ( Be Here to Love Me ), and numerous magazine articles were written about him. Born in Fort Worth, Texas , into a wealthy family, Van Zandt was a great-great-great-grandson of Isaac Van Zandt (a prominent leader of the Republic of Texas ) and a great-great-grandnephew of Khleber Miller Van Zandt (a major in the Confederate army and one of

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5418-712: The Brougham was discontinued and replaced by the all-new rear-wheel-drive 1993 Fleetwood. The previous front-wheel drive Fleetwood was renamed Sixty Special for 1993. That same year, the Coupe deVille was discontinued due to the declining popularity of full-size coupes. For 1994, the DeVille was redesigned to share the K-body platform with the Seville . The body was redesigned, although the wheelbase remained 113.8 inches—rather than

5547-499: The Cimarron "nearly killed Cadillac and remains its biggest shame". For the 1981 model year, the long-running "Standard of the World" slogan was changed to "An American Standard of the World". For the 1982 model year, the slogan was changed to "Best of All ... It's A Cadillac", which was used until 1986. Due to a delay in the production of the new front-drive DeVilles (which were now scheduled for release as 1985 models), 1984

5676-454: The DeVille and Fleetwood models on their 1985 FWD editions. The trip computer, available for Eldorado in 1979 and Seville in 1978 and 1979, was replaced in 1981 with the availability of digital instrumentation with some Trip Computer functions being replaced by the new digital heating and air conditioning control panel. Digital instrumentation would become available for the new FWD DeVille and Fleetwood series in 1985. In 1991, Cadillac introduced

5805-544: The DeVille, Fleetwood, Eldorado and Seville. Cadillac brought out a dramatic redesign for the Seville in 1980 featuring a bustle-back rear-end styling theme and a move to the same front-wheel-drive chassis as the Eldorado. In 1982, the Cimarron was introduced as the brand's first compact car. The Cimarron's market failure is one in a series of events throughout the 1980s and 1990s which sullied Cadillac's reputation and caused

5934-563: The DeVille/Fleetwood on which they were based. Also in 1987, Detroit Assembly on Clark Street in Detroit , where Cadillacs had been made since 1921, was closed. The 1980s also saw the introduction of new, technology-assisted luxury features. Among these was the return of the memory seat option, not available since the 1958 Eldorado Brougham. 1981 brought standard digital heating and air conditioning controls to all models. In 1982,

6063-545: The High Technology engine was introduced. It was originally scheduled for a 1983 release, later delayed to 1985, with its intended applications being the downsized front-wheel-drive models Cadillac would introduce that year. 1983 saw the introduction of the Delco/Bose stereo system option, a US$ 895 cassette stereo system available only on the Eldorado and Seville. This Bose system would eventually become available on

6192-477: The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt by John Kruth , was released in 2007. It received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly lamenting that Kruth's "efforts are diminished by oddly alternating first - and third-person narratives , awkward transitions and text cluttered with excessive quotes... more insight into why – rather than countless tales of how – would have made this bio a more worthwhile read." In April 2008,

6321-794: The Seville renamed the STS and the Catera replacement called the CTS . The last DeVille rolled off the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly line on June 23, 2005. The new second-generation CTS-V performance sedan was introduced in 2009 as a direct competitor to the BMW M5. Powered by a supercharged OHV 6.2 L LSA V8 engine, an automatic version of the CTS-V lapped the Nürburgring in 7:59.32, at

6450-544: The University of North Texas Press published Robert Earl Hardy's biography on the songwriter, titled A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt , which took more than eight years of research, including interviews with Mickey Newbury, Jack Clement, Guy and Susanna Clark, Mickey White, Rex Bell, Dan Rowland, Richard Dobson , John Lomax III, Van Zandt's brother and sister, cousins, his three ex-wives, and many others. The book has been described by Kirkus Reviews as

6579-716: The V8, V16 and V12 helped to make Cadillac the "Standard of the World". A later model of the V8 engine, with overhead valves , set the standard for the entire American automotive industry in 1949. In July 1917, the United States Army needed a dependable staff car and chose the Cadillac Type 55 Touring Model after exhaustive tests on the Mexican border. 2,350 of the cars were supplied for use in France by officers of

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6708-523: The Year" wins in publicity material. On November 25, 1949, Cadillac produced its one-millionth car, a 1950 Coupe de Ville . It also set a new sales mark of 100,000 cars, matched in 1950 and 1951. 1949 also saw the introduction with Buick of the first mass-produced hardtop coupe, a closed-body style without a "B" pillar. Marketed as the Coupe de Ville, it would become one of Cadillac's most popular models for many years. In 1951, Cadillac began production of

6837-473: The aborted Seven Come Eleven debacle later surfaced on The Nashville Sessions . In 1975, Van Zandt was featured prominently in the documentary film Heartworn Highways with Guy Clark , Steve Earle , Steve Young , Gamble Rogers , Charlie Daniels and David Allan Coe . His segment of the film was shot at his run-down trailer home in Austin, Texas, where Van Zandt is shown drinking straight whiskey during

6966-458: The all-new Pininfarina -bodied Allanté roadster came to market featuring the HT-4100 V8 engine. The Sixty Special returned in 1987 as the top owner-driven Cadillac in the front-wheel-drive GM C-body lineup, with a planned production run of just 2,000 cars. The 1987 and 1988 Sixty Specials were unique, custom-crafted automobiles, which featured a five-inch (127 mm) longer wheelbase over

7095-429: The aluminium DOHC L37 Northstar V8 engine . The STS was Cadillac's highest-priced sedan, falling in size between the mid-size CTS and full-size DTS . In 2006, the DeVille nameplate was replaced by Cadillac DTS , an abbreviation dating back to 1986, when a "DeVille Touring Sedan" package was first available. The new name brought the DeVille into line with Cadillac's Art and Science-era nomenclature, which saw

7224-469: The band's Ecstatic Peace label, funded by Geffen . Van Zandt agreed, and sessions were scheduled to begin in Memphis during late December of that year. On December 19 or 20, Van Zandt fell down the concrete stairs outside his home, badly injuring his hip. After lying outside for an hour, he dragged himself inside and called his ex-wife Jeanene, who sent friends Royann and Jim Calvin to check on him. He told

7353-507: The cordoned-off area, after which Dylan boarded the vehicle and requested to hear him play several songs. In May and June 1990, he opened for the Cowboy Junkies during a two-month-long tour of the United States and Canada, which exposed him to a younger generation of fans. As a result, he wrote the song "Cowboy Junkies Lament" for the group, with a verse about each member of the band. Van Zandt married Fran Peterson on August 26, 1965;

7482-439: The couple that he had sustained the injury while getting out of bed, and refused medical treatment. They took him back to their home, and he spent Christmas week on their couch, unable to get up even to use the bathroom. Determined to finish the album that he had scheduled to record with Shelley and Two Dollar Guitar, Van Zandt arrived at the Memphis studio being pushed in a wheelchair by road manager Harold Eggers. Shelley canceled

7611-676: The discontinuation of the Fleetwood in 1996. In early 2017, Cadillac launched Book By Cadillac, a vehicle subscription service which was initially available in New York City. In November 2017, it was announced that Book by Cadillac would be expanding to Dallas and Los Angeles. The Cadillac XT6, a new seven-seat luxury mid-size crossover SUV , was introduced on January 12, 2019, at the North American International Auto Show . It went on sale in

7740-486: The division's share of the US market to fall from 3.8% in 1979 to 2.2% in 1997; it is routinely cited as the nadir of GM's product planning. Automotive journalist Dan Neil included the Cimarron in his 2007 list of the "Worst cars of all time", saying "everything that was wrong, venal, lazy, and mendacious about GM in the 1980s was crystallized in this flagrant insult to the good name and fine customers of Cadillac." He added that

7869-585: The early morning hours of January 1, 1997, at the age of 52. His official cause of death was "natural" cardiac arrhythmia . Two services were held for Van Zandt: one in Texas for family, and another in a large Nashville church, attended by friends, acquaintances, and fans. Some of his ashes were placed underneath a headstone in the Van Zandt family plot at the Dido Cemetery in Dido, Texas , near Fort Worth. In

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7998-551: The end of the same article that, "As a songwriter, you won't find anybody better." Earle has championed the songwriter on a number of occasions: his eldest son, Justin Townes Earle , also a musician, was named after Van Zandt. Earle wrote the song "Fort Worth Blues" as a tribute to the singer in the late 1990s, and in 2009 released an album titled Townes , which featured all covers of Van Zandt songs. His Texas-grounded impact stretched farther than country. He has been cited as

8127-540: The film Be Here to Love Me , chronicling the artist's life and musical career, was released in the United States. It was very well received, earning a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Georgia Christgau of the Village Voice called the documentary "sympathetic but frank." Eddie Cockrell of Variety called the film "a dignified and wistful look at the unusual life, difficult career and lasting influence" of Van Zandt. A biography, titled To Live's to Fly: The Ballad of

8256-639: The finest in the United States. Cadillac was the first volume manufacturer of a fully enclosed car, in 1906. Cadillac participated in the 1908 interchangeability test in the United Kingdom, and was awarded the Dewar Trophy for the most important advancement of the year in the automobile industry. On July 29, 1909, Cadillac was purchased by the General Motors (GM) conglomerate . Cadillac became General Motors' prestige division, devoted to

8385-904: The first time having been inspired by his singer-songwriter heroes to pursue a career in playing music. In 1965, Van Zandt began playing regular shows at the Jester Lounge in Houston for $ 10 per night. After the Jester closed, he began to regularly perform (and occasionally live) at Sand Mountain Coffee House . In these Houston clubs, he met fellow musicians Lightnin' Hopkins , Guy Clark , Jerry Jeff Walker , and Doc Watson . His repertoire consisted mostly of covers of songs written by Hopkins, Bob Dylan , and others, as well as original novelty songs like "Fraternity Blues." In 1966, Harris Van Zandt had encouraged his son to stop playing covers and write his own songs. At one point around 1968, Van Zandt

8514-443: The founders of Fort Worth). Townes' parents were Harris Williams Van Zandt and Dorothy Townes. He had two siblings, Bill (1949–2009) and Donna (1941–2011). Harris was a corporate lawyer and his career required the family to move several times during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1952, the family relocated from Fort Worth to Midland, Texas for six months before moving to Billings, Montana . At Christmas in 1956, Townes's father gave him

8643-532: The headlight bezels. In 1966, Cadillac had its best annual sales to that point, over 192,000 units (142,190 of them de Villes), an increase of more than 60%. This was exceeded in 1968, when Cadillac topped 200,000 units for the first time. The years 1967 and 1968 saw the introduction of a host of federally mandated safety features, including energy-absorbing steering columns and wheels, soft interior and instrument panel knobs and surfaces, front shoulder belts, and side marker lights. The front-wheel drive Eldorado

8772-427: The hospital, the physicians refused to prescribe him any painkillers . By the time Van Zandt was checked out of the hospital early the next morning, he had begun to show signs of delirium tremens . Jeanene rushed him to her car, where she gave him a flask of vodka to ward off the withdrawal delirium. She later reported that after getting him back home to Smyrna, Tennessee , and giving him alcohol, he became "lucid, in

8901-508: The middle of the day, shooting and playing with guns, and performing the songs "Waitin' Around to Die" and "Pancho and Lefty." His soon-to-be second wife Cindy and dog Geraldine (a large, "keenly intelligent" half-wolf, half-husky) are featured in the film. In 1977, Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas was released. The album showcased Van Zandt solo at a 1973 concert before a small audience, and less elaborately produced than many of his early records. The album received positive reviews, and

9030-480: The money in his pockets. Following their divorce in 1994, his only possessions were a 1989 GMC Truck with camper shell , a 1984 Honda Shadow motorcycle and a 1983 Starwind 22-foot boat named Dorothy. He also retained sole ownership of his family inheritance of ownership in oil lease and mineral rights. At the time of his death, he had begun a long-distance relationship with a woman named Claudia Winterer from Darmstadt , Germany. The two met in November 1995 during

9159-499: The new Art and Color division and he would ultimately work for GM until he retired, over 30 years later. The first car he designed was the LaSalle , a new, smaller "companion marque" car, named after another French explorer and founder of Detroit, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. That marque remained in production until 1940. Cadillac introduced designer-styled bodywork (as opposed to auto-engineered) in 1927. It installed shatter-resistant glass in 1926. Cadillac also introduced

9288-685: The new vehicles at the New York Auto Show in January 1903, where the vehicles impressed the crowds enough to gather over 2,000 firm orders. Cadillac's biggest selling point was precision manufacturing, and therefore, reliability; a Cadillac was simply a better-made vehicle than its competitors. The Cadillac Automobile Company merged with Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing, forming The Cadillac Motor Company in 1905. From its earliest years, Cadillac aimed for precision engineering and stylish luxury finishes, causing its cars to be ranked amongst

9417-434: The next year. 1956 saw the introduction of the pillarless four-door hardtop sedan, marketed as the "Sedan de Ville"; a year later the feature appeared in all standard Cadillacs. The fledgling automotive magazine Motor Trend awarded its first " Motor Trend Car of the Year " to Cadillac in 1949 for its innovative overhead valve V8 engine . While the company initially snubbed the honor, it now proudly references its "Car of

9546-664: The plant and equipment in preparation for liquidating the company's assets. Instead, Leland persuaded the pair to continue manufacturing automobiles using Leland's proven single-cylinder engine. A new company called the Cadillac Automobile Company was established on August 22, 1902, converting the Henry Ford Company factory at Cass Street and Amsterdam Avenue. It was named after French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac , who had founded Detroit in 1701. Cadillac's first automobiles,

9675-429: The production of large luxury vehicles. The Cadillac line was also GM's default marque for "commercial chassis" institutional vehicles, such as limousines , ambulances, hearses and funeral home flower cars , the last three of which were custom-built by aftermarket manufacturers. It became positioned at the top of GM's vehicle hierarchy, above Buick , Oldsmobile , Oakland , and later, Chevrolet . In 1912, Cadillac

9804-492: The rest of GM's "B" and "C" bodied cars. In 1977, GM significantly downsized their full-sized cars. The Fleetwood Brougham lost its exclusive longer wheelbase and now rode on the same new shorter 121.5" wheelbase as the DeVille . Both Fleetwood and DeVille models were powered by the 425 cu in (7.0 L) V8s. This engine was basically a de-bored version of the 472/500 (7.9 L/8.2 L) V8 of previous years. 1977

9933-414: The same wheelbase. Models gained a smoother ride while vehicle weight, standard equipment and engine displacement were all increased. Cadillac experienced record sales in 1973 and again in the late 1970s. In May 1975, the Seville was introduced as a competitor to the growing import luxury car market and was marketed as "international size". In 1977, Cadillac's D-bodies experienced the same "downsizing" as

10062-465: The second stanza. The verses of the first stanza introduce Lefty as a restless young soul who leaves home and his loving mother to seek his fortune south of the border. The verses of the second stanza introduce Pancho as a Mexican bandit, who "wore his gun outside his pants for all the honest world to feel". The third stanza tells of Pancho's eventual death in "the deserts down in Mexico" and implies that he

10191-414: The sessions due to the songwriter's erratic behavior and drunkenness. Van Zandt finally agreed to hospitalization, but not before returning to Nashville. By the time he consented to receive medical care, eight days had passed since the injury. On December 31, X-rays revealed that Van Zandt had an impacted left femoral neck fracture in his hip, and several corrective surgeries were performed. Jeanene informed

10320-422: The song had already been sent to New York. Haggard later stated that the song was the only one he had ever recorded before "he really knew it". Van Zandt appears in the video for the song, playing one of the federales . "It was real nice they invited me," Van Zandt told Aretha Sills in 1994. "They didn't have to invite me and I made I think $ 100 a day. I was the captain of the federales. And plus I got to ride

10449-457: The song on her album Luxury Liner . Harris says she feels it is "her song", and it was this recording of the song that Willie Nelson first heard. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard recorded a version for their July 1983 duet album Pancho & Lefty . In the documentary Be Here to Love Me , Nelson states that when he asked Van Zandt what the song was about Van Zandt replied that he didn't know. Nelson also recalls how his album with Haggard

10578-601: The song that Van Zandt loved to tell was when he got pulled over for speeding in Berkshire, Texas, by two policemen, the first a blue-eyed white man with a crew cut, and his partner a bronze, dark eyed Mexican. Although his driver's license was up-to-date, the inspection sticker had expired, and the bedraggled singer found himself in the back of the police cruiser. As Van Zandt recounted on Austin Pickers , "We got stopped by these two policemen and...they said 'What do you do for

10707-518: The songwriter's concerts. An out-of-court settlement in 2006 granted the Van Zandts conditional control of Harold Eggers' mastered recordings with Eggers retaining a 50% ownership of seven albums and some royalties for the remaining recordings. On October 21, 2008, a number of Van Zandt's personal possessions were auctioned off at The Northside in Akron, Ohio at a benefit for Rex "Wrecks" Bell. Bell

10836-447: The spring of 1984, about six months earlier than most new-car introductions, so both the 1984 rear-drive and 1985 front-drive models were selling and being produced (due to separate assembly plants) at the same time for nearly half a year. 1985 saw the new front-wheel-drive DeVille and Fleetwood models released after quality delays prevented a planned 1984 model year introduction. 1986 saw new downsized Eldorado and Seville models. In 1987,

10965-409: The styling features that came to be synonymous with the late 1940s and 1950s American automobile. Incorporating many of the ideas of then General Motors styling chief Harley J. Earl , these included tailfins , wraparound windshields , and extensive use of chrome. Tailfins were first added in 1948 and reached their pinnacle in 1959. From 1960 to 1964 they decreased each year until they disappeared in

11094-422: The surgeon that one of Townes's previous rehab doctors had told her detoxing could kill him. The medical staff tried to explain to her that detoxing a "late-term alcoholic" at home would be ill-advised, and he would have a better chance at recovering under hospital supervision. She did not heed the warnings, and checked Townes out of the hospital. Understanding that he would most likely drink immediately after leaving

11223-862: The third quarter of 2019 as a 2020 model. Other additions to the Cadillac lineup for the 2020 model year included the CT5 mid-size luxury sedan, replacing the CTS, and the CT4 compact sedan which replaced the ATS. Performance "V" versions of the CT4 and CT5 were also added for 2020. Current Upcoming Cadillac has won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award five times: Before the outbreak of World War II , Cadillac (like most manufacturers) participated in various motorsports. Many Allard automobiles used Cadillac engines. In

11352-491: The three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic automatic transmission; it would become the GM standard model for several decades. Starting in the late 1960s, Cadillac offered a fiber-optic warning system to alert the driver to failed light bulbs. The use of extensive bright-work on the exterior and interior also decreased each year after 1959. By the 1966 model year, even the rear bumpers ceased to be all chrome—large portions were painted, including

11481-555: The time a record for production sedans. The last DTS rolled off the assembly line at 11:51 a.m. on May 27, 2011. It was replaced by the Cadillac XTS which debuted in 2012 as a 2013 model. The Cadillac ATS compact sedan also debuted in 2012 as a 2013 model and a coupe version of the ATS was added two years later. In 2016, the Cadillac CT6 was introduced and was the brand's first full-size rear-wheel-drive sedan since

11610-518: The time period: For the Sake of the Song , Our Mother the Mountain , Townes Van Zandt , Delta Momma Blues , High, Low and In Between , and The Late Great Townes Van Zandt . Among the tracks written for these albums were "To Live Is to Fly", " Pancho and Lefty ", and " If I Needed You ". These songs eventually raised Van Zandt to near-legend status in American and European songwriting circles. In 1972, he recorded tracks for an album with

11739-414: The top of the luxury field within the United States, but have been outsold by European luxury brands including BMW and Mercedes since the 2000s. In 2019, Cadillac sold 390,458 vehicles worldwide, a record for the brand. Cadillac is among the first automotive brands in the world, fourth in the United States only to Autocar Company (1897) and fellow GM marques Oldsmobile (1897) and Buick (1899). It

11868-428: The two remained close, and Jeanene was an executor of his estate. Around the time of their April 1993 separation, Jeanene coaxed the musician into signing over the publishing rights of his back catalog and recording royalties to her and their children. Van Zandt's only source of income after making that change was money received from concert engagements and, even then, Van Zandt frequently visited his ex-wife and gave her

11997-508: The video, the first for Nelson and second for Haggard, the first being for "Are the Good Times Really Over?" a year prior. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard ' s Hot Country Songs chart dated July 23, 1983. The Willie Nelson release has sold 648,000 digital copies in the United States as of October 2019 since becoming available for download. "Pancho and Lefty" was covered by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson ; it

12126-502: The whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." The quote was printed on a sticker featured on the packing of At My Window , much to Van Zandt's displeasure. In the years following, the quote was often cited by the press, much to Van Zandt and Earle's embarrassment; in 2009, Earle told the New York Times "Did I ever believe that Townes was better than Bob Dylan? No." But he concluded at

12255-436: The world written by people who felt touched by Van Zandt. Some of the letters described how his material often served as a crutch for those who were dealing with depression. In 1978, the singer fired Lomax and re-hired Eggers. He soon signed with Eggers' new label, Tomato Records . The following year, he recorded Flyin' Shoes ; he did not release another album until 1987's At My Window . Despite critical acclaim, he remained

12384-458: The writing, because it came from out of the blue. It came through me and it's a real nice song, and I think, I've finally found out what it's about. I've always wondered what it's about. I kinda always knew it wasn't about Pancho Villa, and then somebody told me that Pancho Villa had a buddy whose name in Spanish meant 'Lefty.' But in the song, my song, Pancho gets hung...and the real Pancho Villa

12513-530: The years immediately following Van Zandt's death, his former manager and label owner Kevin Eggers issued 14 albums of both new and previously unreleased material by the singer, all without consent of his estate (represented by Jeanene Van Zandt and his three children). Eggers claimed a 50% interest in eighty of Van Zandt's songs. After nearly ten years of legal battles, the court sided with the estate, issuing "injunctive relief against Eggers, restraining him from reproducing or distributing any of Van Zandt's songs." It

12642-413: Was Cadillac's 75th anniversary and saw the introduction of the downsized DeVille coupes and sedans. The redesigned Fleetwood Brougham was now similar in appearance to the lesser Sedan de Ville. Other than the name, there were only subtle exterior differences between a Fleetwood Brougham and Sedan de Ville. The interior of the Fleetwood was plusher and offered more features as standard. These new cars featured

12771-507: Was a close friend and bandmate, and the inspiration for the song "Rex's Blues". Bell was also part owner of the bar Old Quarter in Houston, where Van Zandt performed the songs that would comprise the album Live at the Old Quarter . Van Zandt has been referred to as a cult musician and "a songwriter's songwriter." Musician Steve Earle , who met him in 1978 and considered Van Zandt a mentor, once called Van Zandt "the best songwriter in

12900-487: Was a dual-zone front HVAC system, with controls located to the right of the instrument cluster, and remote controls on the front passenger door panel. An SRS passenger's-side front airbag became standard equipment after a restyling in 1996, which also brought revised exterior styling and new audio systems with TheftLock coded anti-theft technology. In 1995, the high technology engine that had been used in Cadillacs since 1982

13029-583: Was a good student and active in team sports. In grade school, he was found to have a high IQ, and his parents began grooming him to become a lawyer or senator. Fearing that his family would move again, he willingly decided to attend the Shattuck School in Faribault, Minnesota. He received a score of 1170 when he took the SAT in January 1962. His family soon moved to Houston, Texas. In 1962, he enrolled at

13158-575: Was a re-run for the rear-wheel-drive Coupe de Ville ($ 17,140) and its four-door companion, the popular Sedan de Ville ($ 17,625). It was also the last time DeVille used the "V" emblem below the Cadillac crest, as 1985 models and on would use the crest and wreath emblem—formerly a Fleetwood and Eldorado exclusive. For 1984, sales figures show a total four-door production of 107,920 units, and an additional 50,840 two-door units (figures include de Ville and Fleetwood models). The new front-drive 1985 Coupe de Ville and Sedan de Ville arrived in Cadillac showrooms during

13287-406: Was admitted to the hospital to detox , when a doctor told Jeanene Van Zandt that trying to detox Townes again could potentially kill him. He grew increasingly frail during the mid-1990s, with friends noting that he seemed to have "withered." In early 1996, he was contacted by Sonic Youth 's Steve Shelley , who informed Van Zandt that he was interested in recording and releasing an album for him on

13416-578: Was assassinated." Like much of Van Zandt's output, the song went largely unnoticed at the time of its release on the album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt in 1972. Neither it nor its parent album made any music charts. In 1973, Lonnie Knight played with Van Zandt for a week at the Rubaiyat in Dallas, Texas. He brought this song back to Minneapolis with him and recorded it on his first album, Family In The Wind , in 1974. In 1977, Emmylou Harris covered

13545-565: Was at the forefront of technological advances, introducing full electrical systems, the clashless manual transmission and the steel roof. The brand developed three engines, with its V8 setting the standard for the American automotive industry . Cadillac had the first U.S. car to win the Royal Automobile Club of the United Kingdom's Dewar Trophy by successfully demonstrating the interchangeability of its component parts during

13674-550: Was betrayed to the federales by Lefty in exchange for being allowed to return to the United States. Lefty spends the rest of his life in a motel in Cleveland , apparently regretful of his actions. The fourth stanza poetizes Pancho's life and appears to evoke sympathy for Lefty's attempted homecoming. While Van Zandt did not intend for Pancho to be Pancho Villa , he did not rule out the idea. In an interview, he recalled, "I realize that I wrote it, but it's hard to take credit for

13803-406: Was cited as being an influence to the American avant-garde metal group Neurosis . In 2016, Paal Flaata released an album of only Van Zandt songs, Come Tomorrow – Songs of Townes Van Zandt . A single with the track "Come Tomorrow", where Paal Flaata sings with his daughter Maia Flaata, was released the same year. Van Zandt's Roadsongs album version of The Rolling Stones ' " Dead Flowers "

13932-535: Was discontinued. For 1997, the Catera mid-size sedan was introduced as Cadillac's new entry-level model. The Catera was a rebadged variant of the Opel Omega B and was manufactured by Opel in Rüsselsheim , Germany. The DeVille was also redesigned that year. The late 1990s saw Cadillac field its first-ever entry in the growing SUV segment. The Escalade , introduced in 1999, was marketed to compete with

14061-612: Was featured in the 2017 American film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri both as his original recording and a cover by Amy Annelle . In the film Country Strong , the Austin Statesman describes the character of Beau Hutton as "the next Townes Van Zandt". The 2012 documentary film Low & Clear , which revolves around Van Zandt's son JT fly fishing for steelhead in British Columbia with his old fishing buddy Xenie, features Van Zandt's songs. In 2004,

14190-412: Was his "first child." His battles with addiction led him into rehab nearly a dozen times throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Medical records from his recovery centers indicate that he believed his drinking had become a problem around 1973, and that by 1982 he was drinking at least a pint of vodka daily. Doctors' notes reported: "He admits to hearing voices, mostly musical voices", and "Affect is blunted and mood

14319-542: Was implemented to improve fuel economy and emissions as a result of the United States Federal Government passage of Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations. For 1977, the lineup included the two-door Coupe de Ville ($ 9,654) and the four-door Sedan de Ville ($ 9,864). The $ 650 d'Elegance package, an interior dress-up option carried over from the previous generation of DeVilles, continued for both models. Three-sided, wrap-around tail lamps were

14448-424: Was increased to 500 cu in (8.2 L) for the 1970 Eldorado. It was adopted across the model range beginning in 1975. Driver and front passenger airbags ("Air Cushion Restraint System") began to be offered on some Cadillac, as well as other Buick and Oldsmobile luxury models, in 1974, however this option was unpopular as was discontinued after the 1976 model year. The pillarless Coupe deVille ended with

14577-439: Was introduced by Newbury to the man who became his longtime producer, "Cowboy" Jack Clement . Van Zandt cited Lightnin' Hopkins, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams and such varied artists as Muddy Waters , The Rolling Stones , Blind Willie McTell , Tchaikovsky , and Jefferson Airplane as having had a major impact on his music. The years between 1968 and 1973 proved to be his most prolific era. Van Zandt released six albums during

14706-467: Was launched in 1967, setting a new standard for a personal luxury car . Its simple, elegant design was a far cry from the tailfin and chrome of the 1950s. Cadillac's success grew against rivals Lincoln and Imperial , which had division sales topping all of Chrysler for the first time in 1970. The new 472 cu in (7.7 L) engine that debuted in the 1968 model year, designed for an ultimate capacity potential of 600 cu in (9.8 L),

14835-480: Was listed at #498 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . Cadillacs Cadillac Motor Car Division , or simply Cadillac ( / ˈ k æ d ɪ l æ k / ), is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles . Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China. Cadillac models are distributed in 34 additional markets worldwide. Historically, Cadillac automobiles were at

14964-436: Was named after Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658–1730), who founded Detroit , Michigan . The Cadillac crest is based on his coat of arms . By the time General Motors purchased the company in 1909, Cadillac had already established itself as one of America's premier luxury car makers. The complete interchangeability of its precision parts had allowed it to lay the foundation for the modern mass production of automobiles. It

15093-597: Was nearly completed but he felt they didn't have "that blockbuster, you know, that one big song for a good single and a video, and my daughter Lana suggested that we listen to 'Pancho and Lefty.' I had never heard it and Merle had never heard it." Lana Nelson returned with a copy of the song and Nelson cut it immediately with his band in the middle of the night but had to retrieve a sleeping Haggard, who had retired to his bus hours earlier, to record his vocal part. The vocals were recorded in one take that night. The next day, Haggard wanted to rerecord his part, but Nelson told him

15222-476: Was portrayed by Charlie Sexton in the 2018 film Blaze , a biographical drama about the life of Blaze Foley . Pancho and Lefty The song is composed as a ballad of four stanzas which use the two-verse refrain: "All the Federales say they could've had him any day/ They only let him slip away out of kindness I suppose." The first two stanzas are sung back-to-back with the refrain being sung only after

15351-441: Was produced by GM's Delco Radio and which was available as standard equipment for the 1957 Eldorado Brougham models. While the car showed Cadillac's technological prowess, it sold only 904 units. The dual-reservoir brake master cylinder, with separate front and rear hydraulic systems, was introduced in 1962, six years ahead of the federal requirement. The first fully automatic heater– air conditioning system also appeared, as did

15480-755: Was released featuring John Baizley , Mike Scheidt and Nate Hall, frontmen of the bands Baroness , YOB and U.S. Christmas respectively. On June 18, 2015, Van Zandt was inducted into the second year's ceremony of the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, along with Asleep at the Wheel , Loretta Lynn , Guy Clark and Flaco Jimenez . Gillian Welch inducted Van Zandt by telling stories about how he had come to her early gigs in Nashville and how he had bolstered her confidence in writing sad songs. In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, Van Zandt

15609-519: Was reportedly a "big fan" of Townes and claimed to have all of his records; Van Zandt admired Dylan's songs, but didn't care for his celebrity. The two first met during a chance encounter outside a costume shop in the South Congress district of Austin, on June 21, 1986. According to Johnny Guess, Dylan later arranged another meeting with the songwriter. The Drag in Austin was shut down due to Dylan being in town; Van Zandt drove his motorhome to

15738-558: Was respected for his guitar playing and fingerpicking ability. Much of Van Zandt's life was spent touring various bars, music clubs, colleges, and folk venues and festivals, often lodging in motel rooms or the homes of friends. He suffered from drug addiction and alcoholism , and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder . When he was young, the now-discredited insulin shock therapy erased much of his long-term memory . In 1983, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard covered and popularized Van Zandt's song "Pancho and Lefty", reaching number one on

15867-411: Was revealed through these proceedings that Van Zandt's annual income in the years before his death had climbed to over $ 100,000, thanks in large part to the royalties accrued from his songs being covered by Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Merle Haggard, Cowboy Junkies, and other major music stars. After Van Zandt's death his road manager , Harold Eggers, released video and audio recordings from

15996-486: Was roommates with 13th Floor Elevators singer Roky Erickson . Erickson suggested that he audition as the Elevators' new bassist, even though he was a guitarist who had never played bass before. When Tommy Hall found out he never played bass, he kicked him out of the audition. In 1968, Van Zandt met songwriter Mickey Newbury in a Houston coffee shop. Newbury persuaded Van Zandt to go to Nashville, Tennessee, where he

16125-463: Was that she had allowed that treatment to occur". In 1965, he was accepted into the University of Houston 's pre-law program. Soon after, he attempted to join the Air Force, but was rejected because of a doctor's diagnosis that labelled him "an acute manic-depressive who has made minimal adjustments to life". After Townes's father died in January 1966 at age 52, he quit school and went on the road for

16254-539: Was the first automaker to use the Phillips technology, in 1937, which was widely adopted in 1940. For the first time in many years all cars built by the company shared the same basic engine and drivetrain in 1941. 1941 also saw the introduction of optional Hydra-Matic , the first mass-produced fully automatic transmission , offered the previous year on the Oldsmobile . Postwar Cadillac vehicles innovated many of

16383-430: Was the first automobile manufacturer to incorporate an electrical system enabling starting , ignition , and lighting. In 1915, Cadillac introduced a 90-degree flathead V8 engine with 70 horsepower (52 kW) at 2400 rpm and 180 pound force-feet (240 N⋅m) of torque , allowing its cars to attain 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). This was faster than most roads could accommodate at this time. Cadillac pioneered

16512-527: Was the title track of their duet album Pancho & Lefty , and a number one country hit that entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as the 17th-greatest Western song of all time. In June 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Pancho and Lefty" 41st on its list of the "100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". In 2021, the original version

16641-726: Was used during the final scene of the Coen Brothers ' 1998 film The Big Lebowski . The song was included on the movie's soundtrack. Since his death, Van Zandt's recordings have been licensed by his family for use in a number of films and television programs, including Stepmom , Ozark , Six Feet Under , In Bruges , Calvary , Crazy Heart , Leaves of Grass , Seven Psychopaths , Deadwood , Breaking Bad , Billions , Patriot , True Detective , Euphoria (American TV Series) , and Hell or High Water (Dollar Bill Blues). His " Buckskin Stallion Blues "

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