Pancho and Lefty - written by Townes Van Zandt - performed by The Unsung Heroes

Pancho and Lefty is modern day Western gunfighter ballad. It was written by Townes Van Zandt and released in 1972 on his album "High, Low and In Between". Eleven years later the best known version of the song was released as a duet vocal by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It's loosely based on the story of Pancho Villa and one of his sidekicks - whose nickname in Spanish translated to 'Lefty' (according to Townes). There are a lot of back stories (and possibly some embellished urban legends) attributed to this song with regards to Townes and Willie and Merle. I'll leave them out of this description but you can watch a couple of them in the links below. But I'll just add that one of my favorite vocal verses in all of the recorded music I've listened to over many years happens to be when Merle kicks in on the lead vocal for just the last verse. He explains this in the first link below, but suffice it say, Merle Haggard was just a purely great singer... whether he was conscious of what he was doing or not!

   • Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard Look Back - ...  
   • Townes Van Zandt - The Story Behind "Panch...  

This was, by far, the biggest hit song ever written by Townes, but despite his passing at a much too early age, he still has a serious cult following and many others of his compositions have been recorded or performed by Bob Dylan, The Highwaymen, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Lyle Lovett, Merle Haggard, Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, Counting Crows, Steve Earle, Whitey Morgan, Rodney Crowell, Robert Earl Keen Jr., Newgrass Revival, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Wade Bowen, Gillian Welch, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Jason Isbell and many others. He may not have been a household name in most houses, but he was well known and honored in the homes of nearly all country, folk, bluegrass and blues musicians and singers and it was other peoples' versions of his songs that brought him the the bulk of his fame and fortune.

However, this is not to diminish Townes Van Zandt as a guitarist or vocalist. His unique and almost mournful delivery was loved by many as well, but he just never had the same commercial success with his own recordings that some others did when using his material. He did say that he appreciated when musicians interpreted his material, often expressing that once a song is written, it belongs to the world. Van Zandt understood that different artists bring their own perspectives and emotions to his work, which could enhance or reinterpret the original meaning.

However, he also had a somewhat less-than enthusiastic view about the commercial aspects of music. While he valued artistic expression, he sometimes felt that mainstream interpretations could dilute the rawness and personal nature of his songwriting.

Overall, Van Zandt's openness to so many people covering his material reinforced his opinion about the universality of music and the connection it creates among listeners and artists alike. He recognized that each version could resonate differently with audiences, adding to the song's legacy.

And indeed that has been proven many times over in the writings of one of our heroes, Townes Van Zandt.

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