20 Essential Albums Every Country Music Fan Should Own

20. Townes Van Zandt - The Late Great Townes Van Zandt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH-la9g1RgA Key Tracks: Pancho & Lefty, If I Needed You, Sad Cinderella The deeply troubled but extraordinarily talented Townes Van Zandt dubbed his sixth album 'The Late Great' as a joke, in reference to his supposedly dead career. Townes was an artist who continually produced the goods but just couldn't seem to take off, amassing a strong cult following but next-to-no commercial success. The Late Great Townes Van Zandt is the Texas troubadour at his very best, ditching the gimmicky comedy tunes in favour of more serious fare. But it never gets too much, except perhaps on Sad Cinderella, which is purported to have forced Elvis Costello to pull over his car as he was so taken aback by how moving it was. Pancho and Lefty, a Townes original, would become a country music staple. A cover version by Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson charted number one on the Billboard country charts.