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"Pancho and Lefty", originally "Poncho and Lefty", [a] is a song written by American country singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Perhaps his most well-known song, Van Zandt recorded his original version of this song for his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt . [ 14 ]
Pancho & Lefty by Townes Van Zandt (1972) became well-known through a honky tonk album by outlaw country musicians Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, released in 1983.Original vinyl copies from 1983 give the album's title as "Poncho & Lefty" on the cover, as well as on the inner sleeve and the record label; the album's title track is similarly rendered "Poncho & Lefty" on the cover, inner sleeve ...
Several of Van Zandt's compositions were recorded by other artists, such as Emmylou Harris who, with Don Williams, had 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.
The album includes what is Van Zandt's signature tune, [citation needed] the enigmatic "Pancho and Lefty", which Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard took to number one on the country charts in 1983. Although "Pancho and Lefty" is the song most associated with Van Zandt, "If I Needed You" is his most covered composition.
Disc one contains alternate takes of several compositions, such as his classic "Pancho and Lefty", which is stripped of the strings and mariachi horns that augmented the original, and "White Freight Liner Blues," which contains southern rock elements. The second disc contains intimate demos mainly featuring Van Zandt and just his guitar, an ...
Townes Van Zandt - "Pancho & Lefty" Richard Dobson - "Hard by the Highway" The Charlie Daniels Band - "Long Haired Country Boy" Guy Clark w/ Rodney Crowell - "Ballad of Laverne and Captain Flint" John Hiatt - "One for the One for Me" Steve Earle - "Darlin' Commit Me" David Allan Coe - "Thank You, Jesus" Party at Guy Clark's house:
In addition, Haggard recorded two chart-topping duets with George Jones—"Yesterdays' Wine" in 1982—and with Willie Nelson—"Pancho and Lefty" in 1983. Nelson believed the 1983 Academy Award-winning film Tender Mercies, about the life of fictional singer Mac Sledge, was based on the life of Merle Haggard.
Although Van Zandt had always been known primarily as a solo performer, by the mid-1980s he had expanded his touring band with the addition of Leland Waddell on drums, his brother David on bass, and Boston transplant Donny Silverman on saxophone and flute.