• Zurf
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Topic: Rex's Blues

Townes Van Zandt wrote a song called "Rex's Blues." It's been recorded by Townes, Guy Clark, and Rodney Crowell (I think).  It turns out that Rex of Rex's Blues is a friend of a guy that I know from fishing. My fishing friend is named Kelly, and is generally referred to as "Kel".

Anyway, I promised Kel that I'd try to record a version of Rex's Blues for him.  Here it is, if you're interested. 

I am linking out to a different site, so Chordie is not accountable for any abuse I may have done of a song about a friend of a friend about which I have not earned a dime and for which the writer has long since died. 

Is that enough equivocation? If not, I can go for hours...

https://soundcloud.com/user-35218982/re … al_sharing 

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • mojo01
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Re: Rex's Blues

i think James McMurtry did a rex,s blues to     

out of tune out of key and out of touch

3 Reply by TIGLJK (edited by TIGLJK 2022-02-05 12:53:03)

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Re: Rex's Blues

Zurf - I am a huge Townes Van Zandt fan !   He was right there with Dylan
as a songwriter.
You did a fabulous cover of this.
OMG you fish with Wrecks !!  How fortunate are you.
I wrote a song about 7 years ago as a tribute to Townes after listening to an interview with him and Guy Clark. I will email it to you separate. I'd love it if you would share it with Wrecks.  If you were real motivated and had absolutely nothing to do someday, maybe you could give it a go. smile

For everyone else - Rex Bell, sometimes spelled "Wrecks" as a homophone for Rex, was a friend to Townes and an original partner of the Old Quarter. https://wrecksbell.com/bio
I sure love to fish you boys someday and chew the fat!
also, Steve Earle (who named his son after Townes)  also did a great cover of this.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FhjevjNLRQ   he talks about Townes before he sings - it's awesome !


Thanks for sharing Zurf

Jim

Your vision is not limited by what your eye can see, but what your mind can imagine.
Make your life count, and the world will be a better place because you tried.

"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except only the the best." - Henry Van Dyke
  • TIGLJK
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Re: Rex's Blues

Mojo

you are correct !     

Your vision is not limited by what your eye can see, but what your mind can imagine.
Make your life count, and the world will be a better place because you tried.

"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except only the the best." - Henry Van Dyke
  • mojo01
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Re: Rex's Blues

lol i knew i was. i  just didnt know the history of the song or who wrote it till now

TIGLJK wrote:

Mojo

you are correct !

     

out of tune out of key and out of touch
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Re: Rex's Blues

TIGLJK wrote:

Zurf - I am a huge Townes Van Zandt fan !   He was right there with Dylan
as a songwriter.
You did a fabulous cover of this.
OMG you fish with Wrecks !!  How fortunate are you.
I wrote a song about 7 years ago as a tribute to Townes after listening to an interview with him and Guy Clark. I will email it to you separate. I'd love it if you would share it with Wrecks.  If you were real motivated and had absolutely nothing to do someday, maybe you could give it a go. smile

For everyone else - Rex Bell, sometimes spelled "Wrecks" as a homophone for Rex, was a friend to Townes and an original partner of the Old Quarter. https://wrecksbell.com/bio
I sure love to fish you boys someday and chew the fat!
also, Steve Earle (who named his son after Townes)  also did a great cover of this.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FhjevjNLRQ   he talks about Townes before he sings - it's awesome !


Thanks for sharing Zurf

Jim

To be clear *I* don't fish with Rex. I learned that a guy that I know through fishing is a friend of Rex's. Not me. I've never met him. But I figured to give a try at performing the song for my friend. It's a good song. I like it. I particularly like the line that nothing's dark until something shines.     

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
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Re: Rex's Blues

ZURF

Still is cooler than the other side of a pillow and I'd go fishing anyways !!

Jim     

Your vision is not limited by what your eye can see, but what your mind can imagine.
Make your life count, and the world will be a better place because you tried.

"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except only the the best." - Henry Van Dyke

8 Reply by Peatle Jville (edited by Peatle Jville 2022-02-07 19:43:22)

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Re: Rex's Blues

Zurf that guitar of yours has got a beautiful tone and you sing and play Rexs Blues real good. I liked your spoken intro, introducing the song also.

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Re: Rex's Blues

Peatle Jville wrote:

Zurf that guitar of yours has got a beautiful tone and you sing and play Rexs Blues real good. I liked your spoken intro, introducing the song also.

It's a beauty of a guitar. I bought it from Dirty Ed. It's the second guitar I bought from him, and given the quality of the two I've bought from him, and the mojo he has made sure to cram into them before they came my way, I'll keep buying every guitar he sells for the rest of our lives.     

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • Zurf
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Re: Rex's Blues

TIGLJK wrote:

ZURF

Still is cooler than the other side of a pillow and I'd go fishing anyways !!

Jim

I'd fish with you no matter what, and we'd have one heck of a bankside campfire at the end of the day, wouldn't we?     

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • mojo01
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Re: Rex's Blues

any time ya,ll want to come to texas fishing is all ways good here

Zurf wrote:
TIGLJK wrote:

ZURF

Still is cooler than the other side of a pillow and I'd go fishing anyways !!

Jim

I'd fish with you no matter what, and we'd have one heck of a bankside campfire at the end of the day, wouldn't we?

     

out of tune out of key and out of touch
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Re: Rex's Blues

mojo01 wrote:

any time ya,ll want to come to texas fishing is all ways good here

Zurf wrote:
TIGLJK wrote:

ZURF

Still is cooler than the other side of a pillow and I'd go fishing anyways !!

Jim

I'd fish with you no matter what, and we'd have one heck of a bankside campfire at the end of the day, wouldn't we?

Thanks. BaldGuitarDude is down in Texas and a fisherman too. He's not active here, but he was a member and I'm still in touch with him (he's gotten to be one of my best buddies, actually). We ought to try to make this a thing. I think we'd all enjoy ourselves. You could challenge us with a couple of your songs printed out and we'd each give it a go without having actually heard the song before. Then you could show us how it's done. It would be a blast.     

That you're both in Texas is kind of like saying you both live in Spain (Spain is actually smaller than Texas in terms of square miles), and so it must be easy, but you know. There's planes and stuff.

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • mojo01
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Re: Rex's Blues

say when , lots of lakes to choose from here in east texas

Zurf wrote:
mojo01 wrote:

any time ya,ll want to come to texas fishing is all ways good here

Zurf wrote:

I'd fish with you no matter what, and we'd have one heck of a bankside campfire at the end of the day, wouldn't we?

Thanks. BaldGuitarDude is down in Texas and a fisherman too. He's not active here, but he was a member and I'm still in touch with him (he's gotten to be one of my best buddies, actually). We ought to try to make this a thing. I think we'd all enjoy ourselves. You could challenge us with a couple of your songs printed out and we'd each give it a go without having actually heard the song before. Then you could show us how it's done. It would be a blast.     

That you're both in Texas is kind of like saying you both live in Spain (Spain is actually smaller than Texas in terms of square miles), and so it must be easy, but you know. There's planes and stuff.

     

out of tune out of key and out of touch
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Re: Rex's Blues

If I wanted to get there, it's looking like the easiest way would be to fly to Shreveport and then drive over.  Is that right? Or have you got a closer airport? 

I think BGD is around Dallas/Fort Worth. Maybe it would be easier to fly to him and we'd drive down together. This is cool. We're going to have to think about it.

Have you got space to put us up, or are we going to need to rent a cabin or an AirBnB (this is not a trick question)?

I'm heading to Florida in March some time to pick guitars and hassle fish, so another trip isn't likely this year, but if it is, it would likely be the fall. Is that a good time?

mojo01 wrote:

say when , lots of lakes to choose from here in east texas

Zurf wrote:
mojo01 wrote:

any time ya,ll want to come to texas fishing is all ways good here

Thanks. BaldGuitarDude is down in Texas and a fisherman too. He's not active here, but he was a member and I'm still in touch with him (he's gotten to be one of my best buddies, actually). We ought to try to make this a thing. I think we'd all enjoy ourselves. You could challenge us with a couple of your songs printed out and we'd each give it a go without having actually heard the song before. Then you could show us how it's done. It would be a blast.     

That you're both in Texas is kind of like saying you both live in Spain (Spain is actually smaller than Texas in terms of square miles), and so it must be easy, but you know. There's planes and stuff.

     

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • mojo01
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Re: Rex's Blues

Shreveport is closest but  Dallas would be good ya,ll drive down together plenty room here at the house , 2 great lakes 20 minutes from the house. or i have a camper we take to Sam Rayburn either way be fun

Zurf wrote:

If I wanted to get there, it's looking like the easiest way would be to fly to Shreveport and then drive over.  Is that right? Or have you got a closer airport? 

I think BGD is around Dallas/Fort Worth. Maybe it would be easier to fly to him and we'd drive down together. This is cool. We're going to have to think about it.

Have you got space to put us up, or are we going to need to rent a cabin or an AirBnB (this is not a trick question)?

I'm heading to Florida in March some time to pick guitars and hassle fish, so another trip isn't likely this year, but if it is, it would likely be the fall. Is that a good time?

mojo01 wrote:

say when , lots of lakes to choose from here in east texas

Zurf wrote:

Thanks. BaldGuitarDude is down in Texas and a fisherman too. He's not active here, but he was a member and I'm still in touch with him (he's gotten to be one of my best buddies, actually). We ought to try to make this a thing. I think we'd all enjoy ourselves. You could challenge us with a couple of your songs printed out and we'd each give it a go without having actually heard the song before. Then you could show us how it's done. It would be a blast.     

That you're both in Texas is kind of like saying you both live in Spain (Spain is actually smaller than Texas in terms of square miles), and so it must be easy, but you know. There's planes and stuff.

     

out of tune out of key and out of touch