Michael David Fuller (December 18, 1949 - February 1, 1989), better known under the stage name Blaze Foley, was an American country music singer-songwriter.
Video Blaze Foley
Biography
Foley was born Michael David Fuller in Malvern, Arkansas, but grew up in Texas. He performed in a gospel band called The Singing Fuller Family with his mother, brother and sisters. After leaving home, he performed in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and finally Austin, Texas. He was close friends with Townes Van Zandt.
His song "If I Could Only Fly" became a hit in the interpretation of Merle Haggard. His song "Election Day" was covered by Lyle Lovett on his 2003 album My Baby Don't Tolerate and his song "Clay Pigeons" was covered by John Prine on his Grammy Award-winning 2005 album Fair and Square, as well as by Michael Cera on his 2014 digital album True That. Joe Nichols paid tribute to "If I Could Only Fly" by recording it for his album Real Things released in 2007.
In 1989, Foley was shot in the chest and killed by Carey January, the son of Foley's friend Concho January. Carey January was acquitted of murder in the first degree by reason of self-defense. He and his father presented completely different versions of the shooting at trial.
Foley's stage name was influenced by his admiration of Red Foley.
Foley placed duct tape on the tips of his cowboy boots to mock the "Urban Cowboy" crazed folks with their silver-tipped cowboy boots. He later made a suit out of duct tape that he used to walk around in. At his funeral, his casket was coated with duct tape by his friends. Townes Van Zandt has told a story in which he and his musicians went to Foley's grave to dig up his body because they wanted the pawn ticket that Foley had for Townes' guitar.
Maps Blaze Foley
Music and lyrics
The master tapes from his first studio album were confiscated by the DEA when the executive producer was caught in a drug bust. Another studio album disappeared when the master copies were in a station wagon, which Foley had been given and lived in. The station wagon was broken into and his belongings stolen. A third studio album, Wanted More Dead Than Alive, had almost disappeared until, many years after Blaze died, a friend who was cleaning out his car discovered what sounded like the Bee Creek recording sessions on which he and other musicians had performed. This album was Foley's last studio project and he was scheduled to tour the UK with Townes Van Zandt in support of the album. When Foley died, his attorney immediately nullified the recording contract and the master tapes subsequently went missing (and reportedly were lost in a flood).
Foley worked with, among others, Gurf Morlix, Townes Van Zandt, Guy Schwartz, Billy Block, and Calvin Russell.
Townes Van Zandt wrote the song "Blaze's Blues" about his friend and recorded it a few times, notably on his 2-disc Live at Union Chapel, London, England album. Townes reportedly composed "Marie," a song about a homeless couple, on Blaze's guitar after Blaze had died.
The song "Drunken Angel" by Lucinda Williams, which appears on her 1998 album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, is a tribute to Foley.
Gurf Morlix released a song on his 2009 album Last Exit to Happyland entitled "Music You Mighta Made" about his longtime friend, Foley. On February 1, 2011, Morlix released Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream, a 15-song collection of Foley's songs.
Three songs were posthumously co-written by Texas singer-songwriter and old-time music historian Jon Hogan, from lyrics found in Foley's handwriting after his death at the request of the Foley estate, were released on the 2010 album Every Now and Then: Songs of Townes Van Zandt & Blaze Foley." They include "Every Now and Then," "Safe in the Arms of Love," and "Can't Always Cry." In 2017, Hogan and musical partner Maria Moss re-recorded "Can't Always Cry" for their album "In Dreams I Go Back Home."
Foley's music is featured prominently in a feature-length documentary film about him entitled Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah, released in 2011 by filmmaker Kevin Triplett.
Foley's song "Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac" featured prominently at the end of Episode 8 of the first season of "Preacher."
The song "Reverend" by Kings of Leon, which appears on their 2016 album "WALLS", is a tribute to Foley.
Film
In January 2018 Blaze , a biographical drama directed by Ethan Hawke premiered at the Sundance. The screenplay was adapted by Hawke from the novel Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze by Sybil Rosen. The film stars musician Ben Dickey as Foley, Alia Shawkat, Sam Rockwell, Kris Kristofferson and Charlie Sexton as Townes Van Zandt.
Quotes
About Foley
- "He's only gone crazy once. Decided to stay." - Townes Van Zandt
- "Blaze Foley was a genius and a beautiful loser." - Lucinda Williams
Discography
- If I Could Only Fly/Let Me Ride In Your Big Cadillac (Zephyr Records; 7" 45-only release; 1000) 1979
- Blaze Foley (Vital Records; LP-only release; 7497-33) 1984
- Girl Scout Cookies/Oval Room (Vital Records; 7" 45-only release; 7077) 1984
- Live At the Austin Outhouse (...And Not There) (Outhouse Records; cassette-only release) 1989
- Live At the Austin Outhouse (Lost Art Records) 1999
- Oval Room (Lost Art Records) 2004, (Munic/Indigo) 2005
- Wanted More Dead Than Alive (Waddell Hollow Records) 2005
- Cold Cold World (Lost Art Records) 2006
- Sittin' by the Road (Lost Art Records) 2010
- The Dawg Years (Fat Possum Records) 2010
- Duct Tape Messiah Documentary Soundtrack (Lost Art Records) 2011
- Blaze Foley (Big Pink re-issue of Vital Records LP) 2012
Literature
- Carmen und Kai Nees: Blaze Foley - Ein Aussenseiter, der zur Legende wurde - Self-published in 2018; ISBN 978-3-00-058564-7 - Book in German.
External links
- Living In The Woods In A Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley" by Sybil Rosen (memoir, available at Amazon.com)
- Official Site
- Documentary movie website
- Blaze Foley: Duct Tape Messiah on IMDb
- Website of the German book publication
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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