Blaze Foley: “Clay Pigeons”

Blaze Foley (born Michael David Fuller) was one of those country music singers that people like to joke about when they say country is just all about “losing your truck, dog, girl…etc.”  But tragically, the circumstances of Foley’s life were such that his mournfully tragic tunes were absolutely in keeping with the musician’s life.  Though Foley was part of the same “outlaw country” movement that brought Townes Van Zandt and Merle Haggard to fame (Foley was even a personal friend of Van Zandt’s) he never really saw as much success as his contemporaries.  Foley dealt with the demons of drug abuse, booze, and homelessness all his life before dying at the age of forty of a gunshot wound sustained in the midst of a family feud.   His records were largely unreleased or forgotten about.  This fall however, Secret Seven Recordings will be releasing a collection of Foley’s recordings entitled Clay Pigeons.  It will contain twelve songs by Foley that will be offered on vinyl for the very first time.  You can check out the title track (which was memorably covered by John Prine) below and if you are interested in hearing more the album can be pre-ordered here.

     — Jon Behm

Blaze Foley – Clay Pigeons

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Jon Behm