Blaze Foley

Blaze Foley may have only lived to the age of 39, but in that time he became an almost legendary figure among friends and colleagues. Born Michael David Fuller on December 18, 1949, he grew up singing with his with his relations as The Singing Fuller Family, a gospel act. He moved to a commune in the 70s, and met Sybil Rosen, who would prove to be his muse and his wife. Inspired by his new love, he began a music career in earnest, and the two settled in Austin where he became tight with Texas singer-songwriter Towns Van Zandt. He played live and continued to write songs that mixed honesty, humor, and his own quirky sensibilities, all while living a peripatetic life. A series of unfortunate events kept any of his albums from being released in his lifetime. In 1987 Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard recorded his song “If I Could Only Fly” He died February 1, 1989, shot by the son of an elderly friend. His legend grew after his death with artists like John Prine and Lyle Lovett recording his songs. He became the subject of songs from his old friend Van Zandt (“Blaze’s Blues”), as well as Kings of Leon (“Reverend”) and Lucinda Williams (“Drunken Angel”). Rosen’s memoir of her time with Foley was adapted into the 2018 movie Blaze, directed by Ethan Hawke.