Discography

If I Could Only Fly b/w Let Me Ride in Your Big Cadillac

45 RPM single, 1979
Released by Zephyr Records, recorded at Pecan Street Studios in Austin, Texas (now a parking lot) with Gurf Morlix.

Blaze Foley Inside

Unreleased LP, 1980
Recorded at Loma Ranch Studios near Kerrville, Texas. The master tapes, which Blaze carried around to show people, were stolen from Blaze’s car. The album was released posthumously in 2006 by Lost Art Records as Cold, Cold World from a quarter inch mix down stereo tape found in the studio. Gurf Morlix added the small number of instrumental dubs that he and Blaze had talked about adding.

Blaze Foley

Vinyl LP, 1984
Blaze’s first eponymous album by Vital Records, it was pressed but never distributed. The executive producer was arrested and entered into the witness protection program. Blaze got boxes of the albums to give to friends and barter. Gurf Morlix and other friends appear on the album, along with the Muscle Shoals Horns. Very unusual production value, yet still retains that Blaze Foley quality.

Oval Room b/w Girl Scout Cookies

45 RPM single, 1984
From the Vital Records LP entitled Blaze Foley, recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It was pressed and some promotional copies sent out, but due to the executive producer getting busted, they were mostly distributed to friends by Blaze.

Blaze Foley

Unreleased LP, 1988
Blaze’s second eponymous albums was never pressed. The genesis of this album was Blaze’s wanting to make a country style album. His friends, Leland and David Waddell, talked a studio owner into letting them come in after hours to record as much material as they could with Blaze. Heartland Records became interested in the project and, through Townes Van Zandt’s executive producer, Harold F. Eggers Jr., eventually got Blaze to sign a contract for distribution of the album. But Blaze was killed before the album could be finished and the master tapes disappeared over legal concerns, eventually being irreparably damaged in a flood. A posthumous release was created from a studio safety tape discovered behind the seat of the Waddell brothers’ pickup truck.

Live at the Austin Outhouse (and not there)

Cassette, 1989
Produced by John Casner and recorded by him over two nights with his multitrack studio cassette deck at the defunct Austin Outhouse. Blaze pawned his gut-strung guitar with internal pickup and had to borrow a steel-strung guitar with no pickup. So John had to mic the guitar which is why this album has that wonderful live touch, with faint sounds of the Outhouse in the background like manager Chuck Lamb’s cash register. One hundred copies were made and sold posthumously to pay for Blaze’s burial. A second pressing was never undertaken due to legal reasons. Recorded over two nights at the Austin Outhouse in December, 1988. Originally intended as a live album on Heartland Records and as a demo tape to send to artists like Merle Haggard (whom Blaze addresses at one point between songs).

Live at the Outhouse

Vinyl and CD, 1999
A re-release of the recordings by John Casner (see above) and released by Lost Art Records in Austin, Texas. This was their first Blaze Foley album and it features just half of the material recorded over those two nights at the Austin Outhouse in December, 1988. Remastered at Terra Nova Studio in Austin.

Oval Room

Vinyl and CD, 2005
The second re-release of Blaze Foley’s two nights in December, 1988 at the Outhouse. Gurf Morlix was invited to produce this version, adding a few tracks (bass, drums, guitar and backing vocals) to give the album a Fuller live sound. Gurf gave attention to recording the tracks as if the musicians were part of a pickup band for a less slick and more authentic sound.

Wanted More Dead Than Alive

CD, 2005
Originally released by Waddell Hollow, later by Lost Art Records. This is the long lost Heartland Records album, recovered from a cassette tape safety found behind the Waddell brothers’ pickup truck seat. The recordings are rough but show a Blaze whose voice was still strong. The backing musicians are polished with a country edge.

Cold, Cold World

Vinyl and CD, 2006
The long lost Loma Ranch recordings which had the master tapes stolen from Blaze’s car in Houston around 1978. The only remaining copies were thought to be a cassette that bandmate Gurf Morlix kept. Then the studio found a 1/4″ mix down stereo tape while cleaning out the studio around 2005. They were restored and a few missing tracks added by Gurf (“I knew what the parts were that Blaze wanted to add, because we talked about it, and I heard them in my head”). Released by Lost Art Records.

The Dawg Years

Vinyl and CD, 2010
Recorded in a friend’s living room using a German reel-to-reel and microphone, similar to the Lomax field recordings. These are amazing single-takes of Blaze’s early songs, some of which are available only on this album. These are the earliest known recordings, carefully restored by the master of restoration, Rick Rowe. These are just Blaze and his gut-strung guitar. Released by Fat Possum Records.

Sittin’ by the Road

Vinyl and CD, 2010
Recorded in an unknown recording studio as a demo tape for Blaze to sell his songs. The original tape was transferred to cassette at a friend’s house and long forgotten until the documentary film project uncovered them. Restored and remastered in Austin and then released by Lost Art Records. Like The Dawg Years, this is just Blaze and his gut-strung guitar, but several years later and in a recording studio. Some of the songs are only available on this album.

Duct Tape Messiah Soundtrack

Vinyl and CD, 2011
Selections of the music used in the documentary film Duct Tape Messiah. Released by Lost Art Records, this album contains a collection of Blaze recordings, some not available anywhere else including My Reasons Why, considered by some to be a companion piece to Clay Pigeons and Blaze’s signature song, If I Could Only. These three form like an audio triptych, or three pieces that describe a period in Blaze’s life. Also contains an early recording of gospel music performed by the Fuller Family gospel trio featuring Blaze on guitar.

Clay Pigeons

Vinyl, 2011
Release by San Francisco-based Secret Seven. This is a compilation album of Blaze Foley songs from various sources, mostly acoustic and mostly just Blaze and his guitar. A limited number were pressed and a second pressing was made. (This was the first vinyl album since the 1984 Vital Records failed release, all other vinyl recordings were released after this one.)

Blaze Foley

CD, 2012
Re-issue of the Vital Records album from 1984 by Big Pink in Korea. Had limited distribution, this release featured a nicely reprinted booklet of the original artwork for the album and fairly good audio quality.

Blaze Foley – Lost Muscle Shoals Recordings

Vinyl and CD, 2017
Remastered from a first play vinyl copy of the original, this is the definitive re-issue of the classic Blaze Foley album. Audio quality is excellent and the mix improved to showcase Blaze’s vocals. Released by Lost Art Records.

In Tribute and Loving Memory …

CD, 1989
Released by Deep South Productions as the first of four tribute albums. At the time of Blaze’s death, there were no recordings available. The genesis of this album began in 1990 as the result of compiling available covers by Pat Mears, Calvin Russell and others. Friends of Blaze were invited into the studio to record all of Blaze’s songs for release on subsequent tribute albums by the same label.

BFI Too: Blaze Ablaze

CD, 2001
The second tribute album from Deep South Productions.The title references the poem by Jubal Clark, read by Jubal on the first tribute album.

Blaze Foley Inside

CD, 2003
The third tribute album from Deep South Productions. The title references Blaze’s joke about the BFI logo on dumpsters: “Do you know what BFI stands for? Blaze Foley Inside.”

If I Could Only Fly

45 RPM Single, 1987
This was the lead single from the Epic Records album, Seashores of Old Mexico by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. The single reached #40 on Billboard’s Pop Country before being pulled by the record company.

Election Day

Sung by Lyle Lovett from his My Baby Don’t Tolerate album, released in 2003.

Clay Pigeons

Sung by John Prine from his Fair & Square album, released in 2005.

If I Could Only Fly

Sung by Merle Haggard from his If I Could Only Fly album, released in 2012.

If I Could Only Fly

Sung by Nancy Griffith from her Intersection album, released in 2012.

Blaze Foley’s 113th Wet Dream

CD, 2011
This complete album of Blaze songs by his former bandmate and producer Gurf Morlix was created to coincide with the release of the documentary film, Duct Tape Messiah. Gurf had been wanting to produce this tribute album for many years, already performing numerous Blaze songs in his live shows. Gurf and Kevin Triplett took the film and CD on the road as a traveling show through out North America and Europe to great success. The production on this album is true to both Gurf’s style and Blaze’s compositions.

Blaze’s Blues

Townes Van Zandt, from his studio album No Deeper Blue released in 1994 by Sugar Hill. Recorded in Limrick, Ireland.

Drunken Angel

Lucinda Williams, from her studio album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, released in 1998 by Mercury. Features Steve Earle on harmonica.

Music You Mighta Made

Gurf Morlix, from his studio album Last Exit to Happyland, released in 2009 by Rootball Records. Features Barbara Kooyman on backing vocals.

Reverend

Kings of Leon, from their Wall album, released in 2016. Caleb Followill lists Blaze Foley and Townes Van Zandt as personal influences and this song is in tribute to Blaze.

Songs for Blaze, a Friend of Ours

CD, 2007
This is the fourth and final tribute album from Deep South Productions, featuring friends and fans of Blaze Foley performing tribute songs to, or inspired by, Blaze. Features touching songs in remembrance of Blaze featuring Mandy Mercier, Pat Belen, John Casner, Kimmie Rhodes, George Ensle, Townes Van Zandt and Lucinda Williams. Also features a powerful song by Robin Carty, the title and chorus written by Blaze and the song finished by Robin.