Blaze Foley — Austin, Texas

Blaze Foley — born Michael David Fuller on 18 December 1949 — was a Texas singer-songwriter who spent much of his career in Austin and who became one of the most mythologised figures of the Texas folk tradition despite recording almost nothing officially during his lifetime. His songs, including 'If I Could Only Fly' (later recorded by Merle Haggard, who considered it the finest song he had ever heard), 'Clay Pigeons', and 'Oval Room', demonstrate the same economy and emotional precision as Townes Van Zandt — his friend and sometime companion on the road — but Foley's life was defined by a greater degree of chaos and self-destruction.

Foley spent years in the Austin folk and honky-tonk scene, performing at venues including the Austin Outhouse and the Hole in the Wall, developing a reputation for intensity and unreliability in roughly equal measure. He was murdered on 1 February 1989 at the age of 39, shot by Carey January — the son of his friend Carey January Sr. — in a dispute at a house in Austin. The circumstances of the killing were contested, and January was acquitted on a claim of self-defence.

Austin has gradually come to recognise Foley as a significant figure in its musical heritage. A feature film — Blaze, directed by Ethan Hawke — was released in 2018 and introduced his story to a wider audience. Various Austin venues where he performed maintain connections to his legacy, and the Austin folk music community regards him as one of its most important if most overlooked figures. His grave is in the Austin area.