Martin Wimmer is an author of music books, lyricist, music critic, curator of music related websites, social media groups and playlists, and a DJ playing songs from start to end. His focus is on americana, singer-songwriters, folk, country, texas music and related stuff.
With A Haven For Songs: Connecting The Dots About Americana Music (2021), selected works of Wimmer are available in the USA for the first time.
Martin Wimmer explains his personal relationship with the art of magicians such as Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Blaze Foley, Woody Guthrie, John Prine, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Mercer. These artists, among many others mentioned in the book, are the glue that holds together time, love, history, space, and identity. Join Wimmer on a trip down musical-memory lane as he recounts his adventures at the 30A Songwriter Festival in Florida, the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, and New York City. Finally, experience Wimmer’s perspective on the Cajun music of Louisiana, Hawaiian Slack Key, the Paisley Underground scene in California, Americana in Europe, and how each of these music scenes are tied to the “Country & Folk” music we know and love today.
His latest book with essays on music in German language (Martin Wimmer: Hankfurt, 2019) covers topics such as Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, Bob Dylan, the 30A Songwriter Festival, and the album Wanted! The Outlaws.
In his probably best known work (Martin Wimmer: Ich bin der neue Hilmar und trauriger als Townes = I’m the new Hilmar and sadder than Townes, 2016) Wimmer reveals how Johann Wolfgang von Goethe influenced the US songwriters and how Blues, Folk, Country and TexMex from the Lone Star State live on in German culture. This book covers the Heartworn Highways scene of the 70ies including Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Earle and up to current artists such as Hayes Carll or Sunny Sweeney. If you like Texan artists such as Kinky Friedman or Terence Malick, Lucinda Williams or Joe Lansdale, Robert Rauschenberg or Larry McMurtry this is your book. It also includes longer essays on the Kerrville Folk Festival and Luckenbach, touching on all kinds of Country and Americana Music, especially Cajun and Zydeco. There’s even a glowing review of Johnny Mercer. A good written introduction for starters. An unbelievable source for insiders. (Available as book or Kindle edition. Buy at Amazon.com Published August 2016 by renowned publishing house Weissbooks Verlag, 280 pages. German language.)
Martin also wrote the world’s first yoga musical (Martin Wimmer: OM. The Musical, 2019), published two novels and several other books with essays on cultural issues.
He wrote numerous song lyrics in both English (as Smartin Winner) and Bavarian (as Willi Ehms) language for renowned German artists, most notably No Snakes in Heaven, Mr Jones and Robert Hasleder.
He regularly writes as a music critic for prestigious magazines such as Folker, Roadtracks, Key West and Faust Kultur.
Martin is very active on facebook /de.martin.wimmer, and rarely on instagram @hilmartownes
On Facebook he is the curator of
Townes Van Zandt Tributes: https://www.facebook.com/townes20 and
Borderlord‘s Americana and Songwriters Spotify Playlists: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2600501886931190/
You‘ll also find him active in facebook groups like Lost Highway Germany, Friends of Blaze Foley, Without getting killed or caught: For Guy Clark friends and fans, All good Wishes: A Texas Spirited Singer Songwriter Fangroup, Music For Lovers and many more.
Both on YouTube and Spotify Martin curates playlists with songs about / for / namechecking Townes Van Zandt:
Songs about Townes Van Zandt Spotify Playlist
Songs for Townes YouTube Playlist
On YouTube you’ll also find his playlist with more than 100 full Townes Van Zandt concerts:
Townes Van Zandt Full Concerts YouTube Playlist
Make sure to check out his Townes Van Zandt Discography
You’ll find lots of his carefully curated playlists on Spotify, most notably “Women’s Day – 1,000 female voices” and “Black, Red. Gold and Indigo – The Best Americana Music From Germany”:
Martin Wimmer‘s Spotify Profile
Contact him anytime: townes@web.de
A Haven For Songs 