Jan Van Vliet (/væn ˈvliːt/)(née Janet L. Jenkins) was married to musician & painter Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart). They met in the autumn of 1969 upon the completion and release of his iconic album Trout Mask Replica. They were married in November 1969 at a County Courthouse in Los Angeles, California.[1] Her younger brother James was a mountaineer who helped map the Pacific Crest Trail.
Janet Van Vliet maintained a low profile throughout her husband's music career, her name quietly appearing from time to time on his work. The couple finally settled in Arcata after Vliet's retirement from the music industry in 1982, when he then embarked on a moderately successful career in painting. They were married for over forty years before Don Van Vliet tragically died in December 2010 after suffering for some time with multiple sclerosis. She has been generally described, by many of the musicians that were embroiled in Beefheart's apparently egocentric and forceful manner at recordings as, 'a sea of calmness in an otherwise troubled musical environment'. Drummer John French suggested in his book Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic; "I think if working with Don had been anything like working with her, I could have done a hundred more albums".[2]
Her lyrics on "Blabber 'N Smoke" (1972) on The Spotlight Kid album makes an interesting and early social comment on examining our actions within our environment and is much in harmony with the couple's long-term viewpoint on the preservation of life on Earth, especially wildlife. Jan Van Vliet is also credited for compositions on Unconditionally Guaranteed and on Ice Cream For Crow as co-producer with Jeff Moris Tepper.
Notes edit
- ^ http://www.beefheart.com/zigzag/articles/wedding.htm Janet & Don Vliet's wedding, as reported by an attendee.
- ^ John French, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic, p666. ISBN 978-0-9561212-1-9