ASH GROVE HOSTS TRIBUTE TO VAN ZANDT.

Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt may not have scored any hits himself, but he won a place in the hearts of folk and country fans the world over.

Van Zandt, whose warm, dusty songs were covered by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and the Cowboy Junkies, died Jan. 1 at age 52.

Sunday, the Ash Grove on Santa Monica Pier hosts a tribute to Van Zandt starring Steve Young, Butch Hancock, Peter Case, Kimmie Rhodes and others.

Proceeds go to the Van Zandt family in Smyrna, Texas. One of his last performances took place last summer at the Ash Grove.

Perhaps Van Zandt's best-known song during his almost three-decades-long recording career was ``Pancho and Lefty,'' which Haggard and Nelson took to the top of the country charts in 1983.

The Ash Grove is at 250 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica. Show time is 4 p.m., and tickets are $15. Information: [phone].

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Photo: Singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt died Jan. 1.