During the late 1950s, Crosby was a member of a local Oneonta teen band called The Tones. The band traveled to Philadelphia to audition for Dick Clark's "American Bandstand", but were turned down. Members of the band found Dick Clark's house and were able to get a recommendation to audition at New York City's Baton Records through the company's lead producer Sol Rabinowitz. The band was given a recording contract, but the studio wanted a quintet backed by studio musicians, which left Crosby and another member out of their recordings.
After high school, Crosby joined the National Guard, but his thirst for adventure led him to go AWOL and roam the country busking for a living in areas like New Orleans, Texas, Florida, and New York. He played mostly ukulele until Harriet Ottenheimer, one of the founders of The Quorum, got him settled on a guitar in 1963. He adopted his stage name "Jerry Jeff Walker" in 1966. He spent his early folk music days in Greenwich Village in the mid 1960s. He co-founded a band with Bob Bruno in the late 1960s called Circus Maximus that put out two albums one with the popular west coast hit "Wind", but Bruno's interest in jazz apparently diverged from Walker's interest in folk music. Walker thus resumed his solo career and recorded the seminal album "Mr. Bojangles" with the help of David Bromberg and other influential Atlantic recording artists. He settled in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s associating mainly with the country-rock outlaw scene that included artists such as Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings, and Townes Van Zandt.
"Mr. Bojangles" (written by Walker) is perhaps his most well-known and most-often covered song. It was about an obscure alcoholic but talented tap-dancing drifter, (not the famous stage and movie dancer Bill Robinson, as usually assumed). Bojangles is thought to have been a folk character who entertained informally in the south of the US and California, and some say he might have been one of the most gifted natural dancers ever. Authentic reports of him exist from the 1920s through about 1965. Artists from Nina Simone to Bob Dylan, Philip Glass to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, have covered the song. Walker has also recorded songs written by others such as "LA Freeway" (Guy Clark), and "Up Against the Wall Red Neck Mother" (Ray Wylie Hubbard).
A string of records for MCA and Elektra followed Jerry Jeff's move to Austin, before he gave up on the mainstream music business and formed his own independent record label. Tried & True Music was founded in 1986, with his wife Susan as President and manager. Susan also founded Goodknight Music as his management company and Tried & True Artists for his bookings. A series of increasingly autobiographical records followed under the Tried & True imprint. Tried & True also sells his autobiography called "Gypsy Songman". In 2004, Jerry Jeff released his first DVD of songs from his past as performed in an intimate setting in Austin, TX.
He interpreted the songs of others like Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Keith Sykes, Paul Siebel, Bob Dylan, Todd Snider and even a rodeo clown named Billy Jim Baker.
His son, Django Walker, is also a musician. In addition to his residence in Austin, Walker had a retreat on Ambergris Caye in Belize where he recorded his "Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits" album in 1998.
Members of his band varied over the years. The Lost Gonzo Band and the Gonzo Compadres have backed him in the past. Key members of his band included Craig Hillis - guitarist and arranger on Viva Terlingua, John Inmon, Freddy Krc, Gary P. Nunn, Bob Livingston, Bobby Rambo, Mitch Watkins, Steve Samuel, David Bromberg and others.
Gypsy Songman
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
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Pick it for you now, play it all night long
If blues is all you see, this song is what you need
Gypsy Songman passing by
Yeah, my whole life is a song and I'll share it with you now
Pickin' and a singin', I'll get by somehow
A dime would help me, please, a smile is all I need
Kids come a runnin' as I pass by, they all want to see
Say, "Hey, Gypsy Songman, play a song for me"
[Incomprehensible]
Gypsy Songman passing by
I've got as stage on every corner, got a hall on every street
My hat is my coin box, this song is what you need
It's just a swapping time, a song is for your dime
Gypsy Songman passing by
So as I leave you now, please remember me this time
I'm the man who sang the song for your nickels and your dimes
Today you saw me play as I stopped along the way
Gypsy Songman passing by
Yeah, I'm Gypsy Songman, yes sir, you'd like to hear my song
Pick it for you now, play it all night long
If blues is all you see, this song is what you need
Gypsy Songman passing by, just a Gypsy Songman passing by
Jerry Jeff Walker's song, "Gypsy Songman" talks about a musician who travels and plays his music for people to make a living. The song's lyrics are from the perspective of the songman himself expressing his passion for music and how he is willing to share his life as a song with others. He sings that he can play all night long and that this song is what you need, suggesting that his music can cure the blues that people might feel. He sees his entire life as a song and feels that he can get by with just playing and singing for those who can spare a dime or give him a smile. He also mentions that he has a stage on every corner and a hall on every street, alluding to how music is everywhere for him and how he can never stop playing.
The song's chorus talks about how the Gypsy Songman is passing by and how you should remember him once he's gone. He emphasizes that he's a simple person who is just passing by, and all he wants is for people to enjoy his music and remember him for it. The song also touches upon how kids run to him asking him to play a song for them, and he obliges without any hesitation. The overall message is about how music can connect people, and how it can be used as a way to make people happy, even if it's just for a little while.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm Gypsy Songman, yes sir, you'd like to hear my song
I'm a traveling musician known as Gypsy Songman, and I'm here to share with you my music
Pick it for you now, play it all night long
I'll play my music for you, all night long, on my guitar
If blues is all you see, this song is what you need
If you're feeling down or blue, my music will uplift you and make you feel better
Gypsy Songman passing by
I'm a wandering musician traveling from place to place
Yeah, my whole life is a song and I'll share it with you now
My life is like a song and I'm happy to share it with anyone who will listen
Pickin' and a singin', I'll get by somehow
I'll survive by playing my music on my guitar and singing my songs
A dime would help me, please, a smile is all I need
Although a small tip would be appreciated, a simple smile is all that's required to make me happy
Kids come a runnin' as I pass by, they all want to see
Children are attracted to my music and often approach me to hear me play
Say, "Hey, Gypsy Songman, play a song for me"
They often request that I play a song for them
[Incomprehensible]
This line is unclear and cannot be interpreted
I've got as stage on every corner, got a hall on every street
I make do with what I have and use every street corner as my stage, and every hall as my performance venue
My hat is my coin box, this song is what you need
I collect tips in my hat and my music is what you need in your life
It's just a swapping time, a song is for your dime
If you offer me a little tip, I'll sing you a song in return
So as I leave you now, please remember me this time
As I continue on my journey, I hope that you'll remember me and my music
I'm the man who sang the song for your nickels and your dimes
I'm the musician who played music for you in return for your small tips
Today you saw me play as I stopped along the way
You witnessed me playing my music as I stopped along my journey
just a Gypsy Songman passing by
I'm simply a wandering musician known as Gypsy Songman, moving from place to place as I play my music
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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