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.
Jingle Bell Rock
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
We got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh yeah
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
"Jingle Bells" is one of the most popular and recognizable Christmas songs in the world. The song celebrates the joys of the holiday season, particularly the fun of sleigh riding through the snow. The lyrics describe a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the wintry countryside, with the rhythmic sounds of bells adding to the festive atmosphere. The song is written in a simple, catchy style that is easy to sing along with, making it an ideal choice for holiday carolers.
The opening verse of the song sets the scene for a lively and joyful sleigh ride through the snow. The singer of the song describes dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh, accompanied by the sound of bells ringing on the horses' bobtails. The second verse shifts the focus to a day or two ago, when the singer took a ride with Miss Fanny Bright. The ride didn't go as planned, with the horse getting stuck in a snowdrift and causing the sleigh to tip over.
Despite the mishap, the lyrics suggest that the overall experience of sleigh riding is a joyful one. The chorus urges everyone to "Jingle all the way" while riding in a one-horse open sleigh, highlighting the fun and enthusiasm of the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
Dashing through the snow
Moving at a rapid pace on a snowy day
In a one horse open sleigh
Travelling in a vehicle with a single horse pulling it and no roof
O'er the fields we go
Crossing fields while travelling
Laughing all the way
Enjoying the journey and having a good time
Bells on bob tails ring
The bells on the horses’ tails jingling as they walk or run
Making spirits bright
Creating a joyful and cheerful atmosphere and feeling positive vibes
What fun it is to laugh and sing
Expressing joy and singing while enjoying the ride
A sleighing song tonight
A song about riding in a sleigh being played tonight
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
The sound of the bells jingling
Jingle all the way
The bells ringing in a pleasing way till the end of the journey
Oh, what fun it is to ride
The excitement and pleasure of riding the horse-drawn vehicle
In a one horse open sleigh
Moving through the snow-covered roads with a single horse pulling it
A day or two ago
A little while back
I thought I'd take a ride
Deciding to take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
A lady named Fanny Bright joined the ride
Was seated by my side
Sitting next to each other in the sleigh
The horse was lean and lank
The horse was thin and boney
Misfortune seemed his lot
The horse appeared to be in bad luck or unlucky
We got into a drifted bank
The sleigh got stuck in a pile of snow
And then we got upsot
The sleigh toppled over and fell down
Jingle bells, jingle bells
The sound of the bells jingling
Jingle all the way
The joyous sound keeping ringing
Oh, what fun it is to ride
Having fun despite falling down
In a one horse open sleigh yeah
Continuing the adventurous journey in the same vehicle
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Traditional, Manuel Andres Vazquez Terry, Uriel Salinas Resendiz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind