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.
LONE WOLF
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
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Tracks in the snow to the city below
The lone wolf now he's coming to town
Lone wolf, he's lonesome and looking tonight
Oh you lone wolf, lock up your women and hide
Sneakin' down the back streets of town, he lives on the lam
Takes what he can, not giving a damn
You know how he is, he just do what he can
Oh you lone wolf, lock up your women and hide
Any fool can look in his eyes see that he's been around
Any movement better not make a sound
You know it's cold just livin' on the ground
Like a lone wolf, lockin' up the women tonight
Oh, lone wolf, lonesome and lookin' tonight
The lyrics of Jerry Jeff Walker's song "Lone Wolf" describe a lone wolf on a hillside, watching the sun go down, with tracks in the snow leading down to the city below. The song portrays the lone wolf as a figure of mystery and danger, sneaking through the back streets of the town, taking what he can without regard for what others think, and always looking for company, though he remains ultimately alone. The chorus warns the good residents of the town to lock up their women and hide, as the lone wolf is on the prowl, lonesome and looking for someone to share the night with.
The song's lyrics speak to a certain type of loneliness that can be found in even the most populated places, where people often keep to themselves and focus on their own pursuits. The lone wolf represents a sense of mystery and danger, someone who lives outside the norms of society and is always looking for something more. While the song's lyrics focus on the lone wolf's desire for companionship, they also suggest that this desire is ultimately futile, as he can never truly find what he's looking for. The song paints a vivid picture of a specific time and place, and invites the listener to imagine what it would be like to be a lone wolf, lonesome and looking for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
Frosty breath on the hillside, see that sun goin' down
On the cold hillside, watching the sun setting, breathing appears like smoke from the cold.
Tracks in the snow to the city below
Footprints in the snow lead to the city nearby.
The lone wolf now he's coming to town
A single, independent person is coming into the populated area.
Lone wolf, he's lonesome and looking tonight
The independent person is feeling lonely and searching for something tonight.
Oh you lone wolf, lock up your women and hide
Beware of the lone wolf, as he may steal your women and cause harm.
Sneakin' down the back streets of town, he lives on the lam
He is quietly moving through the city's streets while living on the run from the authorities.
Takes what he can, not giving a damn
He takes whatever he wants without caring about others.
You know how he is, he just do what he can
He is known for doing whatever he is capable of.
Any fool can look in his eyes see that he's been around
It is easy to tell from his eyes that he has experienced much in life.
Any movement better not make a sound
Any movement must be silent to avoid detection by the lone wolf.
You know it's cold just livin' on the ground
Life is difficult when living independently, without a home or shelter from the elements.
Like a lone wolf, lockin' up the women tonight
Like a true lone wolf, he is taking women and hiding them away tonight.
Oh, lone wolf, lonesome and lookin' tonight
Once again, the independent person is feeling lonely and seeking something tonight.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lee Clayton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind