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.
Leavin' Texas
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel alive again and with every footstep that's settin me free
Hey old friends,
Keep alive the good times we've had in those rollin',
Rollin' hills
They will always be a part of me
Whenever I think of Texas memories
Oh Texas I'm just a little lost but I'm keepin' on,
Just like that morning star, that's ahead of me,
I keep shinin' on
'til I make it to the borders of the Rio Grande
There I'll catch me one last sunset 'cross the prairie
Well everything is movin right, so movin's right
Still I can't deny that old loneliness that comes sometimes
But every mile and footstep goin' down
Ain't no way a man keeps a count,
You just never forget that lonely stretch
Where you keep on for keepin on
CHORUS x 2
The first verse of the song Leavin' Texas by Jerry Jeff Walker is a nostalgic reminiscence of Texas. The sounds of Texas seem to come alive and as he walks through the state, every footstep feels like a release. The singer says hello to old friends and reminds them to keep the good times alive in their memories. He acknowledges that the rolling hills of Texas will always be a part of him and even when he is not there, they will always be his memories of Texas.
The chorus encompasses the central theme of the song, which is about moving on from Texas. The singer is lost but he is determined to keep moving forward like the morning star, always shining and never giving up until he reaches the borders of the Rio Grande. He wants to catch one last sunset across the prairie before continuing his journey.
The second verse of the song notes that while everything seems to be going well, the singer occasionally experiences loneliness. But every mile and every footstep is a testament to his perseverance. There is no counting the steps - just the momentous journey and the lonely stretch of road that he keeps on trudging through. Every minute is a part of his journey and nothing can stop him from moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
Texas this morning the sounds they just sing to me
This morning in Texas, the sounds around me make me feel refreshed and alive.
I feel alive again and with every footstep that's settin me free
My walk here in Texas is setting my soul free, and I'm feeling alive once again.
Hey old friends, Keep alive the good times we've had in those rollin', Rollin' hills
My dear friends, hold on to the happy moments we've shared in the Texas hills, and keep them alive.
They will always be a part of me Whenever I think of Texas memories
The memories of those Texas hills will always be cherished and remain an integral part of my life.
Oh Texas I'm just a little lost but I'm keepin' on, Just like that morning star, that's ahead of me, I keep shinin' on 'til I make it to the borders of the Rio Grande
Though I feel a little lost at the moment, like a morning star, I will keep shining and moving forward until I reach the Rio Grande's borders.
There I'll catch me one last sunset 'cross the prairie
I plan to bask in the beauty of one final Texas sunset across the prairie there.
Well everything is movin right, so movin's right Still I can't deny that old loneliness that comes sometimes
Everything is going well, and it feels right to keep moving. However, I still can't ignore the occasional loneliness that I feel.
But every mile and footstep goin' down Ain't no way a man keeps a count, You just never forget that lonely stretch Where you keep on for keepin on
Though I can't count how many miles or steps I've taken, I'll never forget that lonely patch where I simply had to keep walking forward.
CHORUS x 2
The chorus repeats twice and emphasizes that even though I may feel lost sometimes, I'll keep moving forward like a morning star, shining every step of the way until I reach the end of my journey in Texas.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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