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.
No Roots In Ramblin'
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like my emptiness today
At how I know that the blues will haunt me
'Til I die or rambling' sets me straight
I do not doubt that you are really trying
It's just that I must break things down
I cannot see myself in your shoes
I've got to go and bring it back around
I'm like a packrat in disguise
I leave a song and I take your wine, truth
To spend the night alone beneath the sky
I'm now alone and I know I need to ramble
'Cause it's the call from deep inside
Away out there I'm sure am honest
For it's the strongest friend that I can find
Thinking lonely thoughts about tomorrow
Like my emptiness today
At how I know that the blues will haunt me
'Til I die or rambling' sets me straight
The lyrics of "No Roots In Ramblin'" by Jerry Jeff Walker deals with the feeling of restlessness and the need for constant movement. The singer of the song is someone who constantly thinks about the future and the emptiness they feel today. They know the blues will keep haunting them until they either die or go rambling. The singer reflects on how they cannot see themselves in someone else's shoes and must go back to their ways.
The chorus reflects the need to ramble, which is a call from deep inside. The singer knows that they need to go out there and be honest with themselves because it's the strongest "friend" they can find. They know that the feeling of loneliness will continue to haunt them until they go back on the road.
The song overall explores the theme of loneliness and the need for constant movement. The singer knows that they are destined to be alone but finds solace in the constant motion. In essence, the song speaks to anyone who cannot stay in one place for a long time and is always seeking something new.
Line by Line Meaning
Thinking lonely thoughts about tomorrow
Contemplating and pondering about the future in isolation
Like my emptiness today
Similar to the feeling of hollowness and vacuousness currently present
At how I know that the blues will haunt me
Anticipating the melancholic emotions to persist and continue to affect me
'Til I die or rambling' sets me straight
Until the end of my life or finding a sense of direction while wandering
I do not doubt that you are really trying
No lack of faith in your efforts and attempts
It's just that I must break things down
However, I need to simplify and dissect things
I cannot see myself in your shoes
I cannot relate to your experiences
I've got to go and bring it back around
I need to circle back and refocus
I'm here today and then I'm gone tomorrow
My presence is brief and fleeting
I'm like a packrat in disguise
I hoard memories and experiences like a rodent
I leave a song and I take your wine, truth
I offer music and entertainment while enjoying your hospitality and honesty
To spend the night alone beneath the sky
To sleep by myself, exposed to nature and elements
I'm now alone and I know I need to ramble
I am currently isolated and feel the urge to wander
'Cause it's the call from deep inside
Because it's an inner longing and urge
Away out there I'm sure am honest
I am certain that I am truthful and earnest while on the road
For it's the strongest friend that I can find
Because wandering is the most dependable and loyal companion I have
Contributed by Adeline N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.