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.
Pick Up The Tempo
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
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Of people like me
And that I'm living too fast and they say I won't last
Much longer
But little they see that their thoughts of me
Is my savior
And little they know the beat ought to goA little faster
So pick up the tempo
Pick up the tempo
So pick up the tempo just a little bit
And take it on home
The singer ain't singing
And the drummer's been draggin'
Too long
Time will take care of itself so just leave time alone
And pick up the tempo just a little
And take it on home
I'm wild and I'm mean, I'm creating a scene
I'm goin' crazy
I'm good and I'm bad, I'm happy and sad
And I'm lazy
I'm quiet and loud and I'm creatin' a crowd
And I like rabies
I'm 'bout half off the wall but I learned it all
In the Navy
So pick up the tempo
Pick up the tempo
So pick up the tempo
And take it on home
The song "Pick Up The Tempo" by Jerry Jeff Walker is an ode to living life to the fullest and embracing one's wild side. The lyrics suggest that although people may think the singer is living too fast and won't last, it is their free-spirited attitude that is actually saving them. The singer encourages the listener to pick up the tempo and take it on home, suggesting that time will take care of itself and to leave it alone. The song also acknowledges the singer's multifaceted personality, describing themselves as both good and bad, happy and sad, loud and quiet, and slightly off the wall.
Overall, the song promotes a carefree and joyful approach to life, one that embraces all aspects of one's personality and pushes for increased energy and excitement. The lyrics suggest that living life quickly may actually be beneficial, as it helps to keep things interesting and prevents getting bogged down by the monotony of routine.
Line by Line Meaning
People are saying that times take care
Of people like me
People think that my wild and free lifestyle will lead to my demise, but they are mistaken
And that I'm living too fast and they say I won't last
Much longer
People believe that my reckless behavior will lead to a shortened life
But little they see that their thoughts of me
Is my savior
Ironically, people's negative perceptions of me actually keep me true to myself
And little they know the beat ought to go
A little faster
People don't realize that life should be lived with more energy and enthusiasm
So pick up the tempo
Pick up the tempo
So pick up the tempo just a little bit
And take it on home
Let's live life with more vigor and passion, and take it to our final destination
The singer ain't singing
And the drummer's been draggin'
Too long
Our life song is getting boring and uninspired, and it's time to change things up
Time will take care of itself so just leave time alone
And pick up the tempo just a little
And take it on home
We shouldn't worry about the future, as time will work things out on its own. Instead, we should focus on living life more fully in the present
I'm wild and I'm mean, I'm creating a scene
I'm goin' crazy
I'm living life with reckless abandon, causing chaos and having fun doing it
I'm good and I'm bad, I'm happy and sad
And I'm lazy
I have my ups and downs, and sometimes I'm just plain lazy
I'm quiet and loud and I'm creatin' a crowd
And I like rabies
I have a wide range of personality traits, and I enjoy stirring up excitement and controversy
I'm 'bout half off the wall but I learned it all
In the Navy
I may be a bit crazy, but I gained valuable life lessons during my time in the Navy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE NELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind