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.
Pot Can't Call The Kettle Black
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
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Lace your shoes with country blues
Ramble down that dusty ole road
Take your money down in the town
Gonna get rich in the game
Come on home drunk at day breakYou got no room to complain
Chorus:
Cause the pot can't call the kettle black
Cause the train's all runnin' on the same ole track
Can't feel nothing but your life flyin' by
You got trouble on your hands, trouble on your mind
Grandpa had him a wanderin' eye
He must a passed it on down to me
None of the girls are pretty as Suzanne
But I like some that I see
Chorus:
Cause the pot can't call the kettle black
Cause the train's all runnin' on the same ole track
Can't feel nothing but your life flyin' by
You got trouble on your hands, trouble on your mind
Bottom of the bottle sure makes you feel good
I'd like you better that way
So clap your hands and make up a song
I hear every word that you say
Chorus:
Cause the pot can't call the kettle blackCause the train's all runnin' on the same ole track
Can't feel nothing but your life flyin' by
You got trouble on your hands, trouble on your mind
What in the world can a poor boy do
But let his ole ramblin' roll
In Pot Can't Call The Kettle Black by Jerry Jeff Walker, the lyrics depict the struggles and desires of a country man in pursuit of success and happiness through his own terms. The singer is pointed towards the reality of life and that everyone goes through the same journey, facing challenges and obstacles in their path to achieve their goals. The message is delivered through a series of comparisons like the pot and the kettle that both get blackened, the train running on the same track, and enjoying the bottom of the bottle momentarily. The song also showcases the influence of the wanderlust personality passed down from the singer's grandfather and finding beauty in a diverse range of individuals.
The lyrics serve as a reflection of the artist's disheartenment with cultural and societal norms of the time, pushing towards a more free-spirited and independent approach to life. The song is an ideal amalgamation of country music with a touch of jazz and reggae, making it a unique addition to the genre. The witty and metaphorical use of language in the lyrics is accompanied by a soulful tune and a catchy chorus, making it a memorable and relatable tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Lace your shoes with country blues
Put on your shoes and prepare for some sad, slow country music
Ramble down that dusty ole road
Take a long walk down an old, unpaved road
Take your money down in the town
Go to town and gamble your money
Gonna get rich in the game
You hope to win a lot of money gambling
Come on home drunk at day break
You stumble home drunk as the sun is coming up
You got no room to complain
You can't complain because you brought this on yourself
Cause the pot can't call the kettle black
You can't criticize others for something you do yourself
Cause the train's all runnin' on the same ole track
Everyone is essentially doing the same thing in life
Can't feel nothing but your life flyin' by
Life seems to be passing you by with nothing but trouble
You got trouble on your hands, trouble on your mind
You have problems that are weighing on your mind
He must a passed it on down to me
Grandpa's unfaithful tendencies were inherited by the singer
None of the girls are pretty as Suzanne
No one can compare to Suzanne in terms of beauty
But I like some that I see
But there are other girls that the singer likes
Bottom of the bottle sure makes you feel good
Drinking alcohol can give a temporary sense of happiness
I'd like you better that way
The singer prefers someone when they are drunk
So clap your hands and make up a song
Create a melody and sing along
I hear every word that you say
The artist is listening intently
What in the world can a poor boy do
There is not much that someone from a low social class can do to improve their situation
But let his ole ramblin' roll
Just keep moving forward in life despite difficulties
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JERRY JEFF WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind