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.
Ramblin' Scramblin'
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tryin' to get my mind untangled....
Ain't never seen nothin' in the whole wide world
That give more trouble than to try 'n love a girl
In the song "Ramblin' Scramblin'", Jerry Jeff Walker expresses the struggles of a man trying to understand the complexities of the heart. The opening lyrics "Ramblin', Scramblin' / Tryin' to get my mind untangled" set the tone for the singer's confusion and frustration. He then goes on to reveal that he has experienced difficulty in loving a girl and that he has found nothing in the world that causes more trouble. The lyrics highlight the internal conflicts that arise with trying to comprehend the intricacies of human relationships and emotions.
The song's use of "ramblin'" and "scramblin'" creates a sense of chaos and disarray, emphasizing the singer's scattered thoughts and emotions. The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness as the man tries to make sense of his feelings. The emotional turmoil depicted in the song is a relatable theme that many people have experienced when trying to navigate the complexities of love and relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Ramblin', Scramblin'
Moving around aimlessly and frantically
Tryin' to get my mind untangled....
Attempting to clear my thoughts and emotions
Ain't never seen nothin' in the whole wide world
I have never encountered anything anywhere
That give more trouble than to try 'n love a girl
That causes more complications and difficulties than attempting to love a woman
Lyrics Š O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Monica Coady
This is the best song No matter how down I am cuz my grandma just died I'm playing sad songs and I played this and I automatically had the biggest smile on my face. I just found out from the comments RIP JERRYđ
Susan Jamieson-Kennedy
nobody in the world better than JJW! Such happy old memories! He was born in my neighborhood too! Had to go all the way to San Francisco to see him live at the opera house! What a show!
Marc C
Damn thatâs so cool!!!!!
Travis Harper
Just heard about Jerry passing away last night & been up playing alot of his stuff & sometimes getting off track with a few other great musicians . My son sent me this one & it's one I hadn't heard in years. Guy's please share a Jerry Jeff Walker song with other . RIP Jerry jeff Walker.
Kim Warner
Just shared this song with an old friend who needed it. One of Jerry's good ones. Long Live Jerry Jeff.
Warren Lemerich
One of his finest...too bad he won't play it live any longer :(
Carving the Gorge
Well, if it's any consolation, if Jimmy Reed was alive, he wouldn't be doing "Upside Your Head" anymore, either. I think it's great that violence against women is no longer allowed to be glorified and enabled in songs.
mixrmandd
By God this is the best song ever recorded
Jamie Mathieson
Havenât heard this song in probably 30 years or more. My dad used to play it all the time in the car
Ted Bohlin
thanks man - for some reason I started humming this tune today after about 20 years and wondered if it was out there. great to hear! happy new year