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.
Seasons Change
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
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There is less light and the night is longer now
The air is full of something strange
No more at ease the geese fly stronger now
Because they know the seasons change
The gentle dove knows love is over now
My heart must start to play the rover now
Because I know the seasons change
Summer's here and then it's gone
Spots are changing on the fawn
Spring and summer held my heart
But I can feel the winter breaking all of that apart
Through autumn leaves I see your face right now
Your dress is wet with the summer rain
And though we loved I must erase you now
Because I know the seasons change
You must understand
Everything throughout the land will be another color soon
Winter breezes, autumn's moon
Our love is short, it cannot stay
It came by night, it's gone by day
The seasons change
The song "Seasons Change" by Jerry Jeff Walker is a poignant ballad that speaks about the inevitable changes in life. The lyrics allude to the seasonal changes that take place in nature, and how they mirror the changes that occur in human relationships. The song starts by describing the physical changes in the environment, with the nights getting longer and the air feeling different. The geese, which are known for their migratory patterns, are mentioned flying stronger, suggesting that they sense the coming changes.
The lyrics then shift to talking about the end of love, with the gentle dove knowing that love is over and the heart being urged to play the rover. The imagery of the fawn with changing spots and the changing leaves in autumn all add to the sense of impermanence and change. The singer's heart felt the warmth of spring and summer, but now he feels the winter coming and knows that everything will soon be a different color. The last stanza takes a more direct approach to the theme of the song, with the singer acknowledging that our love is short-lived and cannot endure in the face of the changes that are coming.
The song's message is one that resonates with many people, who have experienced the transience of love and the inevitability of change. The poetic imagery used in the lyrics adds to the emotional impact of the song, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
There is less light and the night is longer now
The days are getting shorter and nights are getting longer as we move from summer to fall
The air is full of something strange
There is a different feel in the air as we transition into a new season
No more at ease the geese fly stronger now
The geese are preparing for migration as winter approaches
Because they know the seasons change
Animals instinctively know when to prepare for seasonal changes
The gentle dove knows love is over now
The dove's mating season is coming to a close as fall approaches
Wanderlust sets him aflame
The dove is feeling a sense of restlessness and longing for the next season
My heart must start to play the rover now
I must be open to new experiences and wanderlust as the seasons change
Because I know the seasons change
I'm aware that change is inevitable and that the only constant is change itself
Summer's here and then it's gone
Summer is a brief and fleeting season that quickly gives way to fall
Spots are changing on the fawn
The changing of the seasons is reflected in the physical changes of the natural world
Spring and summer held my heart
I have a special fondness for the seasons of spring and summer
But I can feel the winter breaking all of that apart
The impending arrival of winter is causing a shift in my outlook and emotions
Through autumn leaves I see your face right now
The beauty of fall reminds me of a past love
Your dress is wet with the summer rain
Memories of summer rain and love are intertwined
And though we loved I must erase you now
I must move on from the past and embrace the present moment
Because I know the seasons change
Just as the seasons change, life is always changing and evolving
You must understand
It's important for others to understand the inevitability of change
Everything throughout the land will be another color soon
The changing of the seasons is reflected in the changing colors of the landscape
Winter breezes, autumn's moon
The sights and sounds of autumn and winter are unique and distinct
Our love is short, it cannot stay
Just as the seasons change, relationships and love are also subject to change
It came by night, it's gone by day
Love can be fleeting and temporary, like the passing of a season
The seasons change
Change is an inevitable part of life, just like the changing of the seasons
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOOMER CLARKE, MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind