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.
Then Came The Children
Jerry Jeff Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While I sing to you about a minstrel band
Of children in their witches hats,
Painting pictures with the pipes of pan
How a young boy and his sister played some tunes
Upon a whistle made of tin
And led me through the flower gardens,
And in my dizzy stupor,
I was trying to forfeit all I'd known
And listen to that music that could swirl me in a magic all it's own
But somewhere in the distance,
You and I, we fought our monsters to a draw
It was in those days of books and wine,
With Ferlin Getty grasping for a straw
And out along the highways,
We journeyed far to find that mystic smile
Chasing down identities,
My God we must have run a million miles
So we can teach the children,
Nothing, nothing but survival in the desert bare
They can teach us how to laugh,
How to love and tie bright ribbons in our hair
So sing for us you children,
Tinkle bells and rhyme the purple, greens and blues
Think of us as fighting fools,
Who wintered through our seasons loving you
Think of us as fighting fools,
Who wintered through our seasons loving you
'Cause you can teach us how to laugh,
How to love and tie bright ribbons in our hair
The song "Then Came The Children" by Jerry Jeff Walker is a touching tribute to the innocence and wisdom of children. The lyrics describe a minstrel band of children wearing witches' hats and playing enchanted music with their tin whistles. The singer is drawn into their world of magic and wonder, forgetting all that he knows and experiencing a dizzying stupor. However, the song also acknowledges the struggles of growing up and finding one's place in the world. The singer and his friends journey through life searching for themselves, chasing down identities and fighting monsters along the way. The children, in contrast, offer a simple lesson in survival and joy. They teach us how to laugh and love, and how to find beauty even in the barren desert.
The song is an ode to the power of childlike wonder and imagination. The children in the song represent a kind of pure wisdom that comes from seeing the world with fresh eyes. They remind us that life is full of magic and beauty if we only take the time to look for it. The song also speaks to the universal experience of growing up and facing the challenges of life. The singer and his friends are searching for meaning and purpose, but the children remind them that sometimes the most important lessons are the simplest ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Well come gather around me friends of mine,
Jerry Jeff Walker invites his close friends and listeners to hear about a group of talented children he met one day.
While I sing to you about a minstrel band
Jerry Jeff Walker sings about a group of children who play wonderfully on their instruments.
Of children in their witches hats,
These children dress up in a peculiar way, resembling witches.
Painting pictures with the pipes of pan
The children bring their wonderful music to life and create an image in the listeners' minds.
How a young boy and his sister played some tunes
The group of children who impressed Jerry Jeff Walker were led by a young boy and his sister who played some songs.
Upon a whistle made of tin
The young boy's instrument is a whistle made out of tin.
And led me through the flower gardens,
Jerry Jeff Walker follows the kids through a series of flower gardens while they play.
Laughing at the postman's stubby chin
Jerry Jeff Walker and the children enjoy themselves, laughing even at the smallest things, such as the postman's physical appearance.
And in my dizzy stupor,
Jerry Jeff Walker feels somewhat under the influence and high.
I was trying to forfeit all I'd known
He's trying to forget or let go of all his preconceived beliefs and notions in the moment with the music.
And listen to that music that could swirl me in a magic all it's own
Jerry Jeff Walker is completely drawn into the music and its enchanting effects on him.
But somewhere in the distance,
In the midst of this enjoyment, Jerry Jeff Walker remembers a time in the past.
You and I, we fought our monsters to a draw
Jerry Jeff Walker faced issues in the past with someone else, just like the children are facing their own monsters or problems as they grow up.
It was in those days of books and wine,
This was a period of Jerry Jeff Walker's life when he consumed a lot of wine and also read a lot of books.
With Ferlin Getty grasping for a straw
Ferlin Getty, a musician, was undergoing a tough time trying to make it as an artist.
And out along the highways,
Jerry Jeff Walker and his friends traveled far and wide on the roads and highways.
We journeyed far to find that mystic smile
During their travels, they were trying to find something inexplicable, almost magical.
Chasing down identities,
At this time in their lives, Jerry Jeff Walker was trying to find himself and define who he is, as was Ferlin Getty, who wanted to make it big as an artist.
My God we must have run a million miles
They covered significant ground in their travels and journeyed for what feels like an infinite amount of time.
So we can teach the children,
Jerry Jeff Walker believed that the children had something to teach him and that they had the potential to teach the world a valuable lesson.
Nothing, nothing but survival in the desert bare
One of the essential skills Jerry Jeff Walker believes the children have is how to survive in even the most barren of environments and situations.
They can teach us how to laugh,
Joy and laughter come easy to the children, and Jerry Jeff Walker believes they can teach us this too.
How to love and tie bright ribbons in our hair
Jerry Jeff Walker believes the children can help him learn how to love more and focus on the smaller, simpler things in life, like tying bright ribbons in their hair.
So sing for us you children,
Jerry Jeff Walker asks the children to sing to him and his friends, to share their talents with the world.
Tinkle bells and rhyme the purple, greens and blues
Jerry Jeff Walker and his friends ask the children to play more music, especially one that is vibrant with colors and vibrant spirit.
Think of us as fighting fools,
Jerry Jeff Walker thinks that he and his close friends are warriors- people with a stubborn drive to achieve greatness, even if they sometimes look ridiculous.
Who wintered through our seasons loving you
They were present through different stages and trials in the children's lives and watched them reach experience and grow..
'Cause you can teach us how to laugh,
Jerry Jeff Walker reiterates that the children can teach them how to find joy in life's little moments.
How to love and tie bright ribbons in our hair
Jerry Jeff Walker ends the song by saying that the children have the keys to true happiness, which include loving others and doing simple things like tying bright ribbons in their hair.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL SIEBEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind