Originally from New York, Elliott grew up in a Jewish family and had always wanted to be a cowboy. Pressured by his parents to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor, Elliott resisted and inspired by the rodeos he attended at Madison Square Garden, he ran away from home at the age of 15 and joined the J.E. Ranch Rodeo. Although he was only with the rodeo for three months (before his parents tracked him down and he was sent home), Elliott was exposed to his first singing cowboy, a rodeo clown who played guitar and banjo and sang songs.
Returning home, Elliott taught himself to play guitar and started busking for a living. Eventually he hooked up with Woody Guthrie and lived with him as a kind of student.
With banjo player Derroll Adams, he later toured Great Britain and Europe and had a lasting effect on the music scene there. By 1960, he had made three folk albums for the British label, Topic. Playing in the small clubs and pubs of London by day, he would then take his act to the smart, west end night clubs. Upon arriving back in the U.S., Elliott discovered he had become well-known within the folk scene.
Elliott's greatest influence was Woody Guthrie. Guthrie's son, Arlo, has said that because of his dad's illness and early death, he never really got to know him. Arlo acknowledged that he learned his dad's songs and musical style through Elliott.
Elliott's musical style influenced Bob Dylan so heavily that Dylan's first gig in New York City was billed as "Son of Jack Elliott." While Dylan rose to prominence through his compositions, Elliott continued as an interpretive troubadour, bringing old songs to new audiences in an idiosyncratic manner.
Elliott appeared on Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue and played Longheno de Castro in Dylan's Renaldo and Clara.
Jack Elliott's style is distinctive in its use of excellent guitar technique matched with laconic, humorous storytelling and an emotional intensity in the singing.
Elliott's nickname is due not to his travel habits, but rather to the countless stories he would relate before answering the simplest of questions. Folk singer Odetta claims that it was her mother who gave him the name by remarking, "Oh Jack Elliott, yeah, he can sure ramble on!"
He was famously parodied in on the BBC in the 1960s by Kenneth Williams as Rambling Syd Rumpo who was a recurring character on Round the Horne. His claims of authenticity as a folk artist (despite being a Jewish doctor's son from New York City) and disparagement of other folk artists were also parodied by the Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer) in A Mighty Wind both in the name of their "hit" Ramblin' and in their claims that their version was more authentic than the New Main Street Singers's version.
Jack Elliott's first recording in 20 years, "South Coast", earned him his first Grammy in 1995. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1998. Ramblin' Jack's long career and strained relationship with his daughter Aiyana were chronicled in her 2000 documentary, "The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack".
At 75, he has recently changed labels and released "I Stand Alone" on the Anti- label, with an assortment of guest backup players including members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers; again, an idiosyncratic collection of little-known music delivered with humor and intensity. He is on record as saying his intention was to title the album "Not For The Tourists" because it was recorded in response to his daughter's request for songs he loved but never played in concert. When she asked why he did not play them in public, he replied "These songs are not for the tourists".
Will James
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the creatures on the river banks, and the sins of ole sea cooks
But the one I never left behind, were the old forgotten gains
Were the tale of wild and windy slopes about a man they called Will James
And his race to reach the sun set was a high and lonesome time
Like a coyote always looking back he left no tracks behind
If whiskey was his mistress his true love was the west
I remember up on dead man creek about 30 years and more
I hired on to break in colts which I'd never done before
Just a city kid, I asked myself Now what would Will James do
And you know it was the damnedest thing but it kind of got me through
And his race to reach the sun set was a high and lonesome time
Like a coyote always looking back he left no tracks behind
So I memorized these pictures and it's still the very best
If whiskey was his mistress his true love was the west
The lyrics of Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song Will James evoke a sense of nostalgia for a time long gone. The singer reminisces about his childhood, when his father bought him books about wilderness and adventure. Although he read many stories about different characters, the one that stayed with him was that of Will James, a man who raced to reach the sunset and had a true love for the West. James is depicted as a figure of freedom and adventure, who leaves no tracks behind.
The singer then describes his own experience on Dead Man Creek. He was a city kid and had never broken in colts before. In a moment of doubt, he asked himself, "What would Will James do?". Surprisingly, this simple question provided the singer with the strength he needed to overcome his obstacle. This reference to Will James shows how the character is not only a source of inspiration for the singer but for others as well. James embodies the idea of the American frontier, where hard work and perseverance can overcome any challenge.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was but a small boy, pa bought me many books
When I was just a young boy, my father purchased a lot of books for me.
About the creatures on the river banks, and the sins of ole sea cooks
These books were about various creatures on the river banks, and the wrongdoings of sailors.
But the one I never left behind, were the old forgotten gains
Out of all the books, the one I kept returning to was an old, overlooked book.
Were the tale of wild and windy slopes about a man they called Will James
This book told the story of a man named Will James and his adventures on rough and rugged land.
And his race to reach the sun set was a high and lonesome time
Will James embarked on a journey towards the sunset, which was a difficult and solitary time for him.
Like a coyote always looking back he left no tracks behind
Will James was similar to a coyote because he didn't leave any evidence of his whereabouts.
So I memorized these pictures and it's still the very best
I memorized the illustrations in this book, and it's still my favorite one.
If whiskey was his mistress his true love was the west
Even though Will James enjoyed whiskey, his passion was for the western part of the country.
I remember up on dead man creek about 30 years and more
Years ago, I was on Dead Man Creek for the first time.
I hired on to break in colts which I'd never done before
I took a job of breaking in horses, a task I had never attempted before.
Just a city kid, I asked myself Now what would Will James do
As someone who grew up in the city, I questioned what Will James would do in my position.
And you know it was the damnedest thing but it kind of got me through
It may sound strange, but this thought process helped me get through my job.
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