Ramblin’ Jack is, by my account one of the coolest men ever to walk this earth. Forget Sean Connery, James Dean, hell forget Elvis. None of them have the miles or the cool that Jack Elliott had, and actually maintains at his age of 75. What is so cool about Jack is that he in an authentic flat pickin’, cowboy hat wearin’, talks with a certain drawl cowboy. But he didn’t start out that way, he started out in New York City. A jewish boy from Brooklyn who ran a way from home and joined the rodeo and became somebody different. Simple as that. He learned how to play from the one and only, Woody Guthrie. He even taught Woody’s son Arlo how to play guitar after Woody had passed away.
Jack’s music roots are deep and he sings a bluesy, Woody-esq style of song. It’s roots music, it’s real. It’s stories – and as much as the stories in the song are important, so is Jack’s banter in between songs. ‘Ramblin Jack is named that not as a result of his vast travels, but rather the way the rambles on story after story. Those stories though, are almost always interesting and entertaining and you get the feeling when your watching him play that your learning really important parts of not just Jack’s history – but America’s. He was a big influence on Bob Dylan and that alone should get him the Nobel Peace Prize.
To sum up why I look up to Ramblin’ Jack Elliott so much is because he is a person, who knew his lot in life didn’t have to be what was in front of him. He got out, he traveled, he gambled on his ‘future’ and made the most of what he had. All of us should be more like Jack, willing to for go the easy life for the good life.
Johnny Cash said of Jack that he has a song and a friend for every mile he traveled. I think that is the nicest damn thing that could be said about anyone.
Here is one of my favorites from Jack, Driving Nails in My Coffin:
All the Tired Horses.. 