Ramblin' Jack

Yesterday I mentioned a few of my favourite musicians. One of them is not known to many, or at least known to as many as he should. I'm talking about Ramblin' Jack Elliott. I've seen Ramblin' Jack live in New York three times in the three years I was aware of him before moving to Australia, and each performance was fantastic. The photo in this post was taken in Battery Park on my birthday (9 July) in 2003. He's not a crotchety old country singer, but a singer who carries thousands of folk songs in his person. He's not a bard or a troubadour - he hasn't written too many of his own songs - but he can preamble a song with a true story about listening to Woody Guthrie sing a song with Cisco Houston while driving with them, as he does before Picture From Life's Other Side. Or he can give an authentic introduction to Leadbelly's song about Blind Lemon Jefferson. This is why he's known as "Ramblin' Jack", you go see him for the stories nearly as much as for the music. Ramblin' Jack taught Bob Dylan much of what he knows, from training under Woody Guthrie. The man is a living legend. If you see Jack playing near you, go see him. You must.