Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, scheduled to perform at the Ottawa Folk Festival on Aug. 14, is a real cowboy and an authentic folk musician legend who has influenced generations of musicians for over 60 years.
Fascinated by the rodeos Elliott saw at Madison Square Garden in New York as a boy, he ran away from his Brooklyn home in 1947 to become a cowboy rather than fulfill has parents wish for him to be a doctor like his father.
Although his parents found him and had him brought home within a few months, he already had the cowboy lifestyle in his blood. He promptly taught himself how to play the guitar after he returned home, and was soon out busking.
Elliott’s main musical influence was Woody Guthrie, whom he met in Greenwhich Village in 1950. The two travelled around Florida during the latter part of 1954. It was Guthrie’s straight ahead style of telling a story through unembellished music and song that Elliott admired most, and indeed maintained a similar style his entire career.
He went to England with his first wife in 1955 where his cowboy clothes, Stetson hat, and hillbilly/blues singing style were popular at a time when folk music was on the rise in London. He recorded three folk albums while playing the clubs and other venues. About six years later he returned to the U.S. and began his career full-tilt.
Elliott has recorded 40 albums and been nominated for a Grammy five times. He has received Grammy’s for Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1995 for “South Coast,” and Best Traditional Blues Recording in 2009 for “A Stranger Here.”
Although recognized by many musicians as having been a strong influence on their careers, true fame seems to have eluded him, perhaps because he wouldn’t be pigeonholed in any way that would have made him more commercial.
He has collaborated with many artists over the years and played with and influenced some of the most recognized names in music, from Kris Kristofferson to The Grateful Dead. He was especially influential on a young Bob Dylan.
When Elliott was a guest on Johnny Cash’s TV show, Cash introduced him with, “He’s got a song and a friend for every mile he’s travelled.”
Elliott’s guitar playing has been categorized as “flat-picking,” at which he is recognized as one of the best, and he plays the melodies in measured steps. But it’s his authentic interpretations of depression-era music, cowboy, and folk music, and his unique phrasing, that caught people’s attention and are his still his strengths. Although he is 79 this year, he can still yodel in the high ranges and can hold a note for as long as he pleases.
Elliott’s incurable traveling lifestyle cost him four wives. It seems he just couldn’t manage to settle down and live in one place for very long and sustain his career at the same time.
A documentary about the traveling troubadour, “The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack,” was made by daughter Aiyana Elliott. At the end of the film, viewers are left with the feeling that they still know little about Elliott, and even his daughter says she doesn’t feel she has ever had a real conversation with her storytelling dad although they spent many hours together during the making of the film.
Surprisingly, his nickname, Ramblin’ Jack, doesn’t come from his traveling lifestyle but rather from his proclivity for telling endless stories when asked a simple question. It was the mother of black folk singer Odetta who has been quoted as saying, “Oh Jack Elliott, yeah he can sure ramble on.”
Elliott will play at the Ottawa Folk Festival on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on the CUPE Main Stage.
The Folkfestival runs from Aug. 13 - 15 at Britannia Park. This year, as ecofriendly as ever, the festival organizers are providing a free shuttle bus service that leaves from Café Nostalgica on the Ottawa University campus starting on Friday at 4:15 p.m.
The full lineup of shows and workshops and information about the free shuttle can be found at www.ottawafolk.org.
Fascinated by the rodeos Elliott saw at Madison Square Garden in New York as a boy, he ran away from his Brooklyn home in 1947 to become a cowboy rather than fulfill has parents wish for him to be a doctor like his father.
Although his parents found him and had him brought home within a few months, he already had the cowboy lifestyle in his blood. He promptly taught himself how to play the guitar after he returned home, and was soon out busking.
Elliott’s main musical influence was Woody Guthrie, whom he met in Greenwhich Village in 1950. The two travelled around Florida during the latter part of 1954. It was Guthrie’s straight ahead style of telling a story through unembellished music and song that Elliott admired most, and indeed maintained a similar style his entire career.
He went to England with his first wife in 1955 where his cowboy clothes, Stetson hat, and hillbilly/blues singing style were popular at a time when folk music was on the rise in London. He recorded three folk albums while playing the clubs and other venues. About six years later he returned to the U.S. and began his career full-tilt.
Elliott has recorded 40 albums and been nominated for a Grammy five times. He has received Grammy’s for Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1995 for “South Coast,” and Best Traditional Blues Recording in 2009 for “A Stranger Here.”
Although recognized by many musicians as having been a strong influence on their careers, true fame seems to have eluded him, perhaps because he wouldn’t be pigeonholed in any way that would have made him more commercial.
He has collaborated with many artists over the years and played with and influenced some of the most recognized names in music, from Kris Kristofferson to The Grateful Dead. He was especially influential on a young Bob Dylan.
When Elliott was a guest on Johnny Cash’s TV show, Cash introduced him with, “He’s got a song and a friend for every mile he’s travelled.”
Elliott’s guitar playing has been categorized as “flat-picking,” at which he is recognized as one of the best, and he plays the melodies in measured steps. But it’s his authentic interpretations of depression-era music, cowboy, and folk music, and his unique phrasing, that caught people’s attention and are his still his strengths. Although he is 79 this year, he can still yodel in the high ranges and can hold a note for as long as he pleases.
Elliott’s incurable traveling lifestyle cost him four wives. It seems he just couldn’t manage to settle down and live in one place for very long and sustain his career at the same time.
A documentary about the traveling troubadour, “The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack,” was made by daughter Aiyana Elliott. At the end of the film, viewers are left with the feeling that they still know little about Elliott, and even his daughter says she doesn’t feel she has ever had a real conversation with her storytelling dad although they spent many hours together during the making of the film.
Surprisingly, his nickname, Ramblin’ Jack, doesn’t come from his traveling lifestyle but rather from his proclivity for telling endless stories when asked a simple question. It was the mother of black folk singer Odetta who has been quoted as saying, “Oh Jack Elliott, yeah he can sure ramble on.”
Elliott will play at the Ottawa Folk Festival on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on the CUPE Main Stage.
The Folkfestival runs from Aug. 13 - 15 at Britannia Park. This year, as ecofriendly as ever, the festival organizers are providing a free shuttle bus service that leaves from Café Nostalgica on the Ottawa University campus starting on Friday at 4:15 p.m.
The full lineup of shows and workshops and information about the free shuttle can be found at www.ottawafolk.org.
