Born in Brooklyn in 1931, Jack Elliot was inspired by the rodeos at Madison Square Garden, and began busking for a living, befriending Woody Guthrie. He travelled to the UK to perform and record in the late ‘50s, establishing his reputation in international folk circles.
This great-value 100-track collection brings together many of his recordings from the early years of his career, mainly from albums but including a few singles and EPs. It features most of the titles from his albums for the Elektra, Topic, 77, Prestige & Columbia UK labels, Bad Men And Heroes, Woody Guthrie’s Blues, Jack Elliot Sings, Jack Takes The Floor, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot In London, Ramblin' Jack Elliott Sings Songs by Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers, Jack Elliott Sings the Songs of Woody Guthrie, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Jack Elliott at the Second Fret - Recorded Live and Country Style.
Elliott plays guitar in both a traditional flatpicking style and a traditional fingerpicking style, depending on the song, which he matches with his laconic, humorous storytelling, often accompanying himself on harmonica. His singing has a strained, nasal quality which the young Bob Dylan emulated. His repertoire includes American traditional music from various genres, including country, blues, bluegrass and folk. His long career was chronicled in her 2000 documentary, The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack and he continued performing and is still active in 2023 at the age of 91.
It’s a comprehensive overview of his influential early work, and a great showcase for his talent as an interpretive folk troubadour, bringing old songs to new audiences in his distinctively idiosyncratic way, and underlining why he became such a significant figure in the genre.
TRACKS
Disc 1 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Pretty Boy Floyd |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
2
|
Jesse James |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
3 |
Charles Guiteau |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
4 |
Talking Columbia Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
5 |
Ludlow Massacre |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
6 |
Hard Traveling |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
7 |
Talking Dustbowl Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
8 |
1913 Massacre |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
9 |
Talking Miner Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
10 |
Pretty Boy Floyd |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
11 |
Midnight Special |
City Ramblers Skiffle Group Feat. Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
12 |
Old Blue |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
13 |
Rocky Mountain Belle |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
14 |
Fifteen Cents |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
15 |
Good Morning Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
16 |
John Henry |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
17 |
San Francisco Bay Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
18 |
Ol' Riley |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
19 |
Boll Weevil |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
20 |
Bed Bug Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
21 |
New York Town |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
22 |
Grey Goose |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
23 |
Mule Skinner Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
24 |
Cocaine |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
Disc 2 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Dink's Song |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
2 |
Black Baby |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
3 |
Salty Dog |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
4 |
Rusty Jiggs And Sandy Sam |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
5 |
Git Along Little Doggies |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
6 |
Sadie Brown |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
7 |
Night Herding Song |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
8 |
Chisholm Trail |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
9 |
Fifteen Cents And A Dollar |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
10 |
Rocky Mountain Belle |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
11 |
Talking Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
12 |
Diamond Joe |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
13 |
In The Willow Garden |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
14 |
I Ride An Old Paint |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
15 |
Jack O' Diamonds |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
16 |
Do-Re-Mi |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
17 |
Dead Or Alive |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
18 |
Grand Coulee Dam |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
19 |
Dust Storm Disaster |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
20 |
I Ain't Got No Home |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
21 |
So Long (It's Been Good To Know You) |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
22 |
T For Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1) |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
23 |
Waiting For A Train |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
24 |
Jimmie The Kid |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
25 |
Mother The Queen Of My Heart |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
26 |
In The Jailhouse Now |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
27 |
Whippin' That Old T.B. |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
Disc 3 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Hard Traveling |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
2 |
Grand Coulee Dam |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
3 |
New York Town |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
4 |
Tom Joad |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
5 |
Howdido |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
6 |
Talking Dust Bowl |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
7 |
This Land Is Your Land |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
8 |
Philadelphia Lawyer |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
9 |
Talking Columbia |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
10 |
Dust Storm Disaster |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
11 |
Riding In My Car |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
12 |
1913 Massacre |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
13 |
So Long |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
14 |
Brother Won't You Join in The Line? |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
15 |
There are Better Things to Do |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
16 |
Sadie Brown |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
17 |
East Virginia Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
18 |
I Belong To Glasgow |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
19 |
The Cuckoo |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
20 |
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
21 |
South Coast |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
22 |
San Francisco Bay Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
23 |
The Last Letter |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
24 |
Candy Man |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
25 |
Tramp On The Street |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
Disc 4 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Railroad Bill |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
2 |
Mule Skinner Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
3 |
Cool Water |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
4 |
Talking Miner Blies |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
5 |
Boll Weevil |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
6 |
How Long Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
7 |
Salty Dog |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
8 |
Tyin' Knots in the Devil's Tail |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
9 |
Hobo's Lullaby |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
10 |
Talking Sailor |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
11 |
Rock Island Line |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
12 |
Mean Mama Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
13 |
Low And Lonely |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
14 |
Wreck Of The Old '97 |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
15 |
Old Shep |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
16 |
Wabash Cannonball |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
17 |
Brown Eyes |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
18 |
Lovesick Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
19 |
Arthritis Blues |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
20 |
Take Me Back And Love Me |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
21 |
Tennessee Stud |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
22 |
Those Brown Eyes |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
23 |
Detour |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |
24 |
Soldier's Last Letter |
Ramblin' Jack Elliot |