Ramblin' Jack Elliott: Tales From His Long and Winding Career

Over a half century ago, Ramblin' Jack Elliott became Woody Guthrie's sidekick and leading interpreter, and later a hero to Bob Dylan and the early '60s folk scene. At 77, Elliott (born Elliot Adnopoz in Brooklyn) still lives up to his nickname. Ask the San Francisco-based urban cowboy a simple question — for instance, how Joe Henry came to produce Elliott's new album of Depression-era blues, A Stranger Here — and he'll embark on the first of many detours through his long and storied career. "I've known him for close to my whole life, and I've never heard the same story twice," marvels Arlo Guthrie. "It wasn't until I was older when I realized that 'ramblin' was not a geographical name." A few of Elliott's fascinating rambles:

On first meeting Dylan:
"I met Bob when Woody was in the hospital. He was this funny little kid. He told me he had all my recordings. He rattled off the names of all the songs I did on those albums. I didn't remember them myself. He was kinda weird, and a lot of people were making noises about what a terrible voice he had. He did have kind of a screechy voice. But he was like a son to me. For his first gig at Gerde's Folk City. I took him down to the Musicians Union because you had to be in the union to work that gig. I was a member myself, and I vouched for him. Said he was a very good guitar player."

On his memorable version of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right":
"For three days I was locked in a cabin in a snowstorm in Pennsylvania after my second wife had run off with another man, who was later Bob's road manager. I was about to play a gig but it snowed so hard that we couldn't get down the hill to get out of the house. So we were locked in this cabin with firewood and a bottle of whiskey and a Bob Dylan record. I listened to that record all day and night for three days. On the third day the snow melted and I got the door open and jumped in my truck and drove to New York City and went to the Gaslight where everyone hung out. It was a Monday open mic night. I sang about one verse of 'Don't Think Twice' and someone stood up in the audience. I squinted into the darkness and recognized Bob and he waved his arm at me and said [in perfect Dylan imitation], 'I relinquish it to you, Jack!' I said, 'Wow' and went on playing. I'd never had anything relinquished to me before."

On jamming as a kid with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee:
"I used to play with them when I was living in Brooklyn with Woody. Sonny used to tell me that my mother would call him up looking for me: 'Have you seen my boy?' He liked to rag me on that. It was about 15 and it kinda made my fur crawl. It kinda was embarrassing."