Sign up for our mailing list Real artists creating records on their own terms
Close

Sign up for our mailing list

News

Thursday, May 18th, 2006

TimeOut London talks Ramblin' Jack Elliott live!

Ramblin' Jack Elliott + Jack Staggers + The Velvet Roots Recommended - Fri May 19, Borderline

This gruff, hobo folker – whom Mama Cass once declared the sexiest man alive – has one hell of a story. He left home at 14 to join the rodeo, where he learnt to play guitar from a clown; he stayed with Woody Guthrie for two years in the early ’50s; hung out with Alan Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac in Greenwich Village, before stealing their girlfriends; and used to open for The Grateful Dead. Oh, and there’s the small matter of meeting Bob Dylan at Guthrie’s deathbed and taking the youngster under his wing.

No less important, he also had a big impact in the UK. He landed here in 1955 with wife June (an ex-girlfriend of James Dean) and took full advantage of the UK folk and blues revival. His link to Guthrie and olde America made him an instant hero and the likes of Davey Graham and Bert Jansch would listen to Elliott tell stories about Guthrie and play his songs.

Still ramblin’ at 75, he’s enjoying a reappraisal and returns to plug his forthcoming album, ‘I Stand Alone’. It features his trademark flat-picking blues licks, weathered yet cheeky vocals and a poignant tale of his last road trip with Guthrie, ‘Woody’s Last Ride’. With Lucinda Williams, Flea and Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker all guesting on the record and an appearance at All Tomorrow’s Parties at the behest of Devendra Banhart, he’s now been discovered by a new generation. He might not have Dylan’s fortune but I bet Bob’s old pal is having a lot more fun.

Chris Parkin, Mon May 15

href="http://www.timeout.com/london/music/events/93672/ramblin-jack_elliott_jack_staggers_the_velvet_roots.html" target="_blank">www.timeout.com

Facebook | Twitter
 

Browse by Artist

2086All Artists 99Tom Waits 74Mavis Staples 59Neko Case 51Lost In The Trees 50Sean Rowe 48Dr. Dog 45The Milk Carton Kids
41Jolie Holland 40Bettye LaVette 37Man Man 36Son Little 35Tinariwen 33Tim Fite 33DeVotchKa 31Islands 31Grinderman 29Glen Hansard 28Saintseneca 27Galactic 27Wilco 26Andy Shauf 25Delicate Steve 25The Drums 24Xenia Rubinos 24Michael Franti and Spe... 22William Elliott Whitmo... 22Bob Mould 22Doe Paoro 21The Frames 21Nick Cave & The Bad Se... 20Christopher Paul Stell... 20Joe Henry 19Cass McCombs 19Yves Jarvis 19Booker T. Jones 19Sage Francis 18Deafheaven 18Calexico 18Gary V 17John K. Samson 17Yann Tiersen 16Jason Lytle 16Ramblin Jack Elliott 16Danny Elfman 16The Antlers 14Daniel Lanois 14Jeremy Ivey 13The Dream Syndicate 13Billy Bragg 13Madi Diaz 12Girlpool 12Peter Silberman 12Combo Chimbita 12Leyla McCalla 12Xavier Rudd 11Ryan Pollie 11Rain Machine 11Glitterer 11Roky Erickson 11Lyrics Born 11Jade Jackson 11The Weakerthans 11Mose Allison 11Purr 10Alfa Mist 10Half Waif 10High Pulp 10Darrin Bradbury 10The Melodic 10The Swell Season 10So Much Light 9Wynonna 9Lido Pimienta 9Curtis Harding 9Hey, King! 9Christian Lee Hutson 9Moor Mother 9Cameron Avery 9Marianne Faithfull 9M. Ward 9N.A.S.A. 9Josiah Johnson 8Katy Kirby 8Greg Graffin 8Kate Davis 8Slow Pulp 8The Coup 8Solillaquists of Sound 8Cadence Weapon 7Japandroids 7Dead Man's Bones 7Richard Reed Parry 7Title Fight 7Alec Ounsworth 7Ben Harper and Charlie... 7Elliott Smith 7Ben Harper 7Kelly Hogan 7Eddie Izzard 7Beth Orton 6Busdriver 6Kate Bush 6Deradoorian 6A Girl Called Eddy 6Rafiq Bhatia 6Os Mutantes 6Broken Twin 6Bonny Doon 5Keaton Henson 5Beat Connection 5Kristine Leschper 5Ezra Furman 5Jasmyn 5Art Moore 5The Field 5Foxwarren 5The Tallest Man On Ear... 5One Day As A Lion 5Scott McMicken and THE... 5James Brandon Lewis 4The Good Ones 4Marketa Irglova 4Sparklehorse 4Ersi Arvizu 4Pops Staples 4sunking 4MJ Lenderman 4Jackson+Sellers 3Waxahatchee 3Mavis Staples & Levon... 3Sierra Leones Refugee... 3Sam Akpro 3Danny Cohen 3Plains 3Mothers 3Walter Wolfman Washing... 3Petra Haden 3Marc Ribot 2Fleet Foxes 2ANTI- Records 2Jeff Tweedy 2Various Artists: RANGO 1Various Artists: ROGUE... 1Antibalas 1Simian Mobile Disco 1Porter Wagoner 1Blackalicious 1Lightman Jarvis Ecstat... 1Youth Group 1Joe Strummer And The M... 1Solomon Burke 1Merle Haggard 1case/lang/veirs 1The Locust 1Taylor Vick 1Tricky 1Kronos Quartet with Br... 1Rogue's Gallery
See Full List+