Jerry Jeff Walker - Ridin’ High
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On this episode, we discuss the 1975 album by Jerry Jeff Walker, Ridin’ High. Prior to moving to Austin, Texas, Walker was essentially a folkie, but he distinguished himself by penning "Mr. Bojangles” a song covered almost as many times as "Yesterday" and by a very wide variety of artists, most famously by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. After he and the Lost Gonzo Band recorded the highly influential Cosmic American music masterpiece Viva Terlingua, an outlaw country legend was born.
By the time Ridin’ High came to be, the Gypsy Songman decided to take his music to the next level by augmenting his Lost Gonzo band with some of Nashville's finest session musicians, including ubiquitous session drummer, Kenny Buttrey, and the great fiddle player (and former Texas Playboy), Johnny Gimble. The results are an album of serious musicianship that never takes itself too seriously. If you are at all familiar with Jerry Jeff Walker, then chances are you know some of these songs. It's a fine album containing some of Walker's best tunes, along with some outstanding songs penned by others, including members of his band and Willie Nelson.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
A young Jerry Jeff Walker in 1965 going “all in” on his inner folkie.
The 1960’s folk/jazz/psychedelic fusion band Circus Maximus featured a young “Jerry Walker “ on rhythm guitar and vocals.
Here’s a rare live shot of the band on stage at the Night Owl Cafe in New York, which was home to the early rock & folk music scene. That’s our hero pictured on the right.
Take a listen to Jerry Jeff take lead vocals on the Circus Maximus song “Oops I Can Dance”.
Jerry Jeff Walker on stage in Austin, Texas at the world famous Armadillo World Headquarters in 1971.
Walker would be a regular on that statge until the venue’s demise in 1980.
In August of 1973, Jerry Jeff and the Lost Gonzo Band travel to Luckenbach, Texas (population 3) to record his groundbreaking outlaw country Viva Terlingua .
Picture Left to right: “Slappy” David Gilstrap, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Keith, Donnie Dolan, Bob Livingston, Gary P. Nunn, Susanna Clark, and Hondo Crouch. The photo was taken by Guy Clark.
Listen to the original Willie Nelson version of “Pick Up the Tempo” off of his 1973 album Phases and Stages.
Jerry Jeff Walker made his debut in the first season of Austin City Limits in 1976. Here’s a couple of clip of Walker performing on the show.
The first is “Mr. Bohjangles” from that 1976 show.
The second is “Jaded Lover” from a legendary performance in 1978. Artists normally play an hour to an hour and half, and the performance is edited down for the television broadcast, but evidently during this 1978 set, Walker kept playing for the crowd beyond the allotted time until they had to turn off the cameras and then finally kick everyone out of the studio after three hours.
Listen to “Mississippi You're on My Mind” performed by the man who wrote it: Jesse Winchester.
If you want to know more about Armadillo World Headquarters, check out an all too brief documentary about the legendary music venue (featuring Jerry Jeff Walker) below.
