Jack Elliot - Talkin’ Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie was one of americas greatest folksingers. A man who rambled the country during the depression, he wrote and sang about the people and their times. Jack Elliot is also a folksinger. Although he was born in Brooklyn (Woody was born in Oklahoma) he became a cowboy, and later a folksinger.
The CREEM Archive presents the magazine as originally created. Digital text has been scanned from its original print format and may contain formatting quirks and inconsistencies.
Jack Elliot sings Woody Guthrie
Delmark DL801
Side one/Talkin Columbia blues Pretty Boy Floyd Ludlow Massacre Talkin’ Miner Hard Traveling
Jack Elliot guitar, vocals, harmonica
Side two/So long, it’s been good to know you
Talkin’ Dustbowl 1913 Massacre Ramblin’ Blues Talkin’ Sailor
Woody Guthrie was one of americas greatest folksingers. A man who rambled the country during the depression, he wrote and sang about the people and their times. Jack Elliot is also a folksinger. Although he was born in Brooklyn (Woody was born in Oklahoma) he became a cowboy, and later a folksinger. He met Woody in 1951 and Woody soon became his idol. He learned to sing, play guitar and virtually became a carbon copy of his ideal. This record, recorded sometime in the sixties (the date is not mentioned) is Jacks tribute to Woody.
The record opens with a monologue by Elliot, imitating accent and all, a story Woody used to tell about how he was hired to write and sing about the Bonneville and Grand Cooley Dam Projects and how he .... wrote 26 songs in 30 days, “only gonna sing 24 of ‘em tonight”. The first song on the album is “Talking Columbia Blues”, Woodys reflections on the advantages of the dams.
The Guthrie Classic “Pretty Boy Floyd” follows. It is the tale of the legendary' outlaw hero. Floyd is portrayed as a good man turned outlaw by an accidental killing and after “every crime in Oklahoma is added to his name” he was still good, like giving carloads of groceries to needy families on Christmas. The conclusion is drawn that man is basically good and “ ... as through this life you travel and as through this life you roam, you won’t never see an outlaw drive a family from their home”.
The next song is “Ludlow Massacre”, a tale of striking miners and the calling of the National Guard to “supress” them. The miners, already driven out of the company owned houses they were living in moved in to a self-made “tent-town”. The soldiers burned that and killed thirteen of the miners children. The miners aquired guns and a battle followed with the miners winning over the soldiers.
“Talking miner”, the song following “Ludlow Massacre” is about a typical day in the life of a miner and the telling of the life he leads. “Hard Traveling”, the song finishing side one is a song about a man rambling across the country (it could be Woody or Elliot) and the odd jobs he^had while traveling' across the country. j
The songs on this album are' typical of Guthries writing of simple folksongs or tales, and his style has been copied by many singers the two most notable are Jack Elliot and Bob Dylan. But this is a recording of Jack Elliots so we will concern ourselves with him. Jack Elliot is a city boy who literally '‘became” a country boy. He adopted the speech and many or all of the aspects a man from Oklahoma has, so it is nearly impossible to tell him from Brooklyn. It is such a man who is highly qualified to sing the song of Woody Guthrie.
Side 2 opens “So long its been - Good to Know You” followed by “Talkin’ Dustbowl”. These two Guthrie classics are about the Midwest dust stroms of the thirties, depression years and how they affected families, and what their attitudes towards them were. For example, some people believed the dust storms meant the end of the world was coming. “Talkin’ Dustbowl” is the story of a families migration to California after the dust storms ruined their farm.
“1913 Massacre is the song that tells the story of a disaster in the mining town at Camulot, Michigan when someone creates a false fire alarm at a Christmas party and the panic killed some of the miners children.
“Ramblin’ Blues” is another song about a rambler during the depression and “Talkin’ Sailor” the finishing song on the album is Woody Guthries tale about his experiences in the marines.
Jack Elliots interpretations of these Woody Guthrie songs shows this mans ability, not only as a copyist (and a good one) but as a folksinger in his own right and a master of this folk form. The guitar playing and harmonica playing is simple with uncomplicated chor-ding and harmonica playing. Though this record is not too easy to find, (I found it in a $1.98 record rack) it is a rewarding addition to any folk fanciers collection.
