Sample Lesson: The Songs and Guitar of Ramblin' Jack Elliott on Homespun Video

Jack and Arlo Guthrie discuss Jack's formative days and the first songs he learned when he ran away from home to join a rodeo. Then they proceed through many of the blues, ballads, and cowboy songs that form his rich repertoire. Jack and Arlo play songs of Jack's many musical heroes, including Arlo's dad, Woody Guthrie (his major influence), Cisco Houston, Lead Belly, Rev. Gary Davis, Brownie McGhee, Tim Hardin, Libba Cotton, Johnny Cash and others. For more info: www.homespun.c...

[@theblackblouses]

his guitar playing is beautiful

[@stevebass8352]

Playing a Gibson Dove. Best sounding guitar I ever played was an early 80s Dove, in black.

[@Prousto]

Two Brooklyn Jews playing and singing great and competing to see who can conjure a more affected ranch-hand accent.

[@haroldsteinblatt2567]

In recent years, Arlo, I’m happy to say, has been losing that affected accent more and more. But for years it was tough for me to listen to despite the fact that I found him and his music super-appealing. Jack from Ocean Parkway, Arlo from near Coney Island, then Howard Beach, Queens. On the other hand, if it weren’t for a lot of young, obsessed NYC Jews there wouldn’t have been a folk revival. And one result of that is that a decent number of the original, genuine-deal performers were “rediscovered” and wound up having careers none would have dreamed of, both bluesmen and old-time country players, including Mother Maybelle Carter - not to mention a young real-deal guy, the great Doc Watson. He would have remained an electric guitar player in a rockabilly band if not for the folk revival.