Ramblin' Jack Elliott

Born Elliott Adnopoz in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, Ramblin' Jack Elliott is a pivotal figure of the post-war folk revival. Despite his urban origins, Elliott comprehensively adopted the persona, vocal twang, and flatpicking acoustic guitar style of a rural itinerant singer. He was profoundly influenced by Woody Guthrie, acting as Guthrie's traveling companion and most devoted musical inheritor in the early 1950s. Recording for labels like Prestige and Vanguard, Elliott was instrumental in preserving and disseminating Guthrie's material, along with traditional cowboy songs and country blues. He served as a critical, living link between the authentic pre-war folk tradition of Guthrie and Lead Belly, and the subsequent generation of 1960s folk-rock musicians, most notably serving as an early mentor and influence to Bob Dylan.