''The Rambling Boys'' is an album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

folk musicians

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...

and

Derroll Adams Derroll Adams (November 27, 1925 – February 6, 2000) was an American folk musician. Biography He was born Derroll Lewis Thompson in Portland, Oregon, United States. At 16, he served in the Army, but was discharged when his true age of 16 was ...

, released in 1958 in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Background

Elliott had been performing in England with some success. He and his wife June invited Adams to join them and paid for his crossing from America. They began playing in pubs, coffeehouses, clubs and on the streets, gaining a significant following. During 1957, Elliott and Adams were enjoying a successful run as a duo at the Blue Angel club in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...

. They had taken their name from the

Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

song "Rake and Rambling Boy". ''The Rambling Boys'' was originally issued as a 10-inch record with 10 songs. It was released concurrently with Elliott's album ''Jack Takes the Floor''. The track order was changed and additional tracks were added for the 1963 LP reissue.

Reception

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' and ''

Sing Out! ''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960. Background ''Sing Out ...

'' both praised the original release, the Melody Maker review stating, "That Guthrie-type guitar and Adam's icincredible banjo must have been the most exciting thing to hit the British folk music in recent years." ''Sing Out!'' called it "one of the great records of American city singing." Writing for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, music critic Steve Leggett called the reissue a "charming little album" and wrote the Vivid label reissue "is the way to go if you can find it, since it reproduces the original 10" cover art and the sound has been tweaked a bit for clarity."

Reissues

*''The Rambling Boys'' was reissued on LP in 1963 by Topic with two additional tracks and re-titled ''Roll on Buddy'' *''The Rambling Boys'' was reissued on CD in 2002 on the Japanese Vivid label.

Track listing

#"Rich and Rambling Boys" (

A. P. Carter Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and founding member of The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music. Biography Life A.P. Carter was born to Robe ...

) #"Buffalo Skinners" (Traditional) #"Wish I Was a Rock" #"State of Arkansas" #"Mother's Not Dead" #"East Virginia Blues" (Carter) #"The Old Bachelor" – 2:28 #"Danville Girl" (Traditional) #" The Death of Mr. Garfield" (Traditional) #"Roll on Buddy" (Traditional)

2002 Reissue track listing

#"Rich and Rambling Boys" (

) – 2:48 #"Buffalo Skinners" (Traditional) – 4:38 #"I Wish I Was a Rock" – 1:10 #"It's Hard, Ain't It Hard" (

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

) – 3:24 #"All Around the Water Tank" (

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

) – 2:00 #"Mother's Not Dead" – 2:05 #"East Virginia Blues" (Carter) – 2:41 #"The Old Bachelor" – 2:28 #"Danville Girl" (Traditional) – 2:54 #"The State of Arkansas" – 3:28 #" The Death of Mr. Garfield" (Traditional) – 4:34 #"Roll on Buddy" (Traditional) – 2:01

Personnel

;The Rambling Boys *

– vocals, guitar *

– vocals, banjo ;Technical *

Bill Leader Bill Leader (born 26 December 1929) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He is particularly associated with the British folk music revival of the 1960s and 1970s, producing records by Paddy Tunney, Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, John Re ...

– engineer *Gloria Leader - design

References

External links

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Illustrated discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rambling Boys 1958 albums Ramblin' Jack Elliott albums Topic Records albums