Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz) is an American Folk singer born August 1, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York. He was born to a Jewish family, his parents were Florence and Abraham Adnopoz. His father was a respected doctor and wanted Elliott to become a doctor as well, but Elliott had other ambitions: he grew up wanting to be a cowboy and at fifteen he ran away and joined Col. Jim Eskew’s Rodeo. But his parent’s tracked him down like a pair of bounty hunters from the stories Elliott so admired. Eventually, Elliott met up with famed troubadour-poet Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack became his student, and the pair became close friends.

Elliott’s earliest minor success was touring the U.K. during the English Folk Scene with banjo player Derroll Adams. The duo played in small towns and pubs and night clubs. The pair recorded five albums together before Adams' death in 2000.

Upon returning to the states, Elliott found he had become a favorite in many folk circles. Even then his cult status as a folk singing cowboy idol was growing.

Also arriving in New York at this time, traveling from Duluth, Minnesota, bumming rides and hiking the roads on foot, was a young Bob Dylan. The two eventually met and Jack’s mastery of Woody Guthrie’s catalogue impressed Dylan to no end. Due to Bob Dylan following Elliott around so much and imitating his guitar playing and singing, he earned the moniker “Ramblin' Jack’s son.” A title which originated from Jack, as he would introduce Dylan on stage this way.

Throughout the years Ramblin' Jack Elliott has put out an impressive catalogue of songs, mainly traditional songs, ones written by or learned from Woody Guthrie, and many other’s, including some written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan.

And though he has never reached the heights of success that his contemporaries and “students,” like Dylan and Joan Baez, Ramblin' Jack Elliott forever will remain a renowned personality and cult hero and idol among many musicians (like Johnny Cash, who contributed liner notes to his albums Young Brigham and Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks) and listeners.

In the end, after shedding off the life he was born with in New York, and creating his own world, and changing the one around him, he achieved his childhood dream of becoming a singing cowboy icon.