I was recently hipped to Circus Maximus, a lesser known 60s psych act that features, as singer and rhythm guitarist, none other than recently deceased Texas country legend Jerry Jeff Walker.
This is a huge departure from what I’ve grown accustomed to hearing from him. It’s a really solid approximation of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield and I’m honestly surprised it never showed up on any playlists or compilations I’ve sought out in the past.
My understanding is that he formed this band with a guy named Bob Bruno and the band split over differences in direction. Bruno was leaning heavily towards jazz and Walker was becoming more and more interested in folk music.
The band broke up in 1968 and Walker would soon begin playing in Greenwich Village, splitting bills with Joni Mitchell (I assume he wrote his most well known song, Mr. Bojangles, during this period).
He would later depart New York for Austin, taking up with the likes of Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, to become the galvanizing self-described Gonzo Texas musician many suburbanites in Texas grew up unable to avoid (in hindsight, not a bad thing).