Song:Mr. Bojangles
Album:Ultimate Collection
Though Jerry Jeff Walker has recorded since the 60s, his main claim to fame is writing Mr. Bojangles which was a top ten hit for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970. He first recorded it himself in the late 60s. He was born Ronald Clyde Crosby Mar. 16, 1942 in Oneonta, NY. His grandparents played local square dances. That's who taught him music. As a teen, Crosby was a member of the band The Tones. They went to Philadelphia to audition for American Bandstand. When they were rejected, the band was sent to Baton Records in New York. The label signed the singers but not the band so Crosby was out. Crosby was busking for a while until he went to the New Yotk City folk music scene with his friend Harry Stoneback in 1963. Later Stoneback would become professor H.R. Stoneback. Crosby started playing Greenwich Village clubs as Jerry Jeff Walker. He recorded two albums with the band Circus Maximus. After they split up, guitarist David Bromberg got Walker a record deal with Atco. His first recording of Mr. Bojangles was released as a single. His second attempt is the version that appears on the 1968 album Mr. Bojangles. Walker wrote the song in a New Orleans jail where he was arrested for public intoxication. He met a homeless man who called himself Mr. Bojangles. After this guy danced to lighten the mood, the song wrote itself. Though Walker's version charted, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's version reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mr. Bojangles has been covered frequently, most notably by Sammy Davis Jr. in his live show. Walker recorded three albums for Atco and then recorded for MCA in the 70s followed by a couple of albums for Elektra. Some of his songs made the country charts. But Walker was never able to score that big hit. This Hip-O comp covers Walker's entire 60s and 70s run. Walker has lived in Austin, TX since 1970 and has been a big part of that music scene. Walker has recorded for his own label since the 80s. His latest album It's About Time was released in 2018. I guess he's a music legend in Austin. There's no question that Mr. Bojangles is a legendary song. Here's Jerry Jeff Walker performing Mr. Bojangles on the TNN TV series The Texas Connection May 6, 1992.
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