Jerry Jeff Walker was arguably one of the greatest storytelling songwriters to ever live.
The mark of a great songwriter is somebody who can captivate a crowd with only a guitar and their lyrics, without all of the bells and whistles that come with performing, and Jerry Jeff had it.
Sadly, we lost the iconic folk and country singer to throat cancer in October of 2020 at the age of 78, but needless to say, the man’s legacy still carries on, as he’s been influential to a variety of different genres.
His 1968 song “Mr. Bojangles” is his greatest hit, and has been covered by so many greats, like Bob Dylan, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sammy Davis Jr., Neil Diamond, John Denver, and so many others.
Walker probably never imagined that a song he wrote about a homeless man he met in a New Orleans jail cell would become a folk classic.
With that being said, I wanted to revisit one of Walker’s most masterful performances of the song, when he played it on Austin City Limits back in 1976.
As you can see in the video, the crowd is awestruck as they listen to the song.
Check it out:
