Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020)
was an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
and
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the
progressive country
Progressive country is a subgenre of country music developed in the early 1970s.''Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin's Progressive Country Music Scene'', Stimeling, Travis David.
History
In the late 1960s and earl ...
and
outlaw country music movement. He was best known for having written the 1968 song "
Mr. Bojangles".
Early life
Walker was born Ronald Clyde Crosby in
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta ( ) is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of the Appalachian Region. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Oneonta had a population of 13,079. Its nickname is "City of the Hil ...
, on March 16, 1942. His father, Mel, worked as a sports referee and bartender; his mother, Alma (Conrow), was a housewife.
His maternal grandparents played for square dances in the Oneonta area
– his grandmother, Jessie Conrow, playing piano, while his grandfather played fiddle. During the late 1950s, Crosby was a member of a local Oneonta teen band called The Tones.
After high school, Crosby joined the National Guard, but his thirst for adventure led him to go
AWOL
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...
and he was eventually discharged.
He went on to roam the country
busking
Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
for a living in
and throughout Texas, Florida, and New York, often accompanied by
H. R. Stoneback (a friendship referenced in 1970's "Stoney"). He first played under the
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
of Jerry Ferris, then Jeff Walker, before amalgamating them into Jerry Jeff Walker and legally
changing his name to that in the late 1960s.
Career
Walker spent his early
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
days in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
in the mid-1960s.
He co-founded a band with Bob Bruno in the late-1960s called
Circus Maximus
The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and l ...
that put out two albums,
one with the popular FM radio hit "Wind", but Bruno's interest in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
apparently diverged from Walker's interest in folk music.
Walker thus resumed his solo career and recorded the seminal 1968 album ''Mr. Bojangles'' with the help of
David Bromberg
David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock a ...
and other influential
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
recording artists. He settled in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, in the 1970s, associating mainly with the
outlaw country scene that included artists such as
Michael Martin Murphey
Michael Martin Murphey (born March 14, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter best known for writing and performing Western music, country music and popular music. A multiple Grammy nominee, Murphey has six gold albums, including ''Cowboy Songs' ...
,
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
,
Guy Clark
Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...
,
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music.
Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
,
and
Townes Van Zandt
John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter. . "Jerry Jeff's train songs" were cited in the lyrics of Jennings and Nelson's 1977 hit song "
Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)
"Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" is a song recorded by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released in April 1977 as the first single from the album '' Ol' Waylon''. It was written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons ...
". On September 28, 1974, Walker appeared with Doug Sahm at Carnegie Hall's Main Hall.
A string of records for
MCA and
Elektra followed Walker's move to
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
,
before he gave up on the mainstream music business and formed his own independent record label. Tried & True Music was founded in 1986,
with his wife Susan as president and manager.
Susan also founded Goodknight Music as his management company and Tried & True Artists for his bookings.
[ A series of increasingly autobiographical records followed under the Tried & True imprint, which also sells his autobiography, ''Gypsy Songman''. In 2004, Walker released his first DVD of songs from his past performed in an intimate setting in Austin.
Walker married Susan Streit in 1974 in ]Travis County, Texas
Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is na ...
.[ They had two children: a son, ]Django Walker
Django Walker (born August 28, 1981) is a Texas Country singer-songwriter and the frontman for the Django Walker Band.
Biography
Named after Belgian guitarist Django Reinhardt, Walker is the son of country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker and S ...
, who is also a musician, and a daughter Jessie Jane. Walker had a retreat on Ambergris Caye
Ambergris Caye ( ; Spanish: Cayo Ambergris), is the largest island of Belize, located northeast of the country's mainland, in the Caribbean Sea. It is about long from north to south, and about wide. Where it has not been modified by humans, it ...
in Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, where he recorded his ''Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits'' album in 1998. He also made a guest appearance on 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 ...
's 1998 album of duets '' Friends of Mine'', singing "He Was a Friend of Mine" and 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 ...
's "Hard Travelin'".
Walker recorded songs written by others such as "LA Freeway" (Guy Clark
Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...
), "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother" (Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard (born November 13, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter.
Early life
Hubbard was born in the town of Soper, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in southwest Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He attended W. H. Adamson High Scho ...
), "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night" (Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
), and "London Homesick Blues" (Gary P. Nunn
Gary P. Nunn (born December 4, 1945) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is best known for writing "London Homesick Blues", which was the theme song for ''Austin City Limits'' from 1977 to 2004 (seasons 2–29). Nunn is also consi ...
). He also interpreted the songs of others such as Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
, Townes Van Zandt
John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter. , Paul Siebel
Paul Karl Siebel (September 19, 1937 – April 5, 2022) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Buffalo, New York. He is best known for other artists' cover versions of his songs, most notably "Louise". Other frequently cov ...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, Todd Snider
Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk.
Early career
Todd Snider was born in Portland, Oregon, but was raised in nearby Beave ...
, Dave Roberts, and even a rodeo clown
A rodeo clown, bullfighter (in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) or rodeo protection athlete, is a rodeo performer who works in bull riding competitions. Originally, the rodeo clown was a single job combining "bullfightin ...
named Billy Jim Baker
Billy Jim Baker is a professional clown and songwriter. A member of the International Clown Hall of Fame, he wrote two songs that were recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker, "Too Old to Change" (featured on the 1979 album of the same name) and "Contrary to ...
. Walker was given the moniker of "the Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffet ...
of Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
". It was Walker who first drove Jimmy Buffett to Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
(from Coconut Grove, Florida in a Packard). The two musicians also co-wrote the song "Railroad Lady" while riding the last run of the ''Panama Limited
The ''Panama Limited'' was a passenger train operated from 1911 to 1971 between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The flagship train of the Illinois Central Railroad, it took its name from the Panama Canal, which in 1911 was three yea ...
''.[
]
"Mr. Bojangles"
Walker's " Mr. Bojangles" (1968) is perhaps his best-known and most-often covered song.[ It is about an obscure alcoholic but talented tap-dancing drifter Walker had met who, when arrested and jailed in New Orleans, insisted on being identified only as "Bojangles" (taken, presumably, from famed tap dancer ]Bill Robinson
Bill Robinson, nicknamed Bojangles (born Luther Robinson; May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949), was an American tap dancer, actor, and singer, the best known and the most highly paid African-American entertainer in the United States during the f ...
, leading to erroneous speculation that Robinson was the subject of the song).
Notable covers of the song include a live version by his bandmate Bromberg on his album ''Demon in Disguise
''Demon in Disguise'' is an album by David Bromberg. His second album, it was released by Columbia Records in 1972. It was released as a CD by Wounded Bird Records in 2005.
''Demon in Disguise'' contains some songs that were recorded in the st ...
'', a single by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band.
Constant ...
that charted at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1971 (also released on their album ''Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy
''Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy'' is the 1970 album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that contains the hit song " Mr. Bojangles". The album reached No. 66 on US charts. Three singles charted: "Mr. Bojangles" reached No. 9, "House at Pooh Corner" ...
''). and its inclusion in medley on the 1974 debut self-titled album by Jim Stafford
James Wayne Stafford (born January 16, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. While prominent in the 1970s for his recordings " Spiders & Snakes", "Swamp Witch", "Under the Scotsman's Kilt", " My Girl Bill", and " Wildw ...
.
Later years and death
Walker had an annual birthday celebration in Austin at the Paramount Theatre and at Gruene Hall
Gruene Hall, built in 1878 by Henry (Heinrich) D. Gruene and located in the historical town of Gruene, Texas (now a part of New Braunfels), bills itself as "the oldest continually run dance hall in Texas". By design, not much has physically change ...
in Gruene, Texas.[ This party became an enormous event in Texas and brought some of the biggest names in country music out for a night of picking and swapping stories.
He died from throat cancer on October 23, 2020, at a hospital in ]Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
at the age of 78.
Discography
Albums
Source: AllMusic
Singles
Source: AllMusic, unless otherwise stated.
Notes
References
External links
JerryJeff.com
*
*
Unofficial Jerry Jeff Walker Fan Page
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20101108014551/http://www.okbuckaroosthemovie.com/main/About_the_Film.html "Official Documentary Film on Jerry Jeff Walker's Life"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jerry Jeff
1942 births
2020 deaths
20th-century American guitarists
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
American country guitarists
American country singer-songwriters
American folk singers
American male guitarists
American male singer-songwriters
American street performers
Atco Records artists
Coral Reefer Band members
Country musicians from New York (state)
Country musicians from Texas
Deaths from cancer in Texas
Deaths from throat cancer
Guitarists from New York (state)
Guitarists from Texas
Musicians from Austin, Texas
Musicians from New Braunfels, Texas
New York National Guard personnel
People from Oneonta, New York
Singer-songwriters from Texas
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers