"Mr. Bojangles" | ||||
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Single by Jerry Jeff Walker | ||||
Released | June 20, 1968 | |||
Recorded | June 7, 1968 | |||
Studio | Phillips Recording, Memphis, Tennessee [1] | |||
Genre | Country, folk | |||
Label | Atco | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jerry Jeff Walker | |||
Jerry Jeff Walker singles chronology | ||||
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"Mr. Bojangles" | ||||
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Single by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | ||||
from the album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy | ||||
B-side | "Uncle Charlie Interview #2/Spanish Fandango" (later replaced with "Mr. Bojangles" w/o prologue) | |||
Released | September 1970 | |||
Recorded | 1969 | |||
Genre | Country, folk | |||
Length | 5:15 3:35 (without prologue) | |||
Label | Liberty | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jerry Jeff Walker | |||
Producer(s) | William McEuen | |||
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band singles chronology | ||||
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"Mr. Bojangles" is a song written and originally recorded by American country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker for his 1968 album of the same title. It has since been recorded by other artists, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1969 (released September 1970).
Walker said he was inspired to write the song after an encounter with a street performer in a New Orleans jail. While in jail for public intoxication in 1965, he met a homeless man who called himself "Mr. Bojangles" to conceal his true identity from the police. Mr. Bojangles had been arrested as part of a police sweep of indigent people that was carried out following a high-profile murder. The two men and others in the cell chatted about all manner of things, but when Mr. Bojangles told a story about his performing dog who was killed by a car, the mood in the room turned heavy. Someone else in the cell asked for something to lighten the mood, and Mr. Bojangles obliged with a tap dance. [2] [3] The homeless "Mr. Bojangles", who was white, had taken his pseudonym from Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878–1949), a black entertainer. [4]
The song was first recorded by popular Austin performer Allen Wayne Damron during a live performance at the Chequered Flag folk club in Austin in 1967. [5] Jerry Jeff Walker recorded his single version (with Bobby Woods, Charlie Freeman, Sandy Rhodes, Tommy McClure, Sammy Creason, and a string orchestra) at Phillips Recording [1] in Memphis, Tennessee on June 7, 1968, and it was released by Atco Records on June 20. He also recorded a non-string version in New York City for his album Mr. Bojangles with David Bromberg, Gary Illingworth, Danny Milhon, Bobby Cranshaw, Jody Stecher, Donny Brooks, Ron Carter, Bill LaVorgna, and Jerry Jemmott. It was released by Atco on September 25, 1968.[ citation needed ]
Other versions including those by Frankie Laine and Harry Belafonte were also recorded. Bob Dylan recorded the song in 1970 while working on his New Morning album, but his version was not released until it was included on the album Dylan in 1973. [6] Other artists who covered "Mr. Bojangles" include Harry Nilsson on his album Harry, and Neil Diamond on his album Touching You, Touching Me both released in 1969. John Denver recorded the song and released it on his 1970 album Whose Garden Was This? , and Robbie Williams covered it in 2001 for Swing When You’re Winning.
Since then, it has been recorded by many other artists, including US country rock band Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose version (recorded for the 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy ) was issued as a single and rose to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971.
The band's single version begins with the Uncle Charlie interview (subtitled "Prologue: Uncle Charlie and his Dog Teddy") that also precedes the song on the Uncle Charlie album. It was originally backed with another interview with Uncle Charlie, also taken from the album. When "Mr. Bojangles" started climbing the charts, the B-side was re-pressed with the same song without the interview. NGDB guitarist Jeff Hanna performed most of the lead vocals on the track, with bandmate Jimmy Ibbotson performing harmony vocals; the two switched these roles on the last verse. [7]
Nina Simone recorded the song in 1971 and included it in her album of the same year “Here comes the Sun”, which consists of cover versions of songs by pop and rock musicians. The style of her interpretation of the song is much closer to the original Jerry Jeff Walker version than other covers of the song.[ citation needed ]
The song became one of Sammy Davis Jr.'s signature performances, [8] [9] which he recorded for his 1972 album Portrait of Sammy Davis Jr. [10] and sang at President Richard Nixon's invitation at a concert at the White House the following year. [11]
Canadian fiddler Al Cherney (recording as Al Cherny) reached number 45 on the Canadian RPM Top Country Singles charts, in December 1972, with his recording of the song.
Weekly chartsJerry Jeff Walker
Al Cherny
Nina Simone
Related Research ArticlesThe Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) 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. Jerry Jeff Walker was an American country and folk singer-songwriter. He was a leading figure in the progressive country and outlaw country music movement. He was best known for having written the 1968 song "Mr. Bojangles". Dylan is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, which is made up of outtakes he recorded for earlier albums. Columbia Records compiled it with no input from Dylan and released it on November 16, 1973. The album followed the artist's departure from Columbia for Asylum Records, and the announcement of his first major tour since 1966. In Europe the album was re-released in January 1991 with the title Dylan . "Rave On", also written "Rave On!", is a song written by Sonny West, Bill Tilghman and Norman Petty in 1958. It was first recorded by West for Atlantic Records, which released his version in February 1958. Buddy Holly recorded the song later the same year, and his version became a hit, one of six of his recordings that charted in 1958. Holly is instantly recognizable as the artist: the record begins with a drawn-out "Well…" as stylized by Holly's distinctive hiccup ("A-weh-uh-heh-uh-ell…"). Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash is American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith's sixth album of his post-Monkees career. Released in September 1973, it was his final album for RCA Records and did not chart. Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy is the fourth studio album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, released in 1970, including the hit song "Mr. Bojangles". The album reached No. 66 on US charts. 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New Routes is an album by Scottish singer Lulu recorded between 10 September and 2 October 1969 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, one of that facility's earliest recordings, for a 16 January 1970 release. Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III is the third and final studio album by The Stone Poneys, released on April 29, 1968. Singer Linda Ronstadt would release her first solo album the following year. Dirt, Silver and Gold is a 1976 compilation album by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that contains some of the band's greatest material to that point. It also includes 12 songs not previously available. It was originally released as a three LP album, and was released in 2003 as a two compact disc set by BGO Records. Live Two Five is a live album recorded during three shows at the Red Deer Fine Arts Center in Alberta, Canada, in 1991. The concert recording marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band despite the absence of founding member John McEuen. The tracks on this collection are live versions of songs that were previously released as well as a new song. All the Good Times is the fifth studio album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, released in January 1972. Stars & Stripes Forever is the eighth album from The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Twenty Years of Dirt, subtitled The Best of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, is the second compilation album from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It is a collection of hits from their career to that point. The album contained one new song, "Stand a Little Rain", which reached #5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The album reached 10 on the US Country charts and was certified platinum. Acoustic Traveller is the 1996 album from John McEuen. John is notable for being a longtime member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for which he was a multi-instrument and composer/arranger. He played on many of their charting albums and singles. He also records as a solo artist, and has appeared as a guest musician on many albums by many artists. Ronny Wayne "Ron" Davies was an American songwriter and musician. He was described by CMT News at the time of his death as "the family's artistic trailblazer" although "less celebrated… than his [younger] sister, singer/songwriter and producer Gail Davies." "Tennessee Stud" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood, who originally recorded and released it in 1959. "Tennessee Stud" is considered to be Driftwood's most recorded song. Christopher Lloyd Darrow was an American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. He was considered to be a pioneer of country rock music in the late-1960s and performed and recorded with numerous groups, including Kaleidoscope and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. William Eugene McEuen was a film producer and record producer famous for working with Steve Martin and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. His younger brother is John McEuen, banjo player and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. References
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