Talk:Jerry Jeff Walker

Untitled

I am almost exactly the same age as Jerry Jeff. Like Jerry, I too had an extended one on one encounter with the amazing but obscure "Mr. Bojangles", not in a jail but in a bus station after closing time, as a stranded teen. The man I met, about ten years before the song was published, was exactly like the subject in the song. I spent about 3/4 of an hour alone with him. He was apparently paid a small fee to come into the locked Greyhound station and sweep up. After a few minutes, friendly but cryptic questions and remarks he said, " Boy...Who's the greatest dancer in the world?...I replied " Gene Kelly or Fred Astair"...he grinned and retorted, "No way...That man is Bojangles!..and dat's me!" He raised his broom an inch above the floor and began to dance...Brother could he dance! This is undoubtedly the same man, or perhaps one of a tiny group of gifted natural dancer/entertainers who masterfully danced for tips or change in America in the early and middle twentieth century. In his or their hearts, they were right up there with Bill Robinson, truly ..." Mr. Bojangles ".

name

if he was born ronald crosby, how did he come to call himself jerry jeff walker? can anyone shed light on this?--Alhutch 05:43, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

I don't know, but the 1967 album Circus Maximus (first album by the band of the same name) credits him as "Jerry Walker"; their next album, Neverland Revisited (1968) credits him as "Jerry Jeff Walker". - Jmabel | Talk 05:18, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Names

Since "Bojangles" was the name used by a very famous black tap-dancer named Bill "Bojanges" Robinson (see Bill Robinson) from the early 1900s, I think it reasonable to assume that many people of that time took the name for themselves to emulate his character.

Jerry Jeff Walker says he definitely was referring to someone he met, and not Bill Robinson, but I bet you are right and "Bojangles" was not as rare/unique as a name in the past for an entertainer as it might seem today.

Jerry Jeff Walker explains in his autobiography "Gypsy Songman" where/how he came to chose his name. If you want the full answer/effect of his story you should read the book. He's quite the story-teller. Just a hint, though, it starts with a young man from the Catskill Mountains of NY who needed a fake ID.

Tonight Show

Walker once appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno opened his scrapbook to a poster showing Leno as opening act for Walker. Then he told Walker he did not get paid and had to hitchhike home because Walker failed to appear.

Would you folks please "sign" and/or at least date stamp these tidbits? Some of us like to know when the comment was made. Thanks! 73.6.96.168 (talk) 09:31, 10 September 2021 (UTC)

Bob Bruno

Does anyone know what happened to Bob Bruno from Circus Maximus? He and Walker wrote most or all of the songs on their two LPs, but Bruno seemed to have dropped out of sight after their second album? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.72.105.146 (talk) 20:53, 28 February 2008 (UTC)

Country Musician

I don't think country fits Jerry Jeff. I know that these labels are just marketing devices and don't represent anything technical about the music and I don't find "country" at all perjorative but I don't think many people think of him as country. Many country fans I know like his stuff but, like me, they don't categorize him that way. If anything, he's a folk musician, much as that particular label has been twisted and bent. 65.79.173.135 (talk) 15:37, 24 June 2015 (UTC)Will in New Haven65.79.173.135 (talk) 15:37, 24 June 2015 (UTC)

Overall tone

Is it just me, or does much of this sound like a press release? It's also thin on references for an article of its length. Dgndenver (talk) 07:23, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

There is nothing new or unusual about the tone of this article. If anything, it's lacking. Compared to most other major artists, this article is very sparse and modest. 73.6.96.168 (talk) 09:32, 10 September 2021 (UTC)

You are absolutely right. I would have responded to your comment here instead of posting my own about the problem with the tone of this article, but I did not read the other comments first. It is greatly troubled because it is definitely written as press release. When I have a moment, I will come back and edit, but for now I must run, all the best to all of you. MarydaleEd (talk) 17:54, 28 August 2024 (UTC)

External links modified

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Article needs a lot of work

This article is written like a press release or like a biography that is on someone's website. It is not at all written in proper encyclopedia style. Unfortunately, I popped in here only to quickly grab needed information and have no time right now to do these edits, but hope to come back and transition this into a proper article. I'm sure a lot of people are watching this article because of great interest in this brilliant man, and my edits will likely seem cold to those people. I just encourage everyone to remember that in encyclopedia writing, we write just facts using the fewest, most direct words possible. In Wikipedia, we write only that which summarizes the article subject, not a detailed history of his life. I have no interest in building this subject up or tearing him down, my interest is only in serving the encyclopedic tone required. I would greatly appreciate any help from other editors to bring this article in line. All the best to all of you. MarydaleEd (talk) 17:49, 28 August 2024 (UTC)