Mr. Bojangles is a song originally written and recorded by US country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker for his 1968 album of the same title. Since then, it has been recorded by many other artists, including US country music band the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose version (recorded for the 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy) was issued as a single and rose to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1971. Live versions of the song appeared on Walkers 1977 album, A Man Must Carry On and his 1980 album The Best of Jerry Jeff Walker. The NGDBs 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. This 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 prologue. Content Walker has said he was inspired to write the song after an encounter with a street performer in a New Orleans jail and that the song does not refer to the famous stage and movie personality Bill Bojangles Robinson. Walker said while in jail for public intoxication in 1965, he met a homeless white man who called himself Mr. Bojangles to conceal his true identity from the police. He 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 dog, 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. The song is notated in two time signatures, 3/4 and 6/8.[??????] Recorded versions Walkers song has been recorded by many popular artists, including Garth Brooks, Kristofer Åström, Chet Atkins, Hugues Aufray (French version, 1984), Harry Belafonte, Bermuda Triangle Band, David Bromberg, Dennis Brown, JJ Cale, David Campbell, Johnny Paycheck, Bobby Cole, Edwyn Collins, Jamie Cullum, King Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., John Denver, Neil Diamond, Cornell Dupree, Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, Tom T. Hall, John Holt, Whitney Houston, Queen Ifrica, Billy Joel, Dave Jarvis, Elton John, Frankie Laine, Lulu, Rod McKuen, Don McLean, MC Neat, Harry Nilsson, Esther Phillips, Ray Quinn, Mike Schank, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Todd Snider, Cat Stevens, Jim Stafford, Radka Toneff, Jamie Walker, Robbie Williams, Buck Fisher, Bebe Neuwirth, Wendell Stuart, Dolly Parton and Helge Schneider. A dance choreographed by Bob Fosse to the song appeared in the 1999 West End & Broadway theatre show Fosse, having previously been featured in Fosses 1978 show Dancin. Furthermore, composer Philip Glass makes reference to Mr. Bojangles in his minimalist opera Einstein on the Beach. Jim Carrey also performed this song in his earlier stand up routines and in his first movie Copper Mountain. Sammy Davis, Jr performed the song on television, as did William Shatner. In an episode of The Simpsons titled Milhouse Doesnt Live Here Anymore, Homer sings a version of the song while panhandling. Chart positions Jerry Jeff Walker Chart (1968) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot 100 77 The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Chart (1971) Peak position Canada (RPM) 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 28 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 9 Chart (1991) Peak position Canada Country Tracks (RPM) 68
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 19:39:55 +0000
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