The Time ‘Mr. Bojangles’ Was Unknowingly Played In Front Of Its Songwriter

Country singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker, who wrote the classic song “Mr. Bojangles” and died on this date in 2020, is closely associated with the music of Texas. Walker was originally from New York, but by the 1970s was a fixture of music scene in Austin, where he continued to reside throughout his life.

Another singer-songwriter who paid his dues coming up in Austin and elsewhere is Todd Snider. Originally from Portland, Snider left the Pacific Northwest and eventually landed in San Marcos, Texas, just outside Austin. By the mid-1980s, Snider was performing regularly in the Austin area, which precipitated a move to Memphis in 1989.

Prior to that, Snider was introduced to Walker’s records by a friend of Snider’s called Trogg, a story he recounted on his live album, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, which came out on John Prine’s Oh Boy Records in 2003. Snider was asked about the tale, which can be heard on the track “The Story of the Ballad of the Devil’s Backbone Tavern.” In an interview with Lone Star Music Magazine in 2004, Snider was asked about the track, and explained his experience seeing Jerry Jeff Walker in concert, which inspired Snider to pursue his own path in music:

“When I came to Texas I had it in my mind that I wanted to be a lead singer who came up with the words. And I went to see Jerry Jeff, because my friend Trogg was playing me all this Jerry Jeff and I was into it. So I went to see him play, and he was alone with an acoustic guitar at Gruene Hall [in New Braunfels, Texas]. And I saw that and went, ‘That’s what I want to do.’

“I didn’t even know how to really play guitar yet, but I saw his show and went and got one. I just didn’t know that you didn’t have to have a band. And I loved his songs. Him and John Prine I probably copy more than anybody. When I was a kid I used to do my shoulders like Jerry Jeff during my whole show. You know he does that little, dink-dink-dink-dink-dink with his shoulders? [Laughs]

In 2012, Snider released Time As We Know It: The Songs of Jerry Jeff Walker, an album produced by Don Was featuring covers of Walker’s songs. Among the 14 songs on the album was Snider’s take on “Mr. Bojangles.”

Released by Walker in 1968, “Mr. Bojangles” was popularized through several other notable recordings, including by Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Harry Nilsson, Neil Diamond, Steve Earle, David Bromberg and dozens of others, including Sammy Davis Jr. who notoriously performed it for President Richard Nixon at the White House. “Mr. Bojangles” was said to have been inspired by Walker’s encounter with an unhoused person while both were in a jail cell in New York.

A folk/pop standard of sorts, “Mr. Bojangles” remains in the setlists of countless musicians around the world, performed by everyone from those on the stages of the top venues to those getting by busking on the street. One particular performance of the melancholy tune was witnessed by Snider and the man who wrote the song himself, Jerry Jeff Walker.

Told many times by the master raconteur, Snider and Walker were walking together down the streets of Santa Fe, New Mexico when they heard “Mr. Bojangles” being played. The story goes that the man playing the beloved song was unaware that its author was listening to his performance. In his book I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like: Mostly True Tall Tales, Snider recalled the memorable the experience, writing:

“Jerry Jeff and I stood there and watched this guy sing them, in front of a closed-down old blues bar, and I could feel us both getting choked up. And I was asking myself, ‘Should I tell this guy that he’s playing Jerry Jeff’s song, and that Jerry Jeff is standing right here?’

“But, no, I figured that if Jerry Jeff wanted to let this guy know who he was, he’d tell him. He chose not to. When the song was over, he said, ‘That sounded great,’ and then he put a fuckload of cash—every bit of cash he had on him—into that guy’s hat. And then we walked off to the hotel, and I just couldn’t leave the moment alone. ‘Maybe the highlight of my life,’ I said. ‘Boring life so far, kid.’ ”

Another instance of Snider telling the story occurred on October 26, 2012, during a performance in Austin. Backed that night by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Snider told the Santa Fe story and then was joined by Jerry Jeff himself, who came onstage to sing and play harmonica on “Mr. Bojangles.” Watch the joyful collaboration below:

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Me and @amandashires were backing up @ToddSnider one night in Austin and Jerry Jeff jumped up and did Mr Bojangles with us, and he took his shoes off when got onstage so he could dance. #RIPJerryJeff

— Jason IsbOO (@JasonIsbell) October 24, 2020

Source: JamBase.com