Mr. Bojangles is the title of a song originally written and recorded by American country music artist Jerry Jeff Walker

Jerry Jeff Walker

Jerry Jeff Walker is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles.-Biography:...

 for his 1968 album of the same title. Since then, it has been covered by many other artists, including American country music band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, whose version (recorded for the 1970 album Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy

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 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is notable for having many charting albums and singles. The album reached #66 on US charts. Three singles charted: "Mr...

) was issued as a single and rose to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 pop chart in 1971.

Content

Walker has said he was inspired to write the song after an encounter with a street performer in a New Orleans jail and 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 aurally equivalent time signatures, 3/4 and 6/8.

Recorded versions

Walkers' song has been re-recorded by many popular artists, including Kristofer Åström

Kristofer Åström

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, Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins

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, Hugues Aufray

Hugues Aufray

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 (French version, 1984), Harry Belafonte

Harry Belafonte

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, Bermuda Triangle Band

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, David Bromberg

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, Dennis Brown

Dennis Brown

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, The Byrds

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, J.J. Cale

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, David Campbell

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, Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin

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, Bobby Cole

Bobby Cole (musician)

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, Edwyn Collins

Edwyn Collins

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, Jim Croce

Jim Croce

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, Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum

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, King Curtis

King Curtis

Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...

, Sammy Davis Jr., John Denver

John Denver

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, Neil Diamond

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, Cornell Dupree

Cornell Dupree

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, Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

, Arlo Guthrie

Arlo Guthrie

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, Tom T. Hall

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, John Holt

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, Whitney Houston

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, Queen Ifrica

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, Billy Joel

Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

, Elton John

Elton John

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, Frankie Laine

Frankie Laine

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, Lulu

Lulu (singer)

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, Rod McKuen

Rod McKuen

Rod McKuen is an American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range of recordings, which included popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks, and classical music...

, Nina Simone

Nina Simone

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, Don McLean

Don McLean

Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...

, MC Neat, Harry Nilsson

Harry Nilsson

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, Esther Phillips

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, Ray Quinn

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, Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

, Todd Snider

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, Cat Stevens

Cat Stevens

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, Jim Stafford

Jim Stafford

James Wayne "Jim" Stafford is an American comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica....

, Radka Toneff

Radka Toneff

Ellen Radka Toneff was a Norwegian jazz singer. She is still considered one of Norway's most outstanding jazz singers....

, Jamie Walker

Jamie Walker

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 and Robbie Williams

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.

The song and dance featured in the 1991 West End

West End theatre

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

 & Broadway

Broadway theatre

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 theatre show Fosse

Fosse

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.

Furthermore, composer Philip Glass

Philip Glass

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 makes reference to "Mr. Bojangles" in his minimalist opera Einstein on the Beach

Einstein on the Beach

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.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey

James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...

 also performed this song in his earlier stand up routines and in his first movie Copper Mountain

Copper Mountain

-Landforms in Canada:*Copper Mountain in Alberta*Copper Mountain in British Columbia-Landforms in the United States:*Copper Mountain in Alaska*Copper Mountain in Arizona*Copper Mountain in Colorado...

.

Jerry Jeff Walker

Chart (1970)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	77

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Chart (1971)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	9
Canadian RPM Top Singles	2