Jerry Jeff Walker, Singer-Songwriter Known for ‘Mr. Bojangles,’ Dies at 78

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Jerry Jeff Walker, the singer-songwriter known for penning the hit “Mr. Bojangles” and as a pillar of Texas’ country music scene, has died, according to published reports. He was 78.

Walker’s death was reported early Saturday by ABC affiliate KTRK-TV Houston, among other outlets, although details remain unclear.

Walker is best known as the tunesmith behind “Mr. Bojangles,” which was a hit for Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970 and for Sammy Davis Jr. in 1972. Walker first recorded the song in 1968 for his album of the same name.

Born in Oneonta, N.Y. in 1942, Walker began playing music as a teenager and soon drifted into the folk music scene in New York City. He traveled around the country for a time before settling in Austin, Texas in the early 1970s. He arrived just as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and other artists were emerging as hitmakers in the “Outlaw” style that was rougher and rawer than the polish on many country records coming out of Nashville at the time.

Walker was beloved by other musicians. He was a key figure in the early career of Jimmy Buffett. The songwriter of “Margaritaville” credited Walker with helping him to establish himself in Key West, Fla.

“Jerry Jeff was kind enough to take me in and let me stay and live with him for a while,” Buffett said, according to KTRK. “I worked part-time in an auto repair garage, working on his car and then, when the car got fixed, we drove to Key West.”

Walker also gave songwriter Guy Clark a big career boost with Walker’s successful recording of Clark’s ballad “L.A. Freeway” on the 1972 album “Jerry Jeff Walker.”

For years, Walker fronted the Lost Gonzo Band. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017.

Walker’s survivors include his wife, Susan, a son, Django, and a daughter, Jessie Jane.