Jerry Jeff Walker

b. 16 March 1942, Oneonta, New York, USA. Although he initially pursued a career as a folk singer in New York's Greenwich Village, Walker first forged his reputation as a member of Circus Maximus. He left this promising group following their debut album when a jazz-based initiative proved incompatible with his own ambitions. Having moved to Key West in Florida, Walker resumed work as a solo artist with DRIFTIN' WAY OF LIFE, before signing with the Atco label when his former outlet showed little interest in his country/folk material. He enjoyed a minor hit with Mr. Bojangles, a tale of a street dancer Walker reputedly met in a drunk tank. Although the singer's own rendition stalled in the chart's lower reaches, it became a US Top 10 entry by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and has since been the subject of numerous cover versions including a lethargic one by Bob Dylan. By the early '70s Walker was based in Austin, Texas where he became a kindred spirit to the city's ‘outlaw’ fraternity, including Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He also built one of the region's most accomplished backing groups, later to follow its own career as the Lost Gonzo Band. A low-key approach denied the artist the same commercial success, but Jerry Jeff has enjoyed the approbation of colleagues and a committed cult following. His wry humour is often blunted by sentimentality, yet he is capable of turning trite into simple eloquence.