Andy York

Mr Bojangles
(Neil Diamond Cover Version)

Mr. Bojangles is a popular country song originally written and recorded by artist Jerry Jeff Walker in 1968. Since then, it has been covered by many other artists, including Sammy Davis Junior, The Byrds, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Robbie Williams and Cat Stevens and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

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.