Jerry Jeff Walker passed away yesterday. I saw him perform on stages from Gilley's in Houston to makeshift flatbed trailers deep in the woods of east Texas. A New Yorker by birth, but a Texan by heart, rest in peace.

That's a damned sad thing.... Long live Jerry Jeff!


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Every time I hear Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits, I stop and smile.

Saw him in Huntsville, Texas I believe about 1978.
WOW: That was over 40 yrs ago..

quote:

Originally posted by zebrazapper:
Every time I hear Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits, I stop and smile.

quote:

Originally posted by eezridr:
Saw him in Huntsville, Texas I believe about 1978.
WOW: That was over 40 yrs ago..

quote:

Originally posted by zebrazapper:
Every time I hear Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits, I stop and smile.

I’m not even 40 yet, so I tip my hat to you for staying power.

My favorite was Jerry Jeff’s recordings od Guy Clark’s songs.

Desperadoes Waiting for a Train.

I've seen him play many times over the years + always enjoyed it. The 1st time was at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1973. He was on stage + the P.A./ system started acting up + some wise ass in the audience shouts out, "Fix it, we don't deserve this shit!" Jeff takes off his straw hat + throws it into the crowd + says, "Here, take my hat! When you're poor all you're gonna get is shit; you better learn to like it."

Oh just as an item of possible interest: In late 1973 I helped a guy from Austin set up his recording studio out here in the country in the 100-year-old rock AME church (great acoustics). His name was Bill Josey. He had recorded Janis Joplin, Johnny Winters, Marcia Ball (Freida + The Firedogs), + a lot of others. He also recorded Jerry Jeff on the vinyl of Mister Bojangles. If you have an old copy, at the end of the song, another voice says "That's a beautiful song; you wrote that?" That was Bill Josey.

Throat cancer, of all things. I hadn't realized he wrote the song. Fine monument to a fine musician.

Well, Jeff smoked for a lot of years but then we all did. Bill, he wrote a lot of great songs. His early material before the cosmic cowboy craze of the early 70s is very good in its own rite. If you can find it on vinyl, check out his 1st album, "5 years gone". The guitar work alone is fantastic, you would swear he had 24 fingers. He also co-wrote with his traveling buddy Jimmy Buffett the song "Railroad Lady".

Sad news. I only saw him perform live once, in 1994 at a private party. Always loved L.A. Freeway and London Homesick Blues in particular. May he rest in peace.

Very sad news indeed.

My favorite "cover" of Bojangles is by David Bromberg who played guitar for Jerry Jeff for a couple years.

https://youtu.be/muG8kDYbZ5Q