Jerry Jeff Walker

Musician · 1942–2020 · Austin, Texas · Also a recording artist
Best known for Lead Vocals Songwriter Guitar

Jerry Jeff Walker (1942–2020), born Ronald Clyde Crosby in Oneonta, New York, was a singer-songwriter who wrote “Mr. Bojangles” and became a central figure of the 1970s Austin outlaw scene. After busking through New Orleans and the New York folk circuit, he settled in Texas in 1971 and recorded a run of albums with the Lost Gonzo Band.

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  • His 1973 album ¡Viva Terlingua!, cut live in Luckenbach, carried the first release of Guy Clark’s “Desperados Waiting for a Train.”
  • Released more than thirty-five albums across a fifty-five-year career.
  • Died in Austin in 2020 after a long illness.

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