Jerry Jeff Walker was a Texas country singer and songwriter. He wrote the pop song “Mr. Bojangles.” Unfortunately, he died today at age 78.
Walker died Friday of cancer. Family spokesman John T. Davis has confirmed this to The Associated Press.
“He had battled throat cancer for many years, and some other health issues, the cause death was cancer,” Davis said Saturday.
Walker emerged from New York’s Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s. He was a founding member of the band Circus Maximus. He moved to Texas in the 1970s and in 1972 scored a hit with his version of the Guy Clark piece “L.A. Freeway.”
Walker and the Lost Gonzo Band in 1973 recorded an album live in Texas called “Viva Terlingua.” It became a classic of the country-rock scene. Walker has released more than 30 albums since then.
In 1986, he formed the independent music label Tried & True Music. He released albums under the title.
Walker diagnosed positive with throat cancer in 2017, undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, he told the Austin American Statesman in 2018.
“I guess I took my singing for granted. and now I don’t,” he told the newspaper.
In 2017, it was announced that Walker had donated more than 100 boxes of his music archives to The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University. It included tapes, photographs, hand-written lyrics, and artifacts.
Walker’s survivors include his wife Susan, son Django and daughter Jessie.
