Mr. Bojangles
Budapest, Hungary
2011
I didn’t see this guy dance a lick but he and his dog brought the song Mr. Bojangles to mind. Jerry Jeff Walker wrote the song and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had the most popular recording of it, but my favorite version is by David Bromberg. Most of the song versions don’t mention the name of the dog but I believe it is Teddy. Here’s to Josie, Buddha and all the other Teddys out there.
Awwww… I’ve been having a watery morning, missing my Buddha, and now this. You got the water works going again.
I had never heard this version of Mr. Bojangles before, but I can understand why you like it best. It evokes much more feeling than the NGDB’s version. And the guitar is beautiful.
Thanks for mentioning my sweet boy, along with your awesome Josie. We all have that spot in our hearts that will always belong to our special 4-leggeds.
Oh, and p.s. The photo really goes well with the song. I studied it as I listened, and I thought of the man and his life now – and his life when his good furry friend is gone…
Thanks Carol. I didn’t start out the day thinking about by-gone days and dogs, but that changed when I started working on this photo…
That is such a great rendition of Mr. Bojangles! And your photo goes perfectly with it as well! Merry Christmas to you and Connie.
Thanks Michael and Merry Christmas to you and Carol as well.
A very young David Bromberg. He also has something to do with rare violin restoration and sales, if I remember correctly. He did a good concert many years ago with Arlo Guthrie, Jerry Jeff Walker and a few others I can’t think of now.
Young, yes. So was I when I heard him sing the song in Tucson in the 70s. I believe his violin repair shop is somewhere near NYC?
I liked Jerry Jeff’s version the best, though I’m a major Bromberg fan as you know. I’d have to guess Sammy Davis Jr. had the biggest hit with the song though, but only God (and maybe Buddha) knows why.
Was Sammy Davis Jr.’s version more popular than the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s?