Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby; March 16, 1942 – October 23, 2020)[3] was an American country and folk singer-songwriter.

[6] After high school, Crosby joined the National Guard, but his thirst for adventure led him to go AWOL and he was eventually discharged.

[5][7] He went on to roam the country busking for a living in New Orleans and throughout Texas, Florida, and New York, often accompanied by H. R. Stoneback (a friendship referenced in 1970's "Stoney").

[10][11] He settled in Austin, Texas, in the 1970s, associating mainly with the outlaw country scene that included artists such as Michael Martin Murphey, Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings,[5] and Townes Van Zandt.

[5] Walker had a retreat on Ambergris Caye in Belize, where he recorded his Cowboy Boots and Bathing Suits album in 1998.

[21][22] Walker recorded songs written by others such as "LA Freeway" (Guy Clark), "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother" (Ray Wylie Hubbard),[5] "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night" (Tom Waits),[23] and "London Homesick Blues" (Gary P.

[5] He also interpreted the songs of others such as Rodney Crowell, Townes Van Zandt, Paul Siebel, Bob Dylan, Todd Snider, Dave Roberts, and even a rodeo clown named Billy Jim Baker.

[3] It is about an obscure alcoholic but talented tap-dancing drifter Walker had met who, when arrested and jailed in New Orleans, insisted on being identified only as "Bojangles".