Country singer and songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker died on Friday, October 23, 2020 after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 78 years old.

Walker is best known for writing the song “Mr. Bojangles” and for leading the development of the sound that evolved into outlaw country. He wrote and recorded “Mr. Bojangles” in 1968, which became a Top 10 hit for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970. Since then, artists including Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Sammy Davis Jr. have recorded their own versions

Walker was born in Oneonta, New York on March 16, 1942. He headed to Austin, Texas in the early ‘70s where he met musicians like Willie Nelson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Doug Sahm, and Michael Martin Murphey. In ’73 Walker released his album Viva Terlingua, featuring songs like “Sangria Wine” and “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother.”

He launched his own record label, Tried & True Music, in the ‘80s and in ’99 Walker wrote his autobiography, Gypsy, which detailed his career with stories about his experiences with famous musicians like Nelson and Jimmy Buffett.