Tuesday, July 27, 2010

I Knew A Man, Bojangles



9 comments:

Lydia said...

I love this song. Missed out on seeing Sammy Davis Jr. perform his rendition back in '68-'69 when, just after dinner was served in the showroom at the Sparks Nugget, the announcer came on over the system saying that Mr. Davis was ill and would not be performing that evening.....but dinner was on the house. Someone else did a show, I can't even remember who, and the rest of the evening my date and I lamented that we had each ordered the cheapest thing on the menu!

Roy said...

After all this time, I never did get to hear Jerry Jeff sing his own song; the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band version was such a big hit that it became ubiquitous. Thanks for this. And that stair dance was fantastic!

paula said...

I knew a man, Jerry Jeff Walker, who may have written the song while he was living on our living room couch in summer, 1966 in Washington DC (before he went to NYC with Bob Bruno, et al). As soon as he got 8 bars into an unfinished version, I knew this song was a keeper. It's a long story. I'll write about it someday.
By the way, this uber-Texan is really from Upstate New York and his parents called him Ron Crosby.

bayoucreole said...

My dad just loved Bill. He was an amazing dancer.

Sylvia K said...

Such fun! Hadn't thought about this one in a long time! Thanks for the memories! Hope your week is going well!

Sylvia

K. said...

Lydia: I'd hate to be a stand-in for Sammy Davis, Jr. Talk about a no-win situation.

Roy: Pleased to be of service!

Paula:Ron Crosby? Sounds a like second baseman in the minor leagues! Definitely a blog entry. I'm looking forward to that one.

BC: Bill Robinson was a genius. Duke Ellington composed a wonderful piece in tribute called "Bojangles."

Sylvia: Thanks for stopping by! Jerry Jeff has written a lot of great songs; this is one of his best.

Leslie Parsley said...

Loved both. Thanks.

Darlene said...

Many years ago a friend and I were in Las Vegas and Sammy Davis was performing at one of the hotels. The tickets were $75 each and I will never stop regretting that the price kept me from seeing Sammy. He died shortly after that I am am still lamenting that I was too cheap to go see him when I had the chance.

There was never a better performer than Sammy Davis, Jr.

K. said...

It's one thing to pass on something because you don't have the money. We've all been there. What I hate is passing on something that I can afford, then kicking myself later because I have $150 in pocket and $300 worth of regrets!