In New Orleans, if you go to jail, you go to Orleans Parish Prison. This is in fact, the “ The House of the rising Sun”. It’s called that locally, or used to be, because the windowed cells faced east. I remember when you could stand on the street and throw contraband to the inmates. I also remember seeing Jerry Jeff play on the streets in New Orleans before he made it big. So, the song should have said: “ but most the time I spend behind these parish walls, cause I drinks a bit”. Louisiana has parishes and not counties. Orleans parish prison is really a county jail, or equivalent to a county jail. Not a prison. If you get sent to prison, you end up most likely at Angola. The “Big House”. New Orleans is not the ”B😢ig Easy”. that’s some kind of marketing bullshit that came out about the 80s. Before that you never heard it call that by the locals. The coon asses from around that area that could get to New Orleans called it ”Gros Ville”, (big town) for slang. In New Orleans on the street there were always some old black cats (when I live there) that would tap dance for change., and little kids too. That’s likely where this came from. The song was real enough. Jerry Jeff captured it pretty damn well, I knew exactly what he was talking about and where he was coming from. I remember after he got big, I recognized him from having been on the streets. Now that was real.
Yes, this is a great song with an interesting backstory. For years I thought it was a tribute to the great Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. But our team did months of research on this song and discovered the only similarity was the name.
Jerry actually changed his description of Mr. Bojangles in different interviews. But the song starts with the story of an old man he met while locked up in New Orleans. During the sixties, that would have been a segregated jail. However when he spoke of the old man dancing, you could tell he was now describing the skills of a much younger and more energetic dancer. This is why he later acknowledged that the lyrics to Mr. Bojangles also described the many other street performers he met in his life. Some were black and some were white. The old man’s story just gave him something to start with.
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Every black neighborhood had someone like him.He was loved by the children and would dance.
Yes and country singer Jeff Walker developed a great admiration for them as he travelled. It's where he got much of his inspiration.
In New Orleans, if you go to jail, you go to Orleans Parish Prison. This is in fact, the “ The House of the rising Sun”. It’s called that locally, or used to be, because the windowed cells faced east. I remember when you could stand on the street and throw contraband to the inmates. I also remember seeing Jerry Jeff play on the streets in New Orleans before he made it big. So, the song should have said: “ but most the time I spend behind these parish walls, cause I drinks a bit”. Louisiana has parishes and not counties. Orleans parish prison is really a county jail, or equivalent to a county jail. Not a prison. If you get sent to prison, you end up most likely at Angola. The “Big House”. New Orleans is not the ”B😢ig Easy”. that’s some kind of marketing bullshit that came out about the 80s. Before that you never heard it call that by the locals. The coon asses from around that area that could get to New Orleans called it ”Gros Ville”, (big town) for slang. In New Orleans on the street there were always some old black cats (when I live there) that would tap dance for change., and little kids too. That’s likely where this came from. The song was real enough. Jerry Jeff captured it pretty damn well, I knew exactly what he was talking about and where he was coming from. I remember after he got big, I recognized him from having been on the streets. Now that was real.
Love Mr Bojangles. 👍
Yes, this is a great song with an interesting backstory. For years I thought it was a tribute to the great Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. But our team did months of research on this song and discovered the only similarity was the name.
Sounds like this is being narrated by a computer. Lol
Nice video and content on this channel, so I subscribed!!!!!👍👍👍
Thanks for the sub!
I like this song too!!!
Definitely an old time favorite.
I never had the impression that Mr. Bojangles was black. I always pictured him as an old shabby white man.
I believe Jerry Jeff had said Mr B was a white guy.
@@joymatkowski3464 nobody’s problem. Just reporting what I know. Also, the video suggested strongly that he was a white guy
Jerry actually changed his description of Mr. Bojangles in different interviews. But the song starts with the story of an old man he met while locked up in New Orleans. During the sixties, that would have been a segregated jail. However when he spoke of the old man dancing, you could tell he was now describing the skills of a much younger and more energetic dancer. This is why he later acknowledged that the lyrics to Mr. Bojangles also described the many other street performers he met in his life. Some were black and some were white. The old man’s story just gave him something to start with.
Hey. Just discovered your site. Bojangles one of my all-time fave songs. I'll be back!
Thanks, we will be adding quite a bit of content over time.
narrator voice makes this not listentable
Great story. i just subscribed and will be looking forward to more topics.
Welcome aboard!
the way David tells it Jerry met the right women at the right time in the wrong place... and her husband the bartender...
Yeah apparently, he was no stranger to trouble back then. Glad he finally got that hit song to change his life.
This was and by Sammy Davis Jr and he sang it perfectly
Yes and he sang it with such emotion.
@@AllAboutStuff I loved hos performance
What is up with the narration for this video.