Earle was 14 when he first heard Walker. His high school drama teacher gave him a copy of "Mr. Bojangles," Walker's classic ballad about an unforgettable character he met in a New Orleans jail. After Earle moved to Nashville in the 1970s, he had the opportunity to get to know Walker, who enlisted him as his designated driver.
"There's a tendency to think of Jerry Jeff around a relationship to one song," Earle says, referring to "Mr. Bojangles," which was covered by everyone from Bob Dylan to Sammy Davis Jr. "He was also such a great interpreter of other people's songs. But my main purpose in recording this album was to remind people that he wrote a lot of fucking great songs."
Side A
1 Gettin' By
2 Gypsy Songman
3 Little
4 I Makes Money (Money Don't Make Me)
5 Mr. Bojangles
Side B
1 Hill Country Rain
2 Charlie Dunn
3 My Old Man
4 Wheel
5 Old Road