"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is the title of a song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce. Released as part of his 1973 album Life and Times, the song was a Number One pop hit for him, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973. Croce was nominated for two 1973 Grammy awards in the Pop Male Vocalist and Record of the Year categories for "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".

The song is about a man from the south side of Chicago who, due to his size and attitude, has a reputation as the "baddest man in the whole damn town." One day, in a bar, he makes a pass at a pretty, married woman, whose jealous husband proceeds to beat Leroy brutally in the ensuing brawl.

Croce tells a nearly identical story (tough guy who everybody fears is brutally beaten when he meets an even tougher guy) in his hit single "You Don't Mess Around With Jim."

His inspiration for the song was a friend he met in his brief time in the Army:

Croce explained the chorus reference to Leroy Brown being "meaner than a junkyard dog":

Pro wrestler Junkyard Dog is said to have got his ring name from this song.

The song inspired Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury (who cited Croce as one of his artistic inspirations) to write the song "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" for the band's third album, Sheer Heart Attack, released a year after Croce died.

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" was released in April 1973 and peaked at number one on the American charts three months later. It was still on the charts on September 20 when Croce died in a plane crash in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It also reached #19 on the Australian (Go-Set) Singles Chart in 1973.

Frank Sinatra recorded a cover version of the song, which reached number 83 on the pop charts. Country music artist Anthony Armstrong Jones released a cover on Epic Records in 1973, reaching #33 on the U.S. country charts with it. Dolly Parton performed the song twice on her 1976-77 TV series Dolly!(though in her version she changed the song's locale from Chicago to Nashville). The song was also covered by punk rock band The Max Levine Ensemble.