Ragtime Cowboy Joe is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...

song. The lyrics were written by

Grant Clarke Grant Clarke (May 14, 1891, Akron, Ohio – May 16, 1931, California) was an American songwriter. Clarke moved to New York City early in his career, where he worked as an actor and a staff writer for comedians. He began working on Tin Pan Alley, ...

and the music was composed by

Lewis F. Muir Lewis F. Muir, born Louis Meuer (May 30, 1883 – December 3, 1915) was an American composer and ragtime pianist. Biography Originally a Hatmaking, millinery peddler, Muir started as a pianist in St. Louis cafes and played in the St. Louis World' ...

and

Maurice Abrahams Maurice Abrahams (March 18, 1883 – April 13, 1931) was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century. Biography Abrahams was born in Odessa, Russia, and emigrated to the US as a child in ...

. It was copyrighted and published in 1912 by F.A. Mills.

Artists

The song has been recorded by a diverse group of artists, including Bob Roberts (1912), the Tune Wranglers (1936),

Pinky Tomlin Truman Virgil "Pinky" Tomlin (September 9, 1907 – December 12, 1987) was a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and actor of the 1930s and 1940s. In addition to performing in occasional motion pictures, he wrote and published 22 songs, several of ...

(1939),

Eddy Howard Edward Evan Duncan Howard (September 12, 1914 – May 23, 1963) was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county ...

(1947),

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

(1949), and

the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three ...

(1959). It was also performed by

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Early life and education Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 2 ...

in the 1945 musical film '' Incendiary Blonde''.

Origin

The song's lyricist and composers are

Clarke Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a popular surname i ...

Muir "Muir" is the Scots word for "moorland", and Scots Gaelic for "sea", and is the etymological origin of the surname and Clan Muir/Mure/Moore in Scotland and other parts of the world. Places United States * Muir, Willits, California, a former unin ...

and Abrahams.

also wrote "Second Hand Rose". "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" was composed in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

after an appearance at the home of Abrahams by his nephew, Joe Abrahams, wearing a cowboy outfit. Maurice Abrahams was so captivated by the appearance of his nephew dressed up as a cowboy that he was inspired to write "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". It became a number-one hit song for singer Bob Roberts, also the second best-selling record of 1912.

Original lyrics

As with many popular songs of the era, the verse is often omitted: the refrain's lyrics vary somewhat depending on the performer. (verse) : ''Out in Arizona'' : ''Where the bad men are,'' : ''And the only friend to guide you'' : ''Is an evening star,'' : ''The roughest and the toughest'' : ''Man by far'' : ''Is Ragtime Cowboy Joe.'' : ''He got his name from singing '' : ''To the cows and sheep'' : ''Every night they say'' : ''He sings the herd to sleep'' : ''In a basso'' : ''Rich and deep,'' : ''Crooning soft and low.'' (refrain) : ''He always sings'' : ''Raggy music to the cattle'' : ''As he swings'' : ''Back and forward in the saddle'' : ''On a horse'' : ''That is syncopated gaited'' : ''And there's such a funny meter'' : ''To the roar of his repeater.'' : ''How they run'' : ''When they hear that fellow's gun'' : ''Because the Western folks all know'' : ''He's a high-faluting, scooting, shooting,'' : ''Son of a gun from Arizona,'' : ''Ragtime Cowboy Joe.'' (verse) : ''Dressed up every Sunday'' : ''In his Sunday clothes'' : ''He beats it to the village'' : ''Where he always goes'' : ''And every girl'' : ''In town is Joe's'' : '' 'Cause he's a ragtime bear.'' : ''When he starts a-spieling'' : ''On the dance hall floor'' : ''No one but a lunatic'' : ''Would start a war'' : ''Wise men know'' : ''His forty-four'' : ''Makes men dance for fair.'' Variations include: "Where the bad lands are", "How he sings", "Ragtime music", "That's syncopated gaited/And you ought to hear the meter", "scootin' shootin'" or "rootin' tootin'", "Son of a gun from old Wyoming", or additions of "(A pretty good horse)", "He's some cowboy", and/or "Talk about your cowboy".

On radio

"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" was the radio show theme song for New York City's long running, award-winning public radio show, ''Cowboy Joe's Radio Ranch'' (1976–1988), hosted by Paul Aaron, New York's Cowboy Joe. During one of his radio shows Paul Aaron had the elder Joe Abrahams (the original Cowboy Joe) as a special guest. Paul Aaron played many versions of his favorite song dating back to one sung by Bob Roberts from an RCA Victor 78 rpm record. He also played many "live" versions recorded during the University of Wyoming football and basketball games. A more recent rendition of the song appears on Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks' 2009 album "Tangled Tales".

College fight songs

University of Wyoming song

"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is also the

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

of the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

. Traditionally, Cowboy fans stand and clap to the beat of the song as played by Wyoming's

Western Thunder Marching Band Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

. The version of the song appropriated by Wyoming was written by Francis Edwin Stroup (1909–2010) in 1961. He rewrote the chorus. Stroup had been an Assistant Professor of Health and Physical Education for Men at Wyoming until August 31, 1950. He also had composed the fight song for his alma mater, the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

in 1939, ten years after graduating. The song, "Fight, North Texas", has endured for years and the lyrics have changed minimally to reflect the name changes of the university. Stroup also composed school songs for

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Stroup, while teaching at

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

in 1961, also wrote the "Huskie Fight Song", which was adopted as the university's fight song in 1963. The lyrics Stroup wrote for the University of Wyoming follow: : (for the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

) : ''C! O! W! B! O! Y! S!'' : ''COWBOYS! COWBOYS! COWBOYS!'' : (for the Cowgirls) : ''C! O! W! G! I! R! L! S!'' : ''COWGIRLS! COWGIRLS! COWGIRLS!''

University of California, Davis

The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! at

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

also adapted the song with the following variation: : ''He's a high-falutin', rootin' tootin' '' : ''Son of a gun from California'' : ''He's some cowboy'' : ''Talk about your cowboy'' : ''Ragtime Cowboy Joe''

The Chipmunks

"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is the third and final single from the Chipmunks' debut album ''

Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks ''Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks'' is the debut album of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is an interactive children's novelty album. The songs on the record are a mixture between cover versions of children's songs in the public domain and custom ...

''. The song was released as a single in 1959. The Chipmunks' two prior singles, "

The Chipmunk Song "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a novelty Christmas song written by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville) in 1958. Bagdasarian sang and recorded the song, varying the tape speeds to produce high-pitched "chi ...

" and "

Alvin's Harmonica "Alvin's Harmonica" is a song from the fictional musical group, Alvin and the Chipmunks, which also features additional vocals by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. who plays David Seville in the song. The song was released as the second single from the group ...

", both reached the Top Ten; "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" peaked at No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the week of August 2, 1959.David Seville (Hot 100 chart history) – ''Billboard''.
Retrieved May 14, 2021 The song was also a success on the

Billboard Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, peaking at No. 29. Since the song was also credited to

David Seville David "Dave" Seville is a fictional character, the producer and manager of the fictional singing group ''Alvin and the Chipmunks''. The character was created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who had used the name "David Seville" as his stage name prior ...

by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', it became Seville's fourth consecutive Top 20 single. The single also reached No. 11 in the UK singles chart, the first and only Chipmunks song to chart in the UK until 1992's "

Achy Breaky Heart Achy may refer to: * Suffering from pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associate ...

". The B- or flip-side, also written by Bagdasarian, is titled "Flip Side".

References

External links

"Ragtime Cowboy Joe"
1912 Victor recording by Bob Roberts, at the ''Discography of American Historical Recordings'', UC Santa Barbara
1912 full sheet music
at ''Knowledge Bank'', Ohio State University

''New York Times'' article about "Cowboy Joe's Radio Ranch" {{Authority control 1912 songs Songs written by Maurice Abrahams American college songs College fight songs in the United States Mountain West Conference fight songs Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls Alvin and the Chipmunks songs English children's songs Songs about fictional male characters Songs about cowboys and cowgirls Songs written by Grant Clarke