| "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" | |
|---|---|
 1912 sheet music | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1912 by F.A. Mills Publishing |
| Genre | Western swing, pop |
| Composer(s) | Lewis F. Muir, Maurice Abrahams |
| Lyricist(s) | Grant Clarke |
"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is a popular western swing song. The lyrics were written by Grant Clarke and the music was composed by Lewis F. Muir and Maurice Abrahams. It was copyrighted and published in 1912 by F.A. Mills. [1]
The song has been recorded by a diverse group of artists, including Bob Roberts (1912), the Tune Wranglers (1936), Pinky Tomlin (1939), Eddy Howard (1947), Jo Stafford (1949), and the Chipmunks (1959). It was also performed by Betty Hutton in the 1945 musical film Incendiary Blonde .
In 1978, Jimmy Stewart made a memorable surprise cameo appearance performing on the piano on the final Carol Burnett Show.
The song's lyricist and composers are Clarke, Muir and Abrahams. Clarke also wrote "Second Hand Rose". "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" was composed in Brooklyn 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. [2]
As with many popular songs of the era, the verse is often omitted: the refrain's lyrics vary somewhat depending on the performer.
(verse)
(refrain)
(verse)
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".
"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".
"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is also the fight song of 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. The version of the song appropriated by Wyoming was written by Francis Edwin Stroup (1909–2010) [3] in 1961. He rewrote the chorus. [4] 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 in 1939, ten years after graduating. [5] The song, "Fight, North Texas", has endured for eighty-five years and the lyrics have changed minimally to reflect the name changes of the university. Stroup also composed school songs for Drake University and the University of Chicago. Stroup, while teaching at Northern Illinois University in 1961, also wrote the "Huskie Fight Song", which was adopted as the university's fight song in 1963. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
The lyrics Stroup wrote for the University of Wyoming follow:
The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh! at University of California, Davis also adapted the song with the following variation:
| "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by David Seville and the Chipmunks | ||||
| from the album Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks | ||||
| B-side | "Flip Side" | |||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:06 | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Composer(s) | Lewis F. Muir, Maurice Abrahams | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Grant Clarke | |||
| Producer(s) | Ross Bagdasarian Sr. | |||
| The Chipmunks singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is the third and final single from the Chipmunks' debut album Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks . The song was released as a single in 1959. The Chipmunks' two prior singles, "The Chipmunk Song" and "Alvin's Harmonica", both reached the Top Ten; "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of August 2, 1959. [11] The song was also a success on the Billboard Black Singles, peaking at No. 29. In Canada it reached No. 4 [12]
During the instrumental section, Alvin is shooting a loud gun, causing David to scream "ALVIN" At the end of the song, Alvin's voice is heard galloping on a horse shouting "Hi Ho, Alvin, Away!!!!!", before the song's fade.
Since the song was also credited to David Seville by Billboard , 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". The B- or flip-side, also written by Bagdasarian, is titled "Flip Side".
Riders in the Sky is an American Western music and comedy group which began performing in 1977. The band has released more than 40 albums, starred in a single-season self-titled television series on CBS, wrote and starred in an NPR syndicated radio drama Riders Radio Theater, and appeared in television series and films including as featured contributors to Ken Burns' Country Music. Their family-friendly style also appeals to children, exemplified in their recordings for Disney and Pixar. They have won two Grammy Awards and have written and performed music for major motion pictures, including "Woody's Roundup" from Toy Story 2 and Pixar's short film, For the Birds. The band also recorded companion albums for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.
Ross S. Bagdasarian, known professionally by his stage name David "Dave" Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmunks. Initially a stage and film actor, he rose to prominence in 1958 with the songs "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song ", which both became Billboard number-one singles. He produced and directed The Alvin Show, which aired on CBS in 1961–62.
Louis Wolfe Gilbert was a Russian-born American songwriter of Tin Pan Alley. He is best remembered as the lyricist for "Ramona" (1928), the first movie theme song ever written.
The Alvin Show is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Alvin Show aired for one season, from October 4, 1961, to September 12, 1962 and was originally sponsored by General Foods through its Jell-O gelatin and Post Cereal brands. Although the series was created in color, it was initially telecast in black and white. It was later rebroadcast in color from 1962-65 for Saturday mornings on CBS and again Saturday mornings on NBC in 1979.
Maurice Abrahams was an American songwriter and music publisher, who was successful in the early years of the 20th century.
Chipmunk Punk is an album by the Chipmunks, as well as being the first album released by Ross Bagdasarian Jr., after he took over the voices of the Chipmunks after the death of his father in 1972. Despite the title of the album, none of the songs listed are considered to be in the style of real punk rock music. It was released in June 1980. The album peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA on October 14, 1980, becoming the Chipmunks' first gold record. In 2005, it was re-released on CD, although the CD was only available through the official Chipmunks website. In Canada, the album reached No. 59.
Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks is the debut album of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is a children's novelty album. The songs on the record are a mixture between cover versions of children's songs in the public domain and customized original musical material. It contains the A-sides of the Chipmunks' first three singles: "The Chipmunk Song ", "Alvin's Harmonica" and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". The artist credit on the original release was listed as Ross Bagdasarian.
Greatest Hits: Still Squeaky After All These Years is a 1999 music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by Capitol Records, and containing 17 tracks, including the newly recorded bonus track "A Chat with Alvin". The album was remastered and re-issued in 2007 by Capitol Records, containing 26 tracks and omitting " A Chat with Alvin". The album's subtitle parodies Paul Simon's 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years.
The Very Best of The Very Best of The Chipmunks with David Seville is a 1975 music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by United Artists, containing ten tracks. A CD version contains only nine of the tracks, leaving out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a 1958 novelty Christmas song written and recorded by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville). Bagdasarian sang the song, varying the tape speeds to produce high-pitched "chipmunk" voices, with the vocals credited to Alvin and the Chipmunks, Seville's cartoon virtual band and later media franchise. The song was nominated for Record of the Year in the 1st Annual Grammy Awards, where it also won three Awards.
Incendiary Blonde is a 1945 American musical drama film biography of 1920s nightclub star Texas Guinan. Filmed in Technicolor by director George Marshall and loosely based on a true story, the picture stars actress Betty Hutton as Guinan. The film's title is a play on incendiary bombs being used in World War II.
Chipmunk Rock is a children's album by Alvin and the Chipmunks featuring covers of various rock hits, mostly from the late 1970s and early 1980s, plus one original tune.
The Wyoming Cowboys and Cowgirls are the athletic teams that represent the University of Wyoming, located in Laramie. Wyoming is a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 17 NCAA-sanctioned sports. Two Wyoming teams compete in other conferences in sports that the MW does not sponsor. The men's swimming and diving team competes in the Western Athletic Conference, and the wrestling team competes in the Big 12 Conference.
Alvin and the Chipmunks is a 2007 American live-action/animated musical comedy film directed by Tim Hill from a screenplay by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi. It is the first installment in the live-action film series of Alvin and the Chipmunks. The plot follows chipmunks Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, who move in with struggling songwriter Dave Seville after losing their home. When Dave discovers their singing talent, he introduces them to JETT Records executive Ian Hawke, whose plans threaten the chipmunks' newfound family dynamic. The cast includes Jason Lee, David Cross, and Cameron Richardson, with voices by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney.
Grant Clarke was an American songwriter.
This is the complete discography of the fictional music group Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel is a 2009 American live-action/animated jukebox musical comedy film directed by Betty Thomas and written by Jon Vitti and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. It is based on Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Chipettes. It is the sequel to Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) and the second installment in the live-action Alvin and the Chipmunks film series. The film stars Zachary Levi, David Cross and Jason Lee, with voices by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney. Christina Applegate, Anna Faris and Amy Poehler voice the new characters. The film sees the Chipmunks entering high school under the care of Dave Seville's cousin, Toby. Meanwhile, Ian Hawke recruits the Chipettes to restore his career.
Lewis F. Muir, born Louis Meuer was an American composer and ragtime pianist.
Rootin' Tootin' Rhythm is a 1937 American Western film directed by Mack V. Wright and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Armida. Based on a story by Johnston McCulley, the film is about two cowboys who assume the identities of dead outlaws in order to stop a bunch of cattle rustlers, later discovering that the outlaws are far from dead.
Hitchy-Koo is a 1912 American popular song and a series of musical revues, inspired by the song, staged on Broadway each year from 1917 through 1920 and on tour in 1922.
