Ragtime Cowboy Joe

Grant Clarke (1891–1931), Maurice Abrahams (1883–1931) and Lewis F. Muir (1883–1915)

This song was written in 1912, the year Arizona became the 48th state. It aptly begins, “Out in Arizona, where the bad men are…” Arizona had been the most lawless place in the country, chiefly because the bad men of the old west found in the Arizona Territory the last best place in which to be bad.  According to a tour guide I spoke to while there, “one of the first colleges here was periodically shot up by outlaws”. Arizona is where the Wild West died.

Grant Clarke came to New York City from Ohio. He worked as an actor and, as well as being a composer, wrote material for comedians.

Maurice Abrahams was born in Russia and came to the U.S. at the age of nine. “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” was inspired by his young nephew, who visited dressed in a cowboy outfit. 

These same three composers also wrote, “Second Hand Rose” and Lewis Muir alone wrote “When Ragtime Rosie Ragged the Rosary”, about which the Catholic Church complained. Naturally I looked for it on YouTube. It seemed to be about a Baptist or maybe Methodist service, which didn’t make sense, because the rosary is only employed by Catholics, some Lutherans and some Anglicans.