Maddox's interest in the ragtime era was fueled by his great-aunt Zula Cothron. She played with an all-girls' orchestra at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis and later played in vaudeville. Maddox studied classical music for nineteen years with Margaret Neal and Prudence Simpson Dresser, who studied in Europe for a short time with Franz Liszt. One of his teachers of popular music, Lela Donoho, accompanied silent movies in his hometown of Gallatin, Tennessee. He played his first public concert when he was five and began his professional career in 1939 playing with a local dance band, the Rhythmasters, led by J. O. "Temp" Templeton.
Around 1946, Maddox started working for his friend Randy Wood at Randy's Record Shop in Gallatin, where Wood founded Dot Records. Maddox's first single, "St. Louis Tickle" with "Crazy Bone Rag" on the flip side (recorded May 19, 1950), sold over 22,000 copies in only a few weeks. He became the first successful artist on Dot, and his instant success helped build Dot into one of the most popular labels of the 1950s. He signed with MCA and began touring nightclubs across the country. In Dallas, Texas, he appeared with Sophie Tucker; in Las Vegas with Billy Eckstine and Elvis Presley; in Miami, Florida, with Eddy Arnold and the Duke of Paducah; and in Detroit, Michigan, with Pat Flowers, Dorothy Donegan, and Lawrence Welk. His first record to sell over a million copies was probably "San Antonio Rose by Bob Wills. Another one of his most popular early records was "In the Mood," and he performed the song on The Pee Wee King Show in February 1953.
After hearing him play in 1952, the "Father of the Blues," W. C. Handy, called Maddox "the white boy with the colored fingers."
In 1954, Maddox was declared the Number One Jukebox Artist in America by the MOA (Music Operators of America). In January 1955, he recorded "The Crazy Otto Medley," which was composed of Lou Busch's "Ivory Rag," several German folk songs, and Irving Berlin's "Play a Simple Melody." The medley was originally recorded on the Polydor label by German pianist Fritz Schulz-Reichel under the pseudonym "Otto der Schrage." Disc jockey Bill Randle of WERE in Cleveland, Ohio, suggested to Randy Wood that Maddox record a version of the song and use "The Crazy Otto Medley" as the title. Maddox's record was number one on Billboard magazine chart for fourteen weeks and became the first million-selling all-piano record, eventually selling more than two million copies. Schulz-Reichel then came to the United States and recorded for Decca under the name "Crazy Otto." The reference to "Crazy Otto" in the Grateful Dead song "Ramble on Rose" is a reference to Maddox's hit record. Maddox performed The Jack Paar Show in March 1955 and played "The Crazy Otto Medley" on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theatre on May 31, 1955. He appeared with two other pianists, Hazel Scott and Joe Loco, on Patti Page's program The Big Record in November 1956. One of his later appearances was on The Soupy Sales Show.
Maddox continued to record for Dot Records through 1967, by which time he had earned nine gold singles, and his total sales were over eleven million.[2] One of the highlights of his was performing twice at New York's Stork Club, where he appeared on live television with Teresa Brewer. At the annual Hillbilly Homecoming in Maryville, Tennessee, in 1957, he worked with an up-and-coming young singer named Patsy Cline. Maddox toured fairgrounds across the country in the late 1950s and early '60s with Swenson's Thrillcade, playing on a piano placed on the back of a pickup truck that was lifted by a hydraulic lift as high as fifteen feet! His longest professional engagement was at the Red Slipper Room in Denver, Colorado's Cherry Creek Inn, where he played for seventeen years. Maddox befriended many more musicians and performers from the ragtime and vaudeville days in his travels, including Glover Compton, Butterbeans and Susie, Candy Candido, Ted Lewis, Gus Van, Glenn Rowell, and Joe Jordan.
Maddox began collecting antique sheet music, 78s, cylinders, piano rolls, photographs, and more at a very young age. He sold much of his first collection to Brigham Young University when he moved to Bad Ischl, Austria, in the 1970s. Tired of life on the road, he attempted to retire from show business forever. Soon, however, he was back performing in the United States and began a long residency at Il Porto Ristorante in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
He retired in 1992 but was then coaxed to perform at the Historic Strater Hotel's Diamond Belle Saloon in Durango, Colorado, where he played from 1996–2012. He owned one of the largest collections of popular sheet music in the world,[citation needed] likely totaling over 200,000 pieces.
He is the only ragtime pianist to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was included when construction on the Walk of Fame began.
A caricature of Maddox was placed in the main dining room of the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant next to Paul Whiteman, Rudy Vallee, Hank Williams, and Bill Haley.
Ragtime Cowboy Joe
Johnny Maddox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
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 highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
"Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is a classic Western song that was popularized by Johnny Maddox in the 1950s. The lyrics tell the story of a cowboy who sings ragtime music to the cattle as he rides on his syncopated horse. The repetition of the phrase "raggy music to the cattle" emphasizes the cowboy's love for ragtime music, which sets him apart from other cowboys who might prefer traditional Western music. The lyrics also describe the cowboy's skill with his gun, making him a highfalutin', scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona. The chorus is catchy and upbeat, with a funny meter that adds to the song's charm.
The song was written by Grant Clarke, Lewis F. Muir, and Maurice Abrahams in 1912 and has been covered by numerous artists over the years. It became a popular hit during the ragtime era and was also used in several Western films. One of the interesting things about the song is that it combines two seemingly disparate genres: ragtime music and cowboy culture. The syncopated rhythm of ragtime music was considered innovative and modern in the early 1900s, while cowboy culture was seen as old-fashioned and rugged.
Another interesting aspect of "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is the cultural significance of the cowboy figure. The cowboy has been a symbol of American individualism, freedom, and ruggedness since the late 1800s. The cowboy mythos has been celebrated in literature, film, and music and continues to be an important part of American culture. The song's lyrics reinforce the cowboy's heroic image, portraying him as a skilled marksman and a lover of music.
Overall, "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" is a fun and catchy song that celebrates two important parts of American culture: ragtime music and cowboy mythology.
Line by Line Meaning
He always sings raggy music to the cattle
The cowboy sings a type of music called ragtime to the cattle that he herds.
As he swings back and forward in the saddle
He sways back and forth as he rides on his horse.
On a horse that is syncopated, gaited
The cowboy rides a horse with a bouncy, irregular rhythm and a distinctive gait.
And there's such a funny meter to the roar of his repeater
The noise made by the cowboy's gun has a unique rhythm and sound to it.
How they run when they hear that fellow's gun
When the people in the Western area hear the cowboy's gun go off, they all run away in fear.
Because the Western folks all know
The people from the Western part of the country are familiar with this cowboy and his ways.
He's a highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
The cowboy from Arizona is high class, quick, fast and skilled with a gun.
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
The cowboy is in good health and in the mood for romance.
He always sings raggy music to the cattle
The cowboy sings a type of music called ragtime to the cattle that he herds.
As he swings back and forward in the saddle
He sways back and forth as he rides on his horse.
On a horse that is syncopated, gaited
The cowboy rides a horse with a bouncy, irregular rhythm and a distinctive gait.
And there's such a funny meter to the roar of his repeater
The noise made by the cowboy's gun has a unique rhythm and sound to it.
How they run when they hear that fellow's gun
When the people in the Western area hear the cowboy's gun go off, they all run away in fear.
Because the Western folks all know
The people from the Western part of the country are familiar with this cowboy and his ways.
He's a highfaluting, scooting, shooting son-of-a-gun from Arizona
The cowboy from Arizona is high class, quick, fast and skilled with a gun.
Fit as a fiddle and ready for love
The cowboy is in good health and in the mood for romance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRANT CLARKE, MAURICE ABRAHAMS, LEWIS MUIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind