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Diamond Joe/State of Arkansas
Traditional Old-Time, Breakdown- USA.
ARTIST: Arranged by Browning Porter and Jeff Romano
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: 1800’s, Collected in 1909 Perrow and 1911 Odum.
RECORDING INFO: County 514, The Georgia Crackers (a cover name for the Cofer Brothers)- "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia" (orig. rec. 1927). Cooney, Michael. Singer of Old Songs, Front Hall FHR-007C, Cas (1976), cut# 4; Deseret String Band. Land of Milk and Honey, Okehdokee 74002, LP (1974), cut# 2a; Georgia Crackers. Hell Broke Loose in Georgia, County 514, LP (197?), cut# 2; Houston, Cisco. Folk Music USA. Vol. 1, Folkways FE 4530, LP (1959), cut#C.03; McNeil, Brownie. Folksongs, Sonic, LP (195?), cut# 10; New Lost City Ramblers. New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 5, Folkways FA 2395, LP (1963), cut# 9; Rush, Tom. Tom Rush, Fantasy 24709, LP (1972), cut# 9; Val, Joe (Joe Valiante). Diamond Joe, Rounder 11537, LP (1995), cut# 8
OTHER NAMES: Willie's Diamond Joe
SOURCES: Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 277-278. Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
NOTES: "D Major. ADAE. AB (The 'B' part was composed by New York fiddler Steve Uhrik). Liz Slade (Yorktown, New York) [Kuntz]." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
Versions of Diamond Joe are adapted from the song, State of Arkansas and sometimes have a similar melody. There are several distinct version and they are listed Diamond Joe I (western song) and Diamond Joe II (fiddle tune).
The Traditional Ballad Index cufresno suggests that it could be a Cisco Houston and/or Lee Hays 1959 adaptation from the "State of Arkansas" ("John Johanna"). Belden first noted "State of Arkansas in America in 1906. The Trad Ballad Index notes that it is found in Ireland, but form and date not known to me.
In 1927, the Georgia Crackers recorded "Diamond Joe" that would be the fiddle tune version. This is different from the cowboy song and, in respect of tune and lyric content, bring to mind, to me at least, Uncle Dave Macon's "I'll Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy." Meade et alia 'Country Music Sources' note that this 'Diamond Joe' was probably addressed not to a person but to a steamboat: "Jo Reynolds ran the Diamond Jo Steamboat line from 1892 to 1910 and each boat had a large diamond with the name "JO" in the middle of it."
The Crackers recording was first reissued on "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia" County LP 514 and has since been reissued on CD: Various Artists 'Georgia Stringbands Vol I' Document DOCD-8021. Meade et alia give an earlier date for 'State of Arkansas': Wehman's Collection of Folksongs (NYC Henry J. Wehman 1884-94) #32 (April 1891), p 22. [Meade et alia 'Country Music Sources' p 52].
The earliest recording was by Kelly Harrell & The Virginia Stringband under the title "My Name Is John Johanna" on March 23, 1927 in Camden, NJ.
"Diamond Joe," the song about a Texas cattleman, was communicated to the Lomax collection in 1935 by J. B. Dillingham, a railroad conductor, and first printed in 1938, "Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads," reprinted in "Our Singing Country," 1941.
The song Bob Dylan recorded on "Good As I Been To You" is a different song from Version 1 from Kuntz-Ceolas and is similar to the western version. That album credits it as arranged by him, without giving an author. Larry Shiereck tells me Ramblin' Jack Elliot performs that version which he claims he learned from a bronco rider in Brussels. It was also recorded by Cisco Houston, and the liner notes say that it is an adaption of "The State Of Arkansas" which John Lomax included in Cowboy Songs And Other Frontier Ballads. Lomax also included a "Diamond Joe," see version 8.
LYRICS:
There is a man you'll hear about
Most everyplace you go,
And his holdings are in Texas,
And his name is Diamond Joe;
And he carries all his money,
In his diamond-studded jaw,
And he never took much trouble,
With the process of the law.
I hired out to Diamond Joe, boys,
And I offered him my hand,
And he gave me a string of horses,
So weak they could not stand;
And I nearly starved to death, boys,
He did mistreat me so,
And I never saved a dollar,
In the pay of Diamond Joe.
Well, his bread it was corn dodger,
And his meat you could not chaw,
And he nearly drove me crazy
With the wagging of his jaw;
And the telling of his stories,
I mean to let you know,
That there never was a rounder
Who could lie like Diamond Joe.
Well, I tried three times to quit him, boys,
But he did argue so,
And I'm still punching cattle
In the pay of Diamond Joe,
And when I'm called up yonder,
And it is my time to go,
Give my blankets to my buddies, boys,
And give the fleas to Diamond Joe.
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