Song:Ragtime Cowboy Joe
Album:Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Foy Willing led the cowboy music band Riders of the Purple Sage. They are best known for appearing in several B westerns in the 40s and then they became Roy Rogers' backup band. I think that most fans assume that Sons of the Pioneers were that band. Riders of the Purple Sage replaced them in the mid 40s. Willing was born May 14, 1914 in Iredell, TX. He started out a the lead singer of a gospel group on local radio. He moved to New York in 1933 and then he moved to Los Angeles in 1940. This is where it gets a little confusing. The band Riders of the Purple Sage was founded by Buck Page in 1936. Willing called his new band Riders of the Purple Sage. The original band was Patti Page on vocals, Johnny Paul on fiddle and Ken Coopern on accordion. The band lineup changed a lot due to WWII callups. Riders of the Purple Sage recorded for Decca and Capitol. But the big thing is they replaced Sons of the Pioneers at Republic Pictures. They appeared in several westerns starring Charles Starrett, Monte Hale and Roy Rogers. This recording of the cowboy standard Lonesome Cowboy Joe is from one of those movies but I don't know which one. It doesn't look like the group ever recorded the song or released it as a single. The Varese label took it from the film soundtrack and put it on this CD. Riders of the Purple Sage continued to appear in Rogers films until they disbanded in 1952. Willing retired but he would perform occasionally and he was a regular at cowboy music festivals in the 70s. Foy Willing died of a heart attack on July 14, 1978 at age 64. Here's a video for Lonesome Cowboy Joe by Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage.
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