Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.

Subject: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: Steve ('Great Lakes') in Richmond, VA
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 11:27 AM

Many years ago I bought a few of Alan Lomax's historical recordings including one of blues and its roots. One of the recordings was by a man named Forest City Joe and his song started (I believe) as 'She used to be beautiful but she lived her life too fast....'. Does this album and/or song seem familiar. Thank's.

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 07:18 PM

Hi Steve!

I'm assuming you don't have the album any longer. Both Prestige International and Atlantic put out sets of Lomax U.S. field recordings. I have both in storage. Forest City Joe was definitely on one or both sets. I clearly remember the name.

All the best, Dan

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: Zorro
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 08:20 PM

I had the album and taped it, (poor quality) I've tried to get the words to that particular song, but alas I can't understand the words. " She use to be beashe lived her life to fast..." then something about hangin around bar rooms and "drinkin' out of everybodys whisky glass." I am 96% sure that Forest City Joe was killed in some type of farm accident a while after the album was made. I really like the album, it's called (I think) The blues roll on."

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: Dave T
Date: 27 Oct 98 - 10:56 PM

Steve,
I've never heard the song, but I remember eading about the man in Lomax's book "The Land Where The Blues Began", ISBN: 0-385-31285-7. Alan Lomax recorded Forest City Joe Pugh in Hughes, Arkansas in 1959.

She used to be beautiful, but she lived her life too fast
Now she runnin' round
Tryin to drink out of everybody's whiskey glass

I had a good racket of sellin whiskey
I told my baby so
She wasn't satisfied till she went to town
And let the chief of police know

She used to be beautiful byt she lived her life too fast

One thing, one thing old buddy
Forrest City Joe can't understand
She cooked cornbread for me
She cooked biscuits for her man

She used to be beautiful, but she lived her life too fast
Now she runnin' round town
Tryin to drink out of everybody's whiskey glass

That's all I have so far. I'll check through some other material though. By the way, if you haven't read the book and you're interested in stories of some of the early blues artists, Lomax's book is a must read.

Dave T

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Jul 14 - 04:50 PM

I believe it's Forrest City Joe. That's a town in Arkansas if I remember correctly.
It's a great song and I've been looking for the lyrics. I have that song somewhere.

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 30 Jul 14 - 08:50 PM

"Forrest City Joe" Pugh

http://www.wirz.de/music/forrefrm.htm

http://badassharmonica.com/forrest-city-joe/

Best wishes, Thomas.

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 05 Aug 14 - 11:40 PM

SHE LIVED HER LIFE TOO FAST, sung by Forrest City Joe Pugh, can be heard at YouTube.

It is also on several albums, including "Best of Blues, Vol. 8: Forrest City Joe" (2010), and can be heard on Spotify.

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: GUEST,Jerome Clark
Date: 06 Aug 14 - 09:00 PM

I'm glad the spelling was corrected. It wasn't "Forest," as in a lot of trees, but "Forrest," as in Confederate Gen. and KKK founder Nathan Bedford Forrest, after whom the town in St. Francis County, Arkansas, was named.

Forrest City Joe's "Memories of Sonny Boy" -- Williamson I, that is, John Lee Williamson -- appears on the first volume (#11) of the 4-disc 1992 box set Chess Blues. Irritatingly, there he's "Forest [sic] City Joe."

Subject: RE: Alan Lomax- Forest City Joe.
From: GUEST,Paul Harty
Date: 06 Aug 21 - 06:49 AM

Charlie Musselwhite had a version on one his early LPs, as well. In trying to to decipher the Forrest City Joe lyrics, there was a verse I could not get the verse that begins:

" I had a drink last night I tried to take a drink the night before"

Any one have that verse?

Thx