Good piece on Buttercup Joe in the most recent Folk Music Journal:

"Volume 9 Number 2 (2007) contains the following pieces:

Articles

George Frampton, '... and they calls I Buttercup Joe': Albert Richardson, the Singing Sexton of Burwash, 1905—76

Statistically, the songs 'Buttercup Joe' and 'Farmer's Boy' are key to the repertoire of traditional singers collected in the second half of the twentieth century. Both were recorded on gramophone records by Albert Richardson of Burwash for the British Zonophone Company in 1928 and 1932, respectively — the first time that a traditional singer was recorded for commercial purposes. However, comparatively little is known about Richardson, apart from a précis published in Musical Traditions in 2001. This article aims to apportion Richardson's role in the tradition, exploring his roles locally and publicly, together with his singing repertoire."