His birth name was Pleasant Joseph and he was born in Wallace, Louisiana, United States. He died in his sleep from natural causes in New Orleans, at the age of 81.
New Orleans bluesman Pleasant Joseph made his biggest impact working under the name “Cousin Joe,” but his discography also contains material cut under a variety of aliases, among them “Smilin’ Joe,” “Brother Joshua,” “Joseph Pleasant” and even, on occasion, his birth name. Born December 20, 1907 in Wallace, Louisiana, Joseph made a name for himself on the Crescent City nightclub circuit of the mid-1930s before relocating to New York City in 1942; there he recorded a series of 78s informed equally by blues and jazz traditions, complete with witty, bawdy lyrical touches. He returned to New Orleans in 1947, recording material for the Deluxe and Imperial labels before signing a five-year pact with Decca; however, he entered the studio only rarely in the years to follow, focusing instead on learning the piano and rebuilding his reputation as a French Quarter club performer.
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