A bit more on Cowboy Jack: The earliest recording was Jack Mathis fro Columbia. Peg Moreland's 1929 recording was one of the early popular recordings. This should be considered a traditional cowboy ballad probably from Arizona which is based on an earlier song.

According to Dallas Turner A.P. Carter was still drawing royalties on the song in the early 1950s and considered it to be "his song." When Turner told A.P. he heard it as a young boy AP said, "I don't mean I composed it but I wrote it down."

Ira Sines 1928 "Songs of the Open Range" contradicts that claim. The Carter's version was one of the most popular versions and they sang it on Border Radio.

The song actually is a rewrite of "Your Mother Prays for You Jack" by F.M. Eliot in 1893. The Carter's also recorded this song. Here's some great info about the song:

http://books.google.com/books?id=pbLA3HzgjW8C&pg=PA51&lpg=PA48&dq=cowboy+Jack+1928&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html

Richie