Real name: Joseph Pleasant

Effective period / Period of releases: 1946 - 1996

American pianist, singer and guitarist, Joseph Pleasant aka Smilin' Joe and later as Cousin Joe was first a blues player before settling in New York in 1942 and entering into the jazz scene (thanks to Mezz Mezzrow). He came back few years later in New Orleans.

Born: December 20, 1907 in Wallace, Louisiana.
Died: October 02, 1989 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Worked with: Sidney Bechet, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and others.