Hey Joe

Stephen Dorian Kutos uploaded “the very first recording of the song Hey Joe, ever made” to YouTube on August 23 2019.

It takes the form of a home demo recording by the song’s writer, Billy Roberts. The song has a long and complicated history regarding it’s authorship, but this is the absolute first version ever recorded, in 1961/62, as a favor to Billy Roberts’ friend Barry Friedman.

Stephen Dorian Kutos notes that “I received a CDR copy of this reel-to-reel tape in the early 2000’s from Billy’s then lawyer/manager. I have edited together some historical footage of prisoners from the 30’s and 40’s to aid the song visually, as the images seem to fit the tone of the song very well.”