Since I posted Rock Salt and Nails, it got me thinking about the late Utah Phillips. Here he is talking and singing about Hood River Blackie and the traveling nation.
Since I posted Rock Salt and Nails, it got me thinking about the late Utah Phillips. Here he is talking and singing about Hood River Blackie and the traveling nation.
27th Street 
Ralph Jr. I seem to be in a time warp and never get to see these post when they are written…life of the Army I guess. Always appears to me that no one wanted anything to do with Dad’s writing or his memory unless they are going to make a buck. Wish they could have expressed their interest while he was alive so he had a say in it.
Dear Mr Ralph Gooding, Jr.,
Do you really want to go to the Hobo Convention in Britt?
I’m planning to go this summer …
Perhaps we should talk.
Boxcar Willie (the “2nd” original, not the singer)
I am sorry I have not replyed to you I work so much that about the only thing I do is work,sleep,eat and back to work.. Dad loved the hoboes and it saddened him when one caught the westbound …but yes one day I have to go see dads grave and go to the hobo convention,when dad was alive we were rubber tramps (though I did not know what that was at that time) and we followed the fruit harvest,now I am married and settled down but I need to go to britt one day,do you want pictures of dad (Hoodriver Blackie)???
I would love to see some pics of your dad, Hoodriver Blackie …
I am an Oregonian and interested in his days in the orchards and generally around Oregon.
Don’t wait too long before making your trip or you might find yourself too tired [or worse!] …
Boxcar Willie
email me and I will send you some pictures of dad and some of the hoboes,and if you know what ever happened to Feather River John?
Ralph Gooding JR. I’ am putting together a complete list of your Dads stories.
I need your help. I have complete collections of True West, Frontier Times, and
Old West Magazines, I bought out Roy Rogers Collection, from his son Dusty.
I’ am an old Western Movie Actor, 1950s thru 1960s. I Filmed with many of the
Silver Screen Cowboys. Hood River Blackie was a great writer.
Please contact me. T.J Raines (Hollywood Name)
For those of you that are real hobo buffs like(Arkansas Red-Ozark Troubadour ) I have pictures of dad and a few of the hoboes he rode with from yrs ago all of them that I remember are gone now…one saying dad had was “Hood River Blackie never forgets” it was on a card he placed with the flowers on each grave of a hobo friend
ok,one ,Tex medders was not 112 yrs old when he passed away he was 97!!! as for dad he thought so much of the Hoboes that he helped start the (along with steam train and feather river John) hobo museum in Britt,Iowa…now as for the song that utah phillips did about dad or Hood River Blackie I thought it was something else and I did not care for it but everyone has their own opinion and that is fine with me. at least he made a song of dad.
Hood River Blackie`s real name was Ralph Gooding,Sr,and I am Ralph Gooding Jr.. I am not a hobo like my dad wanted,but I would like to go to the hobo convention one time and meet some of the hoboes that are left I know all of the old ones are gone,chicken red,dutch zorn,frenchy,horse face bill,fingers and the list goes on and on I am glad of one thing and that is I was able to meet alot of the hoboes from the 1960`s who had been on the road for 30 years already..dad passed away of heart failure on 01/31/1984 ..he used to put a little flower on graves in marysville with a tag that read “Hood River Blackie never forgets ” thanks for listening…..Ralph Gooding Jr
Thank you very much for your comment, Ralph. Much Appreciated.
I never got to meet Hood River Blackie, but heard about him through Utah Phillips. I knew a few Hobos who used to come to our back door when I was a kid. I wish I could find a collection of Hood River Blackie’s sayings and wisdom, but I guess he took them with him when he caught the westbound. Thanks to Ralph Gooding Jr. for posting this about his dad.
Down the line,
Arkansas Red-Ozark Troubadour
Arkansas Red,I have several stories of dad that he wrote for true west and frontier times you would get a lot of his sayings from them
you can reach me at goodingr60@sbcglobal.net
Hello my brother Ralph Lewis gooding Jr passed away on Christmas last year I M hood river blackies aka Ralph Lewis gooding Sr born July 18 1932 not 1926 passed away January 30th 1984 not 1985 he was 51 when he died I would love to go to a hobo convention 760-819-4029