I used to run a music agency in the early 1980s in the Boston area, and was introduced to Little Joe Cook by an associate who wanted to see if we could work out a management deal with him.
Joe was a very nice guy, and it was fun going to see him at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. The management deal never materialized, but at one point I had written up some draft contract language and handed it to him to read. I was shocked and a bit embarrassed for him (and me) when it became obvious that he was illiterate, and couldn’t read a word of it.
During our conversations, Joe indicated that he had been screwed out of the royalties for his song “Peanuts,” but I never did learn the details about that.
RIP Joe.
I've read many stories like that regarding artists of that era.And the fact that he was illiterate made him doubly susceptible.I suspect that there was a lot more than song writing going on in the Brill Building.