Mule Skinner Blues
Encyclopedia
"Mule Skinner Blues" is a classic country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 song written by Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...

; "George Vaughn" is sometimes listed as co-author; the name is a pseudonym for Vaughn Horton, who wrote Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...

's "New Mule Skinner Blues" the second version recorded by Monroe.

The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, acquiring the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

title "Mule Skinner Blues" after Rodgers named it "Blue Yodel #8" (one of his Blue Yodel
Blue Yodel
The Blue Yodel songs are a series of thirteen songs written and recorded by Jimmie Rodgers during the period from 1927 to his death in May 1933. The songs were based on the 12-bar blues format and featured Rodgers’ trademark yodel refrains. The lyrics often had a risqué quality with “a macho,...

s).

Structure

The song tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...

 skinner, approaching "the Captain", looking for work ("Good Morning, Captain / Good Morning to you, son. / Do you need another muleskinner on your new mud line?"). He boasts of his skills: "I can pop my 'nitials on a mule's behind" and hopes for "a dollar and a half a day". He directs the water boy to "bring some water round".

Tom Dickson's "Labor Blues"

The first verse the song is similar to Tom Dickson's 1928 recording "Labor Blues" in which the exchange is clearly between a white boss and an African-American worker who is quitting the job, not applying for it:
It’s "good mornin’ Captain", ‘e said "good mornin’ Shine",
Said "good mornin’ Captain", said "good mornin’ Shine".
"T’ain’t nuthin’ the matter, Captain, but I just ain’t gwine.

"I don’t mind workin’, Captain, from sun to sun,
I don’t mind workin’, Captain, from sun to sun.
But I want my money, Captain, when pay-day come."


Captain was a traditional term for the white boss; Shine is a derogatory expression for "African-American". Dickson was black. After the narrator rebels and quits because he is not being paid, he turns his attention to his "Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

 gal" and the remaining lyrics concern their romance. In this 12-bar blues recording, muleskinning is not mentioned, and the remaining Dickson lyrics differ from Rodgers', whose other Blue Yodels also used verses previously recorded by Blues musicians, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the Texas Blues"....

.

1930s

  • Rodgers's recording in the early 1930s was a hit
    Hit single
    A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...

    .
  • It later became one of bluegrass
    Bluegrass music
    Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

     creator Bill Monroe
    Bill Monroe
    William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...

    's signature songs, when he recorded it in 1939, singing all of Rodgers' lyrics and throwing in a half-dozen traditional blues lyrics at the end.

1940s

  • Woody Guthrie
    Woody Guthrie
    Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...

     recorded the song in 1944 for Asch Recordings. A 1998 Guthrie album is named Muleskinner Blues - Asch Recordings, Vol. 2 and features his version.

1950s

  • Odetta
    Odetta
    Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...

     - Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues
    Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues
    Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues is the debut solo album by American folk singer Odetta, first released in 1956.Like much of Odetta's early work, Ballads and Blues combines traditional songs with blues covers...

    (1956)
  • Lonnie Donegan
    Lonnie Donegan
    Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...

     - Lonnie Donegan Live, 1957 []
  • Joe D. Gibson (Jody Gibson) recorded a souped up version titled "Good Morning Captain" on tetra Records which served as a model for The Fendermen.

1960s

  • The Fendermen
    The Fendermen
    The Fendermen were a pop/rockabilly duo in the early 1960s.At the time The Fendermen formed, the group was primarily composed of Jim Sundquist , and Phil Humphrey...

     - Mule Skinner Blues (Soma Records
    Soma Records (U.S. label)
    Soma Records was an American record company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and owned by wholesale record distributor Amos Heilicher. The Soma name was "Amos" spelled backwards. Heilicher, along with his brother Danny, was also in the jukebox business and owned the Musicland chain of retail...

    , 1960
    1960 in music
    -Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...

    )
    This Madison, Wisconsin
    Madison, Wisconsin
    Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

    -based duo reached #5 on the Billboard charts
    Billboard charts
    The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

     with their version, featuring abbreviated lyrics
    Lyrics
    Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...

     and strong Fender electric guitar instrumentation.
  • Jose Feliciano
    José Feliciano
    José Feliciano is a Puerto Rican singer, virtuoso guitarist and composer known for many international hits including the 1970 holiday single "Feliz Navidad".-Childhood:...

     - "Mule Skinner Blues" (RCA Victor Records, 1964)
  • A novelty version of the song, "Batskinner" by Robin & The Batmen (Sara 6612, 1966), was inspired by both the The Fendermen
    The Fendermen
    The Fendermen were a pop/rockabilly duo in the early 1960s.At the time The Fendermen formed, the group was primarily composed of Jim Sundquist , and Phil Humphrey...

     version of "Mule Skinner Blues" and the popular Batman television series
    Batman (TV series)
    Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...

    . ("Good morning, Commissioner!")
  • Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan
    Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

     made this song part of his live performance at the Finjan Club, Montreal, Canada in July 1962.

1970s

  • Dolly Parton
    Dolly Parton
    Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...

     - The Best Of Dolly Parton
    The Best Of Dolly Parton
    The Best of Dolly Parton is a compilation album by Dolly Parton, released in November 1970.Featuring much of her early RCA material, the compilation album included the biggest hit she'd had to that point, her cover of Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues", which peaked at #3 on the U.S. country...

    (1970) This 1970 recording of the song reached #3 on the U.S. country charts
    Hot Country Songs
    Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

    , and earned Parton a Grammy nomination.
  • Jerry Reed
    Jerry Reed
    Jerry Reed Hubbard , known professionally as Jerry Reed, was an American country music singer, innovative guitarist, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films...

     recorded "Muleskinner Blues" in 1971 on the album "Georgia Sunshine". Chet Atkins
    Chet Atkins
    Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...

     plays on the right channel, and takes one guitar solo.
  • Levi's used a variation of this song for its blue jeans commercial using stop motion animation, around 1972. Lyrics included:
    "Good Morning, World! Good Morning to you! I'm Wearing my Levi's, Le-hee-hee-hee-vis!"
  • Jerry Garcia
    Jerry Garcia
    Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...

     played "Muleskinner Blues" with Old and in the Way
    Old and in the Way
    Old & in the Way was a bluegrass supergroup in the 1970s. The group performed traditional tunes such as "Pig in a Pen" as well as bluegrass-flavoured versions of The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" and Peter Rowan's "Panama Red"....

     and the Wildwood Boys, around 1973
  • The bluegrass supergroup Muleskinner
    Muleskinner
    Muleskinner was a bluegrass supergroup, active during early '70's.-Early history:In the late '60's, Peter Rowan and David Grisman played together in a psychedelic band Earth Opera. The band didn't last longer than couple of years and Rowan went on to join Seatrain, where he met Richard Greene...

     were named after the song, and led off their only studio album, "Muleskinner", with a version in 1973.

1980s

  • The Cramps
    The Cramps
    The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...

     - Stay Sick
    Stay Sick
    -Personnel:*Lux Interior - vocals*Poison Ivy Rorschach - guitar*Candy Del Mar - bass guitar*Nick Knox - drums...

    (1989)
  • The Brothers Four
    The Brothers Four
    The Brothers Four are an American folk singing group, founded in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, known for their 1960 hit song "Greenfields".-History:...

    - "Muleskinner
    Muleskinner
    Muleskinner was a bluegrass supergroup, active during early '70's.-Early history:In the late '60's, Peter Rowan and David Grisman played together in a psychedelic band Earth Opera. The band didn't last longer than couple of years and Rowan went on to join Seatrain, where he met Richard Greene...

    " (July 11, 1989) This is a version arranged by Stuart Gotz and performed by The Brothers Four. It appears on the compilation album Folk Classics: Roots of American Folk Music. While this version does include some bluegrass-like elements, it primarily uses a western show tune style.

1990s

  • Van Morrison
    Van Morrison
    Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...

     - How Long Has This Been Going On
    How Long Has This Been Going On
    How Long Has This Been Going On is the twenty-fourth album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, "with Georgie Fame and Friends", released in 1996...

    (1996) (2009 CD reissue)
  • Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics - Live At The Hootenanny - (1999 - July 3, Oak Canyon Ranch, CA)

2000s

  • Van Morrison
    Van Morrison
    Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...

     - The Skiffle Sessions (2000) and Live at Austin City Limits Festival
    Live at Austin City Limits Festival
    Live at Austin City Limits Festival by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison is a limited edition live album recorded from the Austin City Limits Festival concert at which he was the first night headliner on September 15, 2006...

    (2007)
  • Scott H. Biram
    Scott H. Biram
    Scott H. Biram, aka Scott Biram, SHB, Hiram Biram, or The Dirty Old One Man Band is an American blues, punk and country music musician, based in Austin, Texas.-Biography:...

    - The Dirty Old One Man Band (2005)
  • Bob Wier and Ratdog - Live at the Grand Ballroom (October 20, 2009) - the same evening the Empire State Building was lit in tie dye to honor the Grateful Dead.
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