Mule Skinner Blues

"Blue Yodel #8" / "Mule Skinner Blues"
Song originally by Jimmie Rodgers
Published	1930
Recorded	July 11, 1930
Genre	Country Bluegrass Blues Rockabilly
Length	2-5 minute
Label	RCA/Victor
Writer	Jimmie Rodgers,
Record inner rom Bill Monroe's version, 1946 Cover of the Fendermen's version, 1960

"Blue Yodel #8" (a.k.a. "Mule Skinner Blues", "Muleskinner Blues", and "Muleskinner's Blues") is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers and George Vaughn. It was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, acquiring the de facto title "Mule Skinner Blues" after Rodgers named it "Blue Yodel #8" (one of his c). Some versions list "George Vaughn" as a co-author; the name is a pseudonym for Vaughn Horton, who wrote the new lyrics for Bill Monroe's "New Mule Skinner Blues" the second version recorded by Monroe.) .

The song tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck mule 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 Dickinson's "Labor Blues"

The first verse the song is similar to Tom Dickinson'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". Dickinson was black. After the narrator rebels and quits because he is not being paid, he turns his attention to his "Mississippi gal" and the remaining lyrics concern their romance. In this 12-bar blues recording, muleskinning is not mentioned, and the remaining Dickinson lyrics differ from Rodgers', whose other Blue Yodels also used verses previously recorded by Blues musicians, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Versions of "Muleskinner Blues"

1930s

• Rodgers's recording in the early 1930s was a hit.
• It later became one of bluegrass creator Bill Monroe'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.

Monroe changed Rodgers' lyrics.

1940s

• Woody Guthrie 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 Sings Ballads and Blues (1956)
• Lonnie Donegan - Lonnie Donegan Live, 1957 [1]
• 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 - Mule Skinner Blues (Soma Records, 1960)
  This Madison, Wisconsin-based duo reached #5 on the Billboard charts with their version, featuring abbreviated lyrics and strong electric guitar instrumentation (provided by a Fender Telecaster and a Fender Stratocaster). The group's name was derived from their exclusive use of these instruments.

• Jose Feliciano - "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 version of "Mule Skinner Blues" and the popular Batman television series. ("Good morning, Commissioner!")

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

1970s

• Dolly Parton - The Best Of Dolly Parton (1970) This 1970 recording of the song reached #3 on the U.S. country charts, and earned Parton a Grammy nomination.
• Jerry Reed recorded "Muleskinner Blues" in 1971 on the album "Georgia Sunshine". Chet Atkins 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 played "Muleskinner Blues" with Old and in the Way and the Wildwood Boys, around 1973
• The bluegrass supergroup Muleskinner were named after the song, and led off their only studio album, "Muleskinner", with a version in 1973.

1980s

• The Cramps - Stay Sick (1989)
• The Brothers Four- "Muleskinner" (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 - How Long Has This Been Going On (1996) (2009 CD reissue)
• Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics - Live At The Hootenanny - (1999 - July 3, Oak Canyon Ranch, CA)

2000s

• Van Morrison - The Skiffle Sessions (2000) and Live at Austin City Limits Festival (2007)
• Scott H. Biram- The Dirty Old One Man Band (2005)
• Bob Wier and Ratdog - Live at the Grand Ballroom (10/20/2009) The same evening the Empire State Building was lit in tie dye to honor the Grateful Dead.

References