“Mule Skinner Blues” (a.k.a. “Blue Yodel #8”, “Muleskinner Blues”, and “Muleskinner’s Blues”) is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers and George Vaughan. The Fendermen recorded “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 Fender electric guitar instrumentation. This version is arguably the most widely circulated of recent versions of the song, due to its Billboard chart performance and its subsequent prolific appearances on novelty song collections. (More from Wikipedia)
An amped-up version of a song by the country & western foundational musician Jimmie Rodgers (“The Singing Brakeman”, not the Jimmie Rodgers who recorded “Honeycomb”) was the most popular song by the Fendermen. The song is called “Mule Skinner Blues” (originally named “Blue Yodel #8”), and they were convinced to record the song with just the two of them, with no bass guitarist or drummer. The vocals are little more than a grumble; what really comes through are the gleeful laughs. Though the song was all rock and roll to me, I used to hear this version of “Mule Skinner Blues” occasionally on country music radio stations also. Unaccountably, the performance became a hit and made the Top Ten.
“Mule Skinner Blues” has been recorded by many others over the years, notably by Dolly Parton; when she states flatly mid-song “I want to be a mule skinner”, you can almost believe her.
(December 2014)
