Grateful Dead Family Discography: Mule Skinner Blues

Mule Skinner Blues

Composer: Jimmie Rodgers / George Vaughn

Mule Skinner Blues was played by Old And In The Way, Ratdog, Bob Weir & Wolf Bros, Phil Lesh & Friends, the Wildwood Boys, Scaring The Children, Robert Hunter solo and Kingfish.

The original version of the song was recorded by Jimmie Rodgers on 11th July 1930. This was released on a single with the title Blue Yodel #8 (Mule Skinner Blues). Subsequent early recordings used the title Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel #8). This was then shortened to Mule Skinner Blues which is the title used on many later Jimmie Rodgers, and other, releases and is the title is used on this site. The song also occurs as Muleskinner Blues and, if used on a recording, that title is retained on the individual recording listings.

Mule Skinner Blues played a prominent role in the career of Bill Monroe. It was his first post-Monroe Brothers recording on October 7, 1938 and the first song he performed at the Grand Old Opry in 1939. In 1950 he recorded a new version titled New Muleskinner Blues (featuring Vassar Clements who would later play with Jerry Garcia in Old and In The Way). He recorded two more versions after this but reverted to the original name.

Jerry Garcia

Breakdown, Old & In The Way, 1997
Live At The Boarding House: The Complete Shows, Old & In The Way, 2013
Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018

Ratdog

Newark, NJ, November 11, 2006
New York, NY, October 20, 2009
Negril, Jamaica, January 26, 2010

Kingfish

Live 'N' Kickin, Kingfish, 1977
Kingfish In Concert: King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kingfish, Kingfish, 1996
Live, Kingfish, 2000
From the Front Row: Live, Kingfish, 2003 (DVD Audio)
Greatest Hits Live, Kingfish, 2003

Jimmie Rodgers recordings

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

no info Single (Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues) / Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues), Jimmie Rodgers, 1931
no info Single (T. B. Blues / Mule Skinner Blues), Jimmie Rodgers, 1936
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8) / Mother, The Queen Of My Heart), Jimmie Rodgers, 1955
no info Travellin' Blues, Jimmie Rodgers, 1955
no info My Rough And Rowdy Ways, Jimmie Rodgers, 1960
no info The Best Of The Legendary Jimmie Rodgers, 1965
no info This Is Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmie Rodgers, 1972
no info America's Blue Yodeller, Jimmie Rodgers, 1991
The Singing Brakeman (Box set), Jimmie Rodgers, 1992
The Very Best of Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmie Rodgers, 1998
no info The Singing Brakeman, Box Set), Jimmie Rodgers, 199?
no info The Legendary Jimmie Rodgers - My Rough and Rowdy Ways, Jimmie Rodgers, 19??
no info The Best Of The Legendary Jimmie Rodgers, Jimmie Rodgers, 19??
RCA Country Legends, Jimmie Rodgers, 2002
Recordings 1927-1933, Jimmie Rodgers, 2002
The Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers, 2006

Other recordings

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

no info Single (Streamlined Cannon Ball / Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel #8)), Roy Acuff, 1940 (Okeh)
no info Folksay (American Ballads And Dances), Various Artists (Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Pete Seeger), 1945
no info Single (Streamlined Cannonball / Mule Skinner Blues), Roy Acuff, 1946 (Columbia)
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues / Blue Yodel No. 7), Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, 1948
no info Single (New Muleskinner Blues / Move It On Over), Maddox Brothers and Rose, 1948
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues / Get Goin', Engineer), "Buz" Butler And His Gang, 1949
no info Single (New Mule Skinner Blues / My Little Georgia Rose), Bill Monroe, 1950
no info Single (New Tennessee Baby / Mule Skinner Blues), Roy King, 1951
no info Single (Molly And Tenbrooks / Mule Skinner Blues), Sonny Osborne, 1953
no info EP (New Mule Skinner Blues/Uncle Pen/Blue Moon Of Kentucky/Pike County Breakdown), Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1956
no info Sings Ballads And Blues, Odetta, 1957
no info Jack Takes the Floor, Jack Elliott, 1958
no info Hootenanny New York City, Pete Seeger with Sonny Terry, Bob de Cormier and Jerry Silverman, 1959
no info Casey Sings Out, Casey Anderson, 1959
no info Folk Song Festival At Carnegie Hall, Various Artists (Stoney Mountain Boys), 1959
no info Hootenanny Tonight!, Various Artists (Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry, Jerry Silverman), 1959
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues / Torture), The Fendermen, 1960
no info Sings Songs of the Open Road, Cisco Houston, 1960
no info Single (Please Help Me, I'm Falling / Mule Skinner Blues), Rusty Draper, 1960
no info Single (I'm Gettin' Better / Mule Skinner Blues), Hank Brown / Neil Frank, 1960
no info EP (Molly And Ten Brook / Uncle Pen / Rose Of Old Kentucky / Cabin Home On The Hill / We'll Meet Again Sweetheart / Mule Skinner Blues), Sonny Osborne, 1960
no info Pastures of Plenty, The Harvesters, 1961
no info Passin' Through With... Walt Conley, 1961
no info Mule Skinner Blues, The Fendermen, 1962
My All Time Country Favorites, Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1962
Father of Bluegrass Music, Bill Monroe, 1962
American Folk Ballads, Logan English, 1962
no info Country & Western Golden Greats, Rusty Draper, 1962
no info 15 Hits: The Original Recordings, Various Artists (The Fendermen), 1962
Mountain Music Played on the Autoharp, Various Artists (Kilby Snow), 1962
no info The Country Music Hall of Fame: The Greatest Collection of Country Hits Ever Assembled in One Album, Various Artists (James O'Gwynn), 1962
Philadelphia Folk Festival, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Jack Elliott), 1962
no info Single, Osborne Brothers, 1963
Good Old Mountain Music, Tennessee River Boys, 1963
Livin' On The Mountain, Bill Keith & Jim Rooney, 1963
no info At The Second Fret, Jack Elliott, 1963
no info The Art Of The Folk-Blues Guitar, Jerry Silverman, 1963
no info American Folksay Ballads And Dances Volumes I & II, Various Artists (Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Pete Seeger), 1963
Hootenanny!, Various Artists (Ramblin' Jack Elliott), 1963
no info The Voice and Guitar Of, Jose Feliciano, 1964
no info Sing Great Country Favorites, Connie Francis & Hank Williams, Jr., 1964
no info The New Frankie And Johnnie Song, The Greenwood County Singers, 1964
no info Muleskinner, Jack Elliott, 1964?
no info Single, Bluegrass Blackjacks, 1965
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues / I Went To All That Trouble For Nothin'), Hank Williams, Jr., 1965
Hits From The Country Hall Of Fame, Floyd Cramer, 1965
no info Singin' Swingin' Stompin', The Stonemans, 1966
no info Live From The Stage Of The Roanoke Bluegrass Festival, Country Gentlemen, 1967
no info The Best of Odetta, Odetta, 1967
no info Single, Clay County Playboys, 1967
no info Greatest Hits, Bill Monroe, 1968
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues / On The Rebound), The Nashville Brass, 1968
Same Train, A Different Time, Merle Haggard, 1969
no info Good Old Mountain Music, Tennessee River Boys, 196?
no info Stonemans, The Stoneman Family, 1970
no info Roy Acuff's Greatest Hits, Roy Acuff, 1970
no info The Osborne Brothers, The Osborne Brothers, 1970
no info Single (Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8) / More Than Their Share), Dolly Parton, 1970
no info The Best Of, Dolly Parton, 1970
no info Don't Let Your Deal Go Down, John Jackson, 1970
no info Single, Buzz Busby & Leon Morris & the Bluegrass Associations, 1970
Bill Monroe's Country Music Hall of Fame, Bill Monroe, 1971
no info Georgia Sunshine, Jerry Reed, 1971
Blue Grass Breakdown, Living Guitars, 1971
Bean Blossom, Bill Monroe, 1973
no info Muleskinner, Muleskinner, 1973
Going Back to the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Country Gentlemen, 1973
Texas Bluegrass, Earl Garner & the Bluegrass Mountaineers, 1973
no info Love Is Like A Butterfly, Dolly Parton, 1975
Live In Japan, Country Gentlemen, 1975
no info Fiddle Collection, Benny Martin, 1976
no info Grassy Fiddle, Chubby Wise, 1976
no info Father Of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys, 1977
no info Oil Field Man, Wayne Nutt, 1978
no info Best Of, Dolly Parton, 1979
no info Salutes The Greats, Merle Haggard, 1980
no info The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country Music, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 1981
no info King Of Country Music, Roy Acuff, 1982
Cold on the Shoulder, Tony Rice, 1984
no info Sings Country Favorites, Merle Haggard, 1987
no info Fly, Birdie, Fly 1939-1940, Roy Acuff And His Smokey Mountain Boys, 1988
no info Country U.S.A.: 1970, Various Artists (Dolly Parton), 1988
no info Collection, Lonnie Donnegan, 1989
Live at the Opry: Celebrating 50 Years on the Grand Ole Opry, Bill Monroe, 1989
Bluegrass 1950-1958, Bill Monroe, 1990
no info Stay Sick!, The Cramps, 1990
Bluegrass Breakdown, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 1992
no info Living Proof - The MGM Recordings 1963-1975, Hank Williams Jnr., 1992
20 Country Greats, Reg Lindsay, 1992
no info RCA Years 1967-1986, Dolly Parton, 1993
In The Pines, Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, 1993
The Music Of Bill Monroe, Bill Monroe, 1994
no info Decca Skiffle Sessions, Ken Colyer, 1994
no info Potpourri Of Bluegrass Jam, Muleskinner, 1994
Prestige/Folklore Years, Vol. 4: Singing Out Loud: Philadelphia Folk Festival, Various Artists (Ramblin' Jack Elliott), 1994
1956-1968, The Osborne Brothers, 1995
Nashville At Newport, Various Artists (Ramblin' Jack Elliott), 1995
Bluegrass 1970-1979, Bill Monroe, 1995
Super Box Of Rock, Vol. 3, Various Artists (The Fendermen), 1995
no info Bill Monroe Tribute, Billy and Terry Smith, 1996
Hats Off! A Tribute to Bill Monroe, Various Artists (The Stonemans), 1996
The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers: A Tribute, Various Artists (Van Morrison), 1997
no info Essential, Bill Monroe / Monroe Brothers, 1997
no info Early Years - Joe Meek, Various Artists, 1997
The Great American Fiddle Collection, Various Artists (Benny Martin), 1997
Dawg Duos, David Grisman and guests, 1999
Live At the Dock St. Theatre, The Blue Dogs, 1999
The Best Of Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, 1999
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Monroe, 1999
Live from Mountain Stage, Bill Monroe, 1999
Flatt On Victor Plus More, Lester Flatt, 1999
Prestige/Folklore Years, Vol. 6: Comin' from the Ball, Various Artists (Bill Keith and Jim Rooney), 1999
no info MGM Days Of The Osborne Brothers, The Osborne Brothers, 199?
no info Greatest Hits, Roy Acuff, 19??
no info EP, McPeak Brothers, 19??
no info Single, Bill and Wilma Millsaps and the Snowbird Mountain Boys, 19??
The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 2000
Time-Life's Treasury of Bluegrass (30 tracks), Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2000
no info American Roots: A History of American Folk Music, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2000
Live, Vol. 1, Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys, 2001
no info Red, White and Bluegrass: An American Celebration, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2001
Bluegrass Bonanza, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2001
Bluegrass Bonanza: The Monroe Legacy 1936-45, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2001
Fiddler's Hall of Fame, Various Artists (Benny Martin), 2001
Gather at the River, Various Artists (Peter Rowan), 2001
Blue Moon of Kentucky 1936-1949, Bill Monroe, 2002
Live at Vanderbilt, Lester Flatt & Bill Monroe, 2002
The Very Best of Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys, Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys, 2002
25 Bluegrass Classics: Vintage 60's: Songs of Rural America, Various Artists (Ernie & Mack), 2002
Time-Life's Treasury of Bluegrass (24 tracks), Various Artists (Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys), 2002
All the Classic Releases 1937-1949, Bill Monroe, 2003
July 1963: Two Days at Newport, Bill Monroe, 2003
Anthology, Bill Monroe, 2003
The Best of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Dolly Parton), 2003
History of Rock, Vols 1 to 10, Various Artists (The Fendermen), 2003
Can't You Hear Me Callin': Bluegrass: 80 Years of American Music, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2004
Live At Mechanics Hall, Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys, 2004
Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes, James Cotton, 2004
Far Across the Blue Water, Bill Monroe, 2004
20 Best of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Stonemans), 2004
When the Sun Goes Down, Vol. 10: East Virginia Blues, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2004
The Definitive Collection, Bill Monroe, 2005
Thank God For Kentucky, Various Artists, 2005
Grass It Up!, Kentucky Sassafras, 2006
San Francisco: 1968, Vern & Ray, 2006
Live At Lou's, Out-Front, 2006
Masters of Old-time Country Autoharp, Various Artists (Kilby Snow), 2006
Bluegrass in the Smokies, Various Artists (Ernie & Mack), 2007
The Essential Guide To Bluegrass, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2007
Classic Bluegrass Collection, Vols. 1-4, Various Artists (Bill Monroe), 2007
Hag: The Capitol Recordings 1968-1976: Concepts, Live & the Strangers, Merle Haggard, 2008
Let Me Be Your Side Track: The Influence of Jimmy Rodgers, Various Artists (multiple versions), 2008
1950-1958 (JSP box set), Bill Monroe And His Bluegrass Boys, 2009
The Bill Monroe Collection, Tony Rice, 2011
Happy Birthday Bill Monroe: Dawg Plays Big Mon, David Grisman and various artists, 2011
With Body And Soul: A Bluegrass Tribute to Bill Monroe, Various Artists (Don Reno and Red Smiley), 2011
Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels Volume 7: 1974-75, Various Artists (Muleskinner), 2015