Mule Skinner Blues

"Blue Yodel no. 8
Mule Skinner Blues"
Song by Jimmie Rodgers
B-sideJimmie’s Mean Mama Blues[1]
PublishedFebruary 13, 1931 (1931-02-13) by Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc., New York[2]
ReleasedFebruary 6, 1931 (1931-02-06)
RecordedJuly 11, 1930 (1930-07-11)[1]
StudioHollywood Recording Studios, 7000 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, California[1]
GenreHillbilly (Country)
Country blues
Length2:50
LabelVictor 23503[1]
Songwriter(s)Jimmie Rodgers
Alternative cover
Record label from Bill Monroe's version, 1946
Alternative cover
Cover of the Fendermen's version, 1960

"Blue Yodel no. 8, Mule Skinner Blues" (a.k.a. "Muleskinner Blues", and "Muleskinner's Blues") is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers. The song 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 Blue Yodels).

"George Vaughn", a pseudonym for songwriter George Vaughn Horton, is sometimes listed as co-author. Horton wrote the lyrics for "New Mule Skinner Blues", Bill Monroe's second recorded version of the song.[3]

The song was discussed in the Ken Burns 2019 documentary miniseries Country Music and Jimmie Rodgers' rendition was on the soundtrack album for the series.

  1. ^ a b c d "Victor matrix PBVE-54863. Blue yodel no. 8 / Jimmie Rodgers". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  2. ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1931). Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1931 Musical Compositions For the Year 1931 New Series Vol 26 Part 3. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  3. ^ Rosenberg, Neil V. (2007). The Music of Bill Monroe (1st ed.). University of Illinois Press. p. 83,84. ISBN 978-0252031212.