Song of the Day 2/24: Dolly Parton, “Mule Skinner Blues”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona
The first thing to know about the country classic “Mule Skinner Blues” is that is that no mules are actually skinned during the course of the song.
The second thing is that it was written in 1930 by the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers, although he gave it the unexciting name “Blue Yodel #8.” Rodgers, a Texan influenced by black music and transplanted mountain music, had a whole series of Blue Yodels. “Blue Yodel #1” included the words “T for Texas,T for Tennessee” and became well known by that name.
The third thing, I’d say, is that Dolly Parton gave what might have been the song’s best-ever performance on country star Porter Wagoner’s weekly television show in 1970.
Here are Dolly and Jimmie. I’ll trust you to know which is which.
“Mule Skinner Blues” is about a guy looking for work as, you know, a mule skinner. The job involved driving and organizing mules used on work projects. It was probably influenced by a song written by a black man named Tom Dixon. The first words in both are ”Good Morning, Captain,” a term black workers called the boss.
According to the web site SecondHandSongs, the tune has been covered at least 106 times by everybody from Gene Autry and Woody Guthrie to Harry Belafonte, Van Morrison and the Cramps. “Mule Skinner Blues” was Bill Monroe’s best-known song when he was inventing bluegrass the 1930s.
“Mule Skinner Blues” was a natural for Tennessee gal Dolly Parton. But of course she was, as she points out, a “lady” mule skinner. In the zippy Porter Wagoner performance, her pleasant but never exaggerated
smile, clear high voice and obvious confidence showed how she could soon become, well, Dolly Parton.
Bur first she had to free herself from Wagoner and his rhinestones. She had signed a complicated long-term contract to be Wagoner’s latest “girl singer.” Apparently they began to feud after she asked for more control over her music. She left the show despite Wagoner’s objections, believing she was ready for bigger things.
She could not have known just how big those things would be, but it looks like the lady mule skinner might have had a pretty good idea.
Both of my parents hated country music, I think because they associated it with segregation. Hee Haw was the only show we were forbidden to watch. So, Thanks because I’m playing catchup.