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Johnson’s Old Grey Mule/ Thompson’s Old Grey Mule by Thomas Westendorff
Bluegrass and Old-time breakdown; Widely known, originally “Thompson’s Old Grey Mule”
ARTIST: Earl Johnson and His Dixie Entertainers
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1927 Westendorff in 1884; Earliest recordings 1924 Riley Puckett also Earnest Thompson
RECORDING INFO: 1. Pound, Louise (ed.) / American Ballads and Songs, Scribner's, Sof (1972), p213/#103 [1916] (Old Gray Mule) 2. Blevins, Frank. Devil's Box, Devil's Box, Ser, 32/2, p17a(1998) [1931ca] 3. Ensign, Bob; and the Stump Jumpers. Mountain Guitar Pickin', Rural Rhythm RRBE 255, LP (197?), trk# B.09 (Johnson's Mule) 4. Fox, Curly. Champion Fiddler, Vol. 2, Rural Rhythm RR 252, LP (196?), trk# 6 5. Georgia Yellow Hammers. Moonshine Hollow Band, Rounder 1032, LP (1979), trk# A.05 [1927/02/18] 6. Greer, Jim; and the Mac-O-Chee Valley Boys. Stars of the WWVA Jamboree, Rural Rhythm RRGreer 152, LP (197?), trk# A.09 7. Johnson, Earl; and his Clodhoppers. Red Hot Breakdown, County 543, LP (1976), trk# A.04 [1927/02/21] 8. Mainer's Mountaineers (J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers). Old Time Fiddling at Union Grove. The 38th Annual Old-Time Fi..., Prestige 14039, LP (1964), trk# A.01 9. Mainer's Mountaineers (J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers). J. E. Mainer & the Mountaineers. Vol 20. 20 Old-Time Favorites, Rural Rhythm RC-250, Cas (1988), trk# B.09 10. Mainer's Mountaineers (J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers). Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), trk# 4.01 [1959/07ca] 11. Marks, Phyllis. Folksongs and Ballads, Vol 2. Phyllis Marks, Augusta Heritage AHR 008, Cas (1991), trk# 2.11 (Thompson's Mule) 12. Pegram, George. George Pegram, Rounder 0001, LP (1970), trk# 11 13. Pegram, George; and Parham, Red (Walter). Pickin' and Blowin', Riverside RLP 12-650, LP (1959), trk# 15 [1957] 14. Tate, Tater (Clarence). Tater Tate, Rimrock SLP 3000, LP (196?), trk# B.01
OTHER RECORDINGS: Loman D. Cansler, "Kickin' Maud [or Kickin' Maude]" (on Cansler1) Georgia Yellow Hammers, "Jonnson's Old Grey Mule" (Victor 20550, 1927); "The Sale of Simon Slick - Pts. 1 & 2" (Victor V-40069, 1929) J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "Johnson's Old Grey Mule" (Bluebird B-6584/Montgomery Ward M-7006, 1936) Bert Martin, "Whoa, Mule" (AAFS 1479 B2) Pickard Family, "Thompson's Old Gray Mule" (Oriole 1502/Challenge 990, 1929; Conqueror 7736, 1931; Broadway 8179 [as Pleasant Family]) Riley Puckett, "Johnson's Old Gray Mule" (Columbia 150-D, 1924); "Whoa Mule" (Columbia 15040-D, 1925; Silvertone 3258, 1926) Prairie Ramblers, "Jim's Windy Mule" (Conqueror 8648, 1936; Vocalion 03587, 1937 [as Sweet Violet Boys]) Shelton Brothers, "Johnson's Old Gray Mule" (Decca 5161, 1935) (King 646, 1947) Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Johnson's Old Gray Mule" (Columbia 15221-D, 1928); "Whoa, Mule, Whoa" (Bluebird B-5591, 1934) Sid Turner, "Go 'Long Mule" (Perfect 12147, 1924) Tom Watson [pseud. for Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett], "Johnson's Mule" (Harmony 5095-H, n.d.) Barrett, Dick (Texas). National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest & Festival. 1974, Century, LP (1974), trk# B.05 Bell Spur String Band. Bell Spur String Band, Heritage (Galax) 047, LP (1984), trk# A.05 [1963/08/12] (Kickin'/Kicking Mule) King, Henry; and Family. Lomax, Alan / Folksongs of North America, Doubleday Dolphin, Sof (1975/1960), p441/#231 (Kickin'/Kicking Mule) Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Art of the Mountain Banjo, Kicking Mule KM 203, LP (1975), trk# 2.09 (Kickin'/Kicking Mule) Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Rosenbaum, Art / Art of the Mountain Banjo, Centerstream, Fol (1981), p14 (Kickin'/Kicking Mule) Seeger, Peggy. Seeger, Peggy / Five String Banjo American Folk Styles, Hargail, sof (1960), n 5 (Kickin'/Kicking Mule) Thomas, Lois "Granny". In an Arizona Town, AFF AFF 33-3, LP (197?), trk# 14 [1960s?] (Kickin'/Kicking Mule)
RELATED TO: "Whoa Mule" “Kickin’ Mule” Floating lyrics “Huckleberry Picnic” by Frank Dumont 1877;
OTHER NAMES: “Thompson’s Old Grey Mule” “Jim Thompson’s Old Grey Mule” "Kicking Mule;" “Braying Mule;” "Yodeling Mule."
SOURCES: Westendorff’s original music at American Memory; Guthrie Meade; Folk Music Index; BrownIII 513, "The Kicking Mule" (1 text); Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 186, "Whoa, Mule!" (1 text, 1 tune); Brewster 84, "Simon Slick" (2 texts, longer than most, 1 tune); Lomax-FSNA 231, "The Kickin' Mule" (1 text, 1 tune); Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 62-63,
NOTES: “Johnson’s/Thompson’s Old Grey Mule” was written by Thomas Westendorf in 1884. This is a different song that “Whoa Mule” (by W.S. Hays) and is characterized by mule sounds (either sung or played on the fiddle) in the chorus. The original sheet music can be viewed on-line at American Memory. Some of the lyrics have floated between the Whoa Mule and Johnson’s/Thompson’s Old Grey Mule, hence the problem identifying them as different songs. Alan Lomax’s collected version from the King family “Kickin’ Mule” is a variant of Thompson’s Old Grey Mule.
Some other early printed versions of similar mule songs are entitled Simon Slick. John M. Turney's The Coons Around Our Block Songster, was issued in New York in 1879. Other printings include George S. Knight's Songs and Recitations (1880), Andy Collum's Latest and Best Banjo Songs (1881), John Walsh's Gems of the Emerald Isle Songster (188), and Murphy and Mack's Jolly Sailor's Songster (1883).
In most Johnson’s/Thompson’s Old Grey Mule songs the singer describes the dangers of a kicking mule which "kicked the feathers off a goose," etc. The stubborn mule Simon Slick is often mentioned. The chorus will generally contain a “Donkey Refrain” such as the original: “And de mule would say Eh-aw, eh-aw, eh-aw, eh-aw Eh-aw, eh-aw, eh-aw, eh-aw, When he scratched him down wid a rake.”
“Johnson’s/Thompson’s Old Grey Mule” is not the Whoa Mule songs which are different songs. Some versions have elements of both songs but they should be categorized separately. John Carson’s fiddle piece, "The Kickin' Mule" is a different melody. One Lomax version has floating lyrics from “Huckleberry Picnic” Frank Dumont in 1877.
Here are Earl Johnson's lyrics:
Johnson's Old Grey Mule
Spoken: I’m a-gonna play you a little piece now a-called Johnson's Old Grey Mule. My name is Johnson, I used to plow one of them things down on the new ground. I’d play this fiddle late at night and I’d naturally sleep a little late every morning. One of the first things I’d hear when I’d wake up in the morning, I’d hear something down in the new ground on a dead limb, a cutting up something like this (fiddle makes woodpecker sound) Then I’d hear something down at the woodpile something like this (fiddle), I’d hear something down at the pig pen(fiddle ) Suey. I’d hear something down at the barn and I’d know my time was comin’ and (fiddle plays mule sounds) feed that mule boy.
(Fiddle)
Johnson had an old grey mule
He hitched him to the cart
He loved that mule, the mule loved him
With all his mulish heart.
Well he hitched him up to a buggie
To try him out one day
Every time he hit that mule
Here’s what that fool would say:
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Yes sir
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa boy
(Fiddle) He moved him down with the rake
Johnson had an old grey mule
His name was Simon Slick
Switched his tail, rolled his eyes
And how that fool would kick
Well he fed him on some wooden pegs
And then he fed him hay
Every time he hit that mule
Here’s what that fool would say:
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa sir
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whee boy
(fiddle) He moved him down with the rake.
(fiddle break)
That mule chewed some old bed quilt
But he greeted him with a smile.
He turned around and give him a kick
And knocked him half a mile.
(Here’s) what that fool would say:
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa boy
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa back
(fiddle) He moved him down with the rake.
That mule eat a pair of old durn socks
You oughta heard him bray.
And he kicked, he fought and brayed all night
The chickens crowed for days.
(Here’s) what that fool would say:
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa boy
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa back
(fiddle) He moved him down with the rake.
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