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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: J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1936 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 J. E. Mainer's lyrics:
Johnson's Old Grey Mule
Hello folks. The first thing we hear every morning when we get up, something on the new ground tapping down on a hollow log, something like this: (fiddle makes woodpecker sound). Now the next thing we hear something down at the pig pen, goin’ something like this (fiddle ) suey there, that’s old silo pigs. Next thing we hear something movin’ at the barn, going something like this (fiddle plays mule sounds) That’s the old gray mule Johnson just chased day for yesterday. So he asked me to come over to the barn in the morning to help him work him. So I told mother to hurry up and fix breakfast so we could go. C’mon boys, let’s go.
(Fiddle) Spoken: Where’s that mule at? In the barn boy.
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa!
Johnson had an old gray mule
His name was Simon Slick.
He’d roll his eyes and switch his tail,
And how that fool would kick.
He took him down to the foot of the hill,
He hooked him to his cart.
He loved the mule and he loved him with all his mulish heart.
That mule would say:
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa boy
(Fiddle) He moved him down with the rake
(fiddle break)
Johnson he just hooked him up
To try him out one day.
He kicked and fought and brayed all night.
The chickens crowed for days.
He’s wink one eye and switch his tail,
He’s greet you with a smile
He turned around that left hind leg
Would send you half a mile.
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa boy
(Fiddle) He moved him down with the rake
(fiddle break)
Johnson he could pull that mule
That mule he wouldn’t pull
Johnson he could pull that mule
That mule he wouldn’t do.
Johnson thought that he'd been caught in an old cyclone
Travis says “you better leave that old gray mule alone!”
And he would say,
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa
(Fiddle plays mule sounds) Whoa boy
(Fiddle) He moved him down with the rake
(fiddle break)
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