Muleskinner Blues was originally written in the 1930s by the father of country music, Jimmie Rodgers. Know as Blue Yodel #8 and a hit at the time, it is actually an adaptation of an earlier song known as the Labor Blues. It has been recorded by a who's who of artists including Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Jose Feliciano, Jerry Reed, and Chet Atkins. My first recollection of this song however was The Fendermen version released in 1960. My cousins who lived next door were always singing songs they heard on the radio and this one stuck with me. For me however, the definitive version of this song was recorded by the band Muleskinner which was sort of a bluegrass supergroup that included Pete Rowan, David Grisman, and Clarence White. The precursor to New Grass Revival which included Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, and sometimes Leon Russell.