"Mule Skinner Blues" was written and recorded by Jimmie Rodgers in 1930 as "Blue Yodel No. 8" and featured him playing guitar and yodelling. His version had more of a traditional country feel than The Fendermen's version, which features random laughing and/or yodelling and lo-fi electric guitar. I've never heard anything quite like it before.
The Fendermen were a duo from Wisconsin, Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey, who happened to be both born on November 26, 1937. They got their name because they both played Fender electric guitars, which they plugged into the same amp. Their version of "Mule Skinner Blues" was recorded in the basement of a music store in Middleton, Wisconsin and reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After this, they toured with Johnny Cash and recorded two other singles that were unsuccessful. Sundquist passed away in 2013 and Humphrey in 2016.
Created February 9, 2026.