"Milk Cow Blues" is a blues song written and originally recorded by Sleepy John Estes in 1930 (The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters, edited by Eric Sackheim, Jonathan Shahn, Da Capo Press, 2003).
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Robert Johnson version
- 2 Johnnie Lee Wills version
- 3 Elvis Presley & The Blue Moon Boys version
- 4 Eddie Cochran version
- 5 Other versions
- 6 References
Robert Johnson version[edit][]
Robert Johnson recorded a version of Sleepy John [1]Estes' song, re-titled "Milkcow's Calf Blues", at his last recording session on 20 June 1937. It was released by Vocalion Records in September 1937 as the B-side to "Malted Milk."
Johnnie Lee Wills version[edit][]
In 1941, Johnnie Lee Wills (younger brother of James Robert Wills aka Bob Wills) recorded a version which was released the same year by Decca Records as "Milkcow Blues" by Johnny [sic] Lee Wills & His Boys. It was sung by Cotton Thompson.[2]
Bob Wills also recorded it on the Tiffany Transcriptions with a vocal by Tommy Duncan. The Wills/Duncan release "Brain cloudy blues" is heavily influenced by "Milk cow blues" too.
Elvis Presley & The Blue Moon Boys version[edit][]
| "Milkcow Blues Boogie" | |
|---|---|
| [1]
"Milkcow Blues Boogie" cover | |
| Song by Elvis Presley & The Blue Moon Boys | |
| Released | January 8, 1955 |
| Recorded | November–December 1954 |
| Genre | Rockabilly, Country |
| Length | 2:39 |
| Label | Sun Records |
| Writer | Kokomo Arnold |
Elvis Presley, accompanied by Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass, recorded a rockabilly version retitled "Milkcow Blues Boogie" at Sun Records in November or December 1954. The arrangement was closer to Wills' version than to the Arnold original.[2] The single was released in January 8, 1955 with "You're a Heartbreaker" as the B-side, but would not be released on LP until 1959, when it was included on the RCA LP A Date with Elvis.
Eddie Cochran version[edit][]
| "Milk Cow Blues" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Eddie Cochran from the albumNever to Be Forgotten | |
| Released | 1962 |
| Recorded | August 25, 1959 |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 2:40 |
| Label | Liberty Records |
| Writer | Kokomo Arnold |
| Producer | Eddie Cochran |
Eddie Cochran's version of Milk Cow Blues was posthumously released on the album Never to Be Forgotten.
Musicians:
- Eddie Cochran: vocal and guitar
- Dave Shriver: electric bass
- Gene Riggio: drums
- Jim Stivers: piano
Other versions[edit][]
- Grand Ole Opry regulars The McGee Brothers (Sam and Kirk) recorded a version of the song.
- 1946: Cotton Thompson. On King Records. This is sometimes incorrectly credited to Moon Mullican because Cotton was part of Moon's band and recorded this after a Mullican session in 1946. Available on 2 Mullican CDs nowadays and called "New Milk cow blues".
- 1955: Mike Seeger recorded a banjo version that was inspired by the Johnnie Lee Wills version.[3]
- 1965: The Kinks on their album The Kink Kontroversy (although they credit the song to Sleepy John Estes on the UK release).
- 1967: The Chocolate Watchband on the 1994 CD reissue of their album No Way Out.
- 1970: We Five on their album Catch the Wind.[4]
- 1976: Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen on their live album We've Got A Live One Here.
- 1977: Levon Helm & The RCO All-Stars on their self-titled album as 'Milk Cow Boogie'.
- 1977: Aerosmith their album Draw the Line.
- 1977: Pirates former Johnny Kidd's band recorded the song. It appears on their 1977 live album "Out Of Their Skulls".
- 1979: Jerry Lee Lewis recorded on the Elektra label.
- 1990: Dead Moon on their 1990 album, Defiance.
- 1990: Aerosmith on their 1990 MTV Unplugged Live Performance in New York.
- 1991: George Strait on his 1991 album, Chill of an Early Fall.
- 2000: Willie Nelson on his 2000 album, Milk Cow Blues.
- 2002: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, featuring Doc Watson, on the 2002 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume III
- 2004: Eric Clapton on his 2004 tribute to Robert Johnson, Me and Mr. Johnson, titled as Milkcow's Calf Blues.
- 2008: Patrick Wall (Irish blues artist) on his album "Lay me down beside my darling".
- 2008: Wayne "The Train" Hancock ((Progressive Torch & Twang)(Country)) Live in 2008 on Impact Radio89FM
- 2009: Obits on their debut album I Blame You.
The song is also featured in the film Walk the Line, in which it is covered by Tyler Hilton.