Milk Cow Blues (song)

"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
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 * 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 byVocalion 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]
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. The tune was also released as a 45 rpm single, along with "You're a Heartbreaker" on RCA Victor records (47-6382). It is listed as 2:34 minutes long, with the publisher Leeds Music ASCAP. It has a catalog number (F2WW-8044).

Eddie Cochran version[edit]
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]
The song is also featured in the film Walk the Line, in which it is covered by Tyler Hilton.
 * Grand Ole Opry regulars The McGee Brothers (Sam and Kirk) recorded a version of the song.
 * 1934: Kokomo Arnold . Arnold recorded two versions of the song,and was believed to be the first one after Sleepy John Estes in 1930.
 * 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]
 * 1960: Ricky Nelson b-side of single w/ You Are The Only One, also included on album Million Sellers and compilation Legendary MAsters
 * 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.