Milk Cow Blues (song)

"Milk Cow Blues" is a blues song written and originally recorded by Kokomo Arnold.

Original version
The original version was recorded by Freddie Spruell in Chicago in 1926 on Okeh Records, along with "Muddy Water Blues"

Robert Johnson version
Robert Johnson recorded a version that was retitled "Milkcow's Calf Blues" at his last recording session on June 20, 1937. It was released by Vocalion Records in September 1937 as the B-side to "Malted Milk."

Johnnie Lee Wills version
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.

Bob Wills also recorded it on the Tiffany Transcriptions with a vocal by Tommy Duncan. The Wills/Duncan release "Brain cloudy blues" is heavily influeced by "Milk cow blues" too.

Elvis Presley & The Blue Moon Boys version
Elvis Presley, accompanied by Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass, recorded a rockabilly version retitled "Milk Cow Blues Boogie" at Sun Records in November or December 1954. The arrangement was closer to Wills' version than to the Arnold original. The single was released in January 1955, but would not be released on LP until 1959, when it was included on the RCA LP A Date with Elvis.

Eddie Cochran version
Eddie Cochran's version of Milk Cow Blues was posthumously released on the album My Way.

Musicians:
 * Eddie Cochran: vocal and guitar
 * Dave Shriver: electric bass
 * Gene Riggio: drums
 * Jim Stivers: piano

Other versions

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 1979: Jerry Lee Lewis recorded on the Elektra label.
 * 1990: Dead Moon on their 1990 album, Defiance.
 * 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".
 * 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.