Kicking Mule Records | |
---|---|
Parent company | Concord Music Group Ace Records (UK) |
Founded | 1972 |
Founder | Stefan Grossman ED Denson |
Defunct | 2004 |
Status | Defunct |
Distributor(s) | Concord |
Genre | Country blues, fingerstyle guitar, old-time, bluegrass |
Country of origin | U.S. |
Location | Beverly Hills, California |
Kicking Mule Records was an American independent record label, founded in Berkeley, California in 1971 by guitarist Stefan Grossman and Eugene "ED" Denson, formerly co-owner of Takoma Records. The company's name comes from the country blues sexual two-timing allegory "there's another mule kicking in your stall".
During the 1970s, the company did much to popularize solo fingerpicking guitar, expanding the style with recordings of Scott Joplin rags, Beatles hits, big band tunes, and Turlough Carolan harp tunes. The label also released several similarly-styled banjo records.
In the 1980s, Grossman left the label and Denson branched out to include many dulcimer releases as well as recordings by Charlie Musselwhite and Michael Bloomfield. In the early 1990s, Fantasy Records bought both Takoma and Kicking Mule from Denson and soon began to re-release selected LPs on CD. In 2004, all of Fantasy's labels were purchased by Concord Records which was renamed them as the Concord Music Group. A few of the Kicking Mule titles were reissued by Intersound, and a few others were retained by Grossman and reissued by Shanachie Records.
Kicking Mule is handled by Ace Records. [1]
No. | Artist(s) | Title | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
101 | Reverend Gary Davis | Children of Zion: Rev. Gary Davis in Concert | 1974 (rec. 1966) | guitar & vocals [2] |
102 | Stefan Grossman | Yazoo Basin Boogie | 1974 (rec. 1970) | guitar solos [3] |
103 | Bob Hadley | Tunes from the Well | 1976 | guitar solos [4] |
104 | Roy Bookbinder, Reverend Gary Davis, Stefan Grossman, Woody Mann, Larry Sandberg | Some People Who Play Guitar... Like A Lotta People Don't! | 1974 | guitar & vocals |
105 | Stefan Grossman | Acoustic Music for the Body and Soul | 1974 (rec. 1969) | guitar & vocals [5] |
106 | Reverend Gary Davis | Ragtime Guitar | 1974 (rec. 1962-70) | guitar solos [6] |
107 | Tom Gilfellon, Tony Marcus, Woody Mann, Dale Miller, Dave Laibman, Eric Schoenberg, Leo Wijnkamp | Contemporary Ragtime Guitar | 1974 | solos [7] |
108 | Art Rosenbaum | Five String Banjo | 1974 (rec. 1973) | later moved to KM 208 |
108 | John James | Live In Concert | 1978 | Kicking Mule re-used #KM 108 |
109 | Stefan Grossman, Aurora Block | How To Play The Blues Guitar | 1979 (rec. 1966) | |
110 | Happy Traum | Relax Your Mind | 1975 | guitar & vocals [8] |
111 | Nick Katzman & Ruby Green | Mississippi River Bottom Blues | 1975 | guitar & vocals |
112 | Stefan Grossman | Fingerpicking Guitar Techniques | 1974 | guitar |
113 | Bob Hadley | The Raven | 1975 (rec. 1973) | guitar solos |
114 | Ton Van Bergeyk | Famous Ragtime Guitar Solos | 1975 (rec. 1974) | guitar solos [9] |
115 | Stefan Grossman & Ton Van Bergeyk | How To Play Ragtime Guitar | 1975 | guitar solos |
116 | Peter Finger | Bottleneck Guitar Solos | 1973 | guitar solos (performed on homemade guitars) |
117 | Leo Wijnkamp | Rags to Riches | 1975 | guitar solos |
118 | Stefan Grossman | Memphis Jellyroll | 1974 | guitar solos |
119 | David Cohen | How To Play Folk Guitar | 1976 | guitar & vocals |
120 | Dave Evans | Sad Pig Dance | 1974 | guitar solos [10] |
121 | Stefan Grossman | Bottleneck Serenade | 1975 | guitar solos [11] |
122 | Bob Evans, Jim McLennan, Ton Van Bergeyk, Dick Fegy, Dave Laibman, Tim Nicolai | The Entertainer - Scott Joplin Rags | 1975 | guitar |
123 | Dale Miller | Finger Picking Rags & Other Delights | 1975 | guitar solos |
124 | Duck Baker | There's Something for Everyone in America | 1975 | guitar & vocals |
125 | Ton Van Bergeyk | Guitar Instrumentals to Tickle Your Fingers | 1975 | guitar solos |
126 | George Gritzbach | Have You Had Your Gritz Today? | 1976 | guitar & vocals [12] |
127 | Bob Evans, Jim McLennan, Ton Van Bergeyk, Dick Fegy, Dave Laibman, Tim Nicolai, Lasse Johansson, Claes Palmqvist | Novelty Guitar Instrumentals | 1976 | guitar solos |
128 | Eric Schoenberg, Rick Maedler, Eric Park, Dave Auer, Flip Breskin, Julie Sakahara, Cliff Perry, Molly & James Mason, Jack Hansen, Peter Schwimmer | The Puget Sound Guitar Workshop | 1977 | guitar solos |
129 | Sam Mitchell | Bottleneck/Slide guitar | 1976 | guitar solos |
130 | Lasse Johansson & Claes Palmqvist | Ragtime Guitar Duets | 1977 | guitar duets |
131 | Stefan Grossman & His Feet | Hot Dogs! | 1972 | guitars, vocals, tuba, bass, etc. |
132 | Ton Van Bergeyk, Dale Miller, John James, Sam Mitchell | I Got Rhythm | 1976 | guitar solos |
133 | Woody Harris | After Dinner Mints | 1977 | guitar instrumentals |
134 | Dave Evans | Take A Bite Out Of Life | 1976 | guitar solos |
135 | Duck Baker | When You Wore A Tulip | 1977 | guitar solos |
136 | Bob Baxter | Fingerpickin' Blues | 1977 | guitar solos |
137 | Dale Miller | Guitarist's Choice | 1977 | guitar solos |
138 | Davey Graham | The Complete Guitarist | 1978 | guitar & vocals |
139 | Greg Brown | Serious Men Are Running Our World | 1978 | |
139 | Gill Burns, Wendy Grossman, Margo Random, Janet Smith, Lynn Clayton | Women's Guitar Workshop | 1978 | |
140 | Mickey Baker & The Alex Sanders Funk Time Band | Jazz Rock Guitar | 1978 | |
141 | Duck Baker, Davey Graham, Mike Cooper, Sam Mitchell, Tom Paley | Blues Guitar Workshop | 1979 | |
142 | Mickey Baker | Blues and Jazz Guitar | 1977 | |
143 | John James | Descriptive Guitar Instrumentals | 1977 | guitar solos |
144 | Duck Baker | The King of Bongo Bong | 1977 | guitar solos |
145 | Stefan Grossman, Jo Ann Kelly, Son House, Mike Cooper, Sam Mitchell, Paul Rowan | Country Blues Guitar Festival | 1979 | guitar & vocals |
146 | Lasse Johansson, Claes Palmqvist, Tim Nicolai, Ton Van Bergeyk, Duck Baker | Masters of the Ragtime Guitar: Echoes from the Snowball Club | 1977 | guitar solos/duets |
147 | Duck Baker, Lasse Johansson, Claes Palmqvist, Ton Engels, John James, Tim Nicolai | Advanced Fingerpicking Guitar Techniques: School of Ragtime (10 Classic Rags for Guitar by Scott Joplin) | 1977 | guitar solos/duets |
148 | Art Thieme | Songs of the Heartland | 1980 | guitar solos |
149 | Peter Finger | Acoustic Rock Guitar: The Elf King | 1978 | guitar solos |
150 | Art Thieme | Outright Bold-Faced Lies | 1978 | guitar solos |
151 | Stefan Grossman, JoAnn Kelly, Sam Mitchell, Mike Cooper | How To Play The Blues Guitar, Vol. 2 | 1979 | guitar & vocals |
152 | Stefan Grossman & John Renbourn | Stefan Grossman & John Renbourn | 1977 | guitar duets |
153 | David Bennett Cohen | Rock n' Roll Guitar | 1977 | guitar solos |
154 | Duck Baker, Dave Evans, Leo Wijnkamp Jr., Jim MacLennan | Contemporary Guitar Workshop | 1977 | guitar solos |
155 | Dale Miller | Fingers, Don't Fail Me Now | 1980 | guitar solos |
156 | Duck Baker | The Art of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar | 1980 | guitar solos |
157 | Davey Graham, Duck Baker, Dave Evans & Dan Ar Bras | Irish Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes & Airs | 1980 (rec. 1975) | |
158 | Bob Hadley, Arvid Smith, Stephen Connolly, Woody Harris | A Tribute to John Fahey | 1979 | guitar solos |
159 | Woody Harris | Show of Hands | 1979 | guitar solos |
160 | Leo Wijnkamp Jr. | The Return of Dr. Hackenbush | 1980 | guitar solos |
161 | Davey Graham | Dance for Two People | 1980 | |
162 | Stefan Grossman & John Renbourn | Under The Volcano | 1979 | guitar duets |
163 | John Renbourn | The Black Balloon | 1979 | guitar solos |
164 | Michael Bloomfield & Woody Harris | Gospel Guitar Duets | 1979 | guitar duets |
165 | Robert Stanton | Guitar Poetry | 1980 | guitar solos |
166 | Michael Bloomfield | The Lost Works | 1980 | guitar solos |
167 | Nick Katzman & Ruby Green | Sparkling Ragtime & Hardbitten Blues | 1980 | guitar & vocals |
168 | Ton Van Bergeyk | Lulu's Back in Town: Hot Guitar Solos | 1980 | guitar solos |
169 | Duck Baker | The Kid on the Mountain | 1980 | guitar solos |
170 | Lasse Johansson | King Porter Stomp: The Music of Jelly Roll Morton Arranged for Guitar | 1980 | guitar |
171 | Stefan Grossman | Thunder on the Run | 1980 | guitar solos |
172 | Bob Hadley | On the Trail of the Questing Beast: Fantasias for Guitar | 1980 | guitar solos |
173 | Bob Brozman | Blue Hula Stomp | 1981 | guitar solos |
174 | Seth Austen | Appalachian Fiddle Tunes for Finger Style Guitar | 1982 | guitar solos |
175 | Chris Proctor | Runoff | 1982 | guitar solos |
176 | Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan | Who Drank My Beer? | 1983 | guitar & harmonica duets |
177 | Dave Van Ronk | Your Basic Dave Van Ronk | 1983 | guitar & vocals |
178 | Sam Weis | Hologram | 1984 | guitar solos |
179 | Catfish Keith | Catfish Blues | 1985 | guitar solos |
180 | Scott Appel | Glassfinger | 1985 | guitar solos |
181 | Seth Austen | Christmas Day in the Morning | 1984 | guitar solos |
182 | Ed Sweeney | Scratching the Surface | 1986 | guitar solos |
183 | Seth Austen | Circles | 1987 | guitar solos |
184 | Andy Drake | Woodwork | 1987 | guitar solos |
185 | Tom Ball | Guitar Music | 1987 | guitar solos |
186 | Brian Wendt | Images for Solo Guitar | 1988 | guitar solos |
187 | Ed Sweeney | Inside Fezziwigs: The Spirit of Christmas Past | 1988 |
201 | Tom Paley | Hard Luck Papa: Old Time Picking Styles and Techniques | 1976 | banjo solos |
202 | John Burke accompanied by The Old Hat Band | Fancy Pickin' & Plain Singing | 1977 | banjo & vocals |
203 | Art Rosenbaum | The Art of the Mountain Banjo | 1978 | banjo solos |
204 | Tommy Thompson, Buell Kazee, Ola Belle Reed, John Burke, Dan Gellert, Pat Dunford, Bob Winans, Buzz Fountain, Shorty Ralph Reynolds, Reed Martin | The Old-Time Banjo in America | 1978 | banjo solos |
205 | The Delaware Water Gap | From the Rivers of Babylon to the Land of Jazz | 1978 | string band |
206 | Richard Lieberson & The Central Park Sheiks, Michael Auman, Dick Fegy, Tom Gilfellon, Eric Thompson, David Bromberg | Flatpicking Guitar Festival | 1976 | guitar solos |
207 | Fred Sokolow | Bluegrass Banjo Inventions | 1977 | banjo solos |
208 | Art Rosenbaum | Five String Banjo | 1978 (rec. 1974 | banjo solos, moved from KM108 |
209 | Andy Cahan, Ken Perlman, Henry Sapoznik, Bob Carlin, Dana Loomis | Melodic Clawhammer Banjo | 1976 | banjo solos |
210 | Dan Crary, Dick Fegy, Eric Thompson, Barry Solomon, Steve Kaufman | Flatpicking Guitar Festival, Vol. 2 | 1980 | guitar solos |
211 | Clark Buehling, Steve Moore, Henry Sapoznik | Banjo Gems: Solos, Duets, Trios | 1980 | banjo solos/duets/trios |
212 | Fred Sokolow | Ragtime Banjo Bluegrass Style | 1981 | banjo solos |
213 | Various Artists | Southern Clawhammer Banjo | 1978 | banjo solos |
214 | Dick Weissman | Modern Banjo - Mountain Style | 1979 | banjo solos |
215 | Eric Thompson | Eric Thompson's Bluegrass Guitar | 1979 | guitar |
216 | Various Artists | New England Contra Dance Music | 1978 | various |
217 | Robert Force and Albert d'Ossche | The Art of the Dulcimer | 1980 | mountain dulcimer |
218 | Mark Nelson | The Rights of Man | 1980 | mountain dulcimer |
219 | Janita Baker | Fingerpicking Dulcimer | 1982 | mountain dulcimer |
220 | Bonnie Carol | Fingerdances for Dulcimer | 1980 | mountain dulcimer |
221 | Mark Biggs | Season of the Dream | 1983 | mountain dulcimer |
222 | Neal Hellman | Appalachian Dulcimer Duets | 1981 | mountain dulcimer |
223 | Michael Rugg | Rugg's Celtic Collection for Dulcimer | 1981 | mountain dulcimer |
224 | The New York Banjo Ensemble | Plays Gershwin | 1982 | banjo |
225 | Various Artists | Dulcimer Music for the Christmas Season | 1983 | mountain dulcimer |
226 | Randy Wilkinson | Elizabethan Music for Dulcimer | 1982 | mountain dulcimer |
227 | Lance Frodsham | Dulcimer Songs and Dances of the British Islands | 1983? | mountain dulcimer |
228 | Bonnie Phipps | Autoharpin' | 1982 | autoharp |
No. | Artist(s) | Title | Date | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
301 | Happy Traum | American Stranger | 1978 | guitar & vocals |
302 | Bert Jansch | A Rare Conundrum | 1978 | guitar, vocals & band |
303 | Ralph McTell | Easy | 1978 | guitar, vocals & band |
304 | George Gritzbach | The Sweeper | 1978 | instruments & vocals |
305 | Charlie Musselwhite | The Harmonica According to Charlie Musselwhite | 1978 | Chicago blues |
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking. The term "fingerstyle" is something of a misnomer, since it is present in several different genres and styles of music—but mostly, because it involves a completely different technique, not just a "style" of playing, especially for the guitarist's picking/plucking hand. The term is often used synonymously with fingerpicking except in classical guitar circles, although fingerpicking can also refer to a specific tradition of folk, blues and country guitar playing in the US. The terms "fingerstyle" and "fingerpicking" are also applied to similar string instruments such as the banjo.
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by guitarist John Fahey in the late 1950s. It was named after Fahey's hometown, Takoma Park, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.
Gary D. Davis, known as Reverend Gary Davis and Blind Gary Davis, was a blues and gospel singer who was also proficient on the banjo, guitar and harmonica. Born in Laurens, South Carolina and blind since infancy, Davis first performed professionally in the Piedmont blues scene of Durham, North Carolina in the 1930s, then converted to Christianity and became a minister. After moving to New York in the 1940s, Davis experienced a career rebirth as part of the American folk music revival that peaked during the 1960s. Davis' most notable recordings include "Samson and Delilah" and "Death Don't Have No Mercy".
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death is a 1965 album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey. Originally issued in a hand-lettered edition of 50, it was Fahey's first album to be released by a label other than his own Takoma Records. As with all of Fahey's independently released early albums, it had little critical recognition upon release. The album has grown in stature since its reissue on CD in 1997 and is now highly regarded critically. It was Fahey's fourth album to see release, though after his fifth album, The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions, was labeled Guitar Vol. 4, reissues of The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death were subtitled John Fahey, Volume 5.
Jack Rose was an American guitarist originally from Virginia and later based in Philadelphia. Rose is best known for his solo acoustic guitar work. He was also a member of the noise/drone band Pelt.
Blind Joe Death is the first album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey. There are three different versions of the album, and the original self-released edition of fewer than 100 copies is extremely rare.
Stefan Grossman is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer, music producer and educator, and co-founder of Kicking Mule records. He is known for his instructional videos and Vestapol line of videos and DVDs.
HighTone Records was an American independent record label based in Oakland, California, United States. HighTone specialized in American roots music including, country, rockabilly, western swing, blues and gospel. The label was created by Larry Sloven and Bruce Bromberg in 1983. The label's first release that year was Bad Influence by bluesman Robert Cray. In 1984, the label released Frankie Lee's debut album, The Ladies and the Babies. Some of the label's releases in the late 1980s featured Joe Louis Walker including Cold is the Night and The Gift.
Eugene "ED" Denson is an American music group manager, producer, record label owner, and, later, lawyer, who has made notable contributions to folk, blues, and early San Francisco rock.
William "Bill" Moore was an American blues singer and guitarist.
Daniel Ira Kalb was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was an original member of the 1960s group the Blues Project.
The Voice of the Turtle is the seventh album by American guitarist John Fahey. Recorded and released in 1968, it is considered one of his more experimental albums, combining not only folk elements, but shreds of psychedelia, early blues, country fiddles, ragas, and white noise. The album had many reissues with various track listings, jacket designs and mismatched titles.
Nick Katzman is an American blues musician. Katzman was born in New York City, and lives in both Manhattan and Berlin, Germany. He plays in a variety of musical genres, including Chicago blues, Mississippi blues, Texas blues, and ragtime.
John James is known, primarily, as a solo acoustic fingerstyle guitarist, composer and entertainer.
The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1966. The cover simply labels the album Guitar Vol. 4 while the liner notes label it The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions. The title never appeared on the record labels themselves. It marked the beginning of Fahey's interest in his recording of experimental soundscapes and sound effects. Despite Fahey's distaste for the 1960s counterculture, it is his release most often referred to as psychedelic.
A Tribute to John Fahey is a tribute album to guitarist John Fahey released in 1979. It is noteworthy in that, unlike subsequent Fahey tribute albums, it was recorded during his lifetime.
The Art of Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar is an album by American guitarist Duck Baker, released in 1979. It was reissued in 1994 by Shanachie Records with six bonus tracks.
Yazoo Basin Boogie is an album by American guitarist Stefan Grossman, released in 1970. It was reissued on LP in 1974 by Grossman's own label Kicking Mule Records and on CD in 1999 and 2005 by Shanachie Records. It has had various track listings with each reissue. A 1991 reissue with the same title was a compilation including tracks from Yazoo Basin Boogie and Grossman's 1972 release Memphis Jellyroll. The original release was issued with guitar tablature. The track "Adam's Voice" is a child speaking.
Stefan Grossman is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer. His discography consists of 22 studio albums, 2 live albums, 12 compilations, 22 videos, and 14 collaborations with other artists. In addition, his production, compositions and guitar work have been featured on a number of albums by other artists.
Craft Recordings is a record label owned by Concord. Like UMe, Legacy Recordings and Rhino Entertainment, Craft specialized in reissues of Concord's back catalog. The imprint was founded in 2017, along with an online store by the same name offering a curated selection of deluxe CD and vinyl box sets, stand-alone LPs, and legacy label and artist merchandise. Its first release was a deluxe vinyl edition of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane’s Complete 1957 Recordings. Sig Sigworth is the president of Craft Recordings.