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.
Catalog 100 series - fingerpicking guitar No. Artist(s) Title Date Notes 101 Reverend Gary Davis Children of Zion: Rev. Gary Davis in Concert 1974 (rec. 1966) guitar & vocals 102 Stefan Grossman Yazoo Basin Boogie 1974 (rec. 1970) guitar solos 103 Bob Hadley Tunes from the Well 1976 guitar solos 104 Roy Book Binder, 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 & vocalsKicking Mule insert listing catalog as of 1977 106 Reverend Gary Davis Ragtime Guitar 1974 (rec. 1962-70) guitar solos 107 Tom Gilfellon, Tony Marcus, Woody Mann, Dale Miller, Dave Laibman, Eric Schoenberg, Leo Wijnkamp Contemporary Ragtime Guitar 1974 solos 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 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 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 121 Stefan Grossman Bottleneck Serenade 1975 guitar solos 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 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
200 series - other stringed instruments 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
300 series - Blues, jazz and miscellaneous No. Artist(s) Title Date Notes301Happy Traum American Stranger1978guitar & vocals302Bert JanschA Rare Conundrum1978guitar, vocals & band303Ralph McTellEasy 1978 guitar, vocals & band304George GritzbachThe Sweeper1978instruments & vocals305Charlie MusselwhiteThe Harmonica According to Charlie Musselwhite1978Chicago blues
See also List of record labels
References
External links Illustrated Kicking Mule Records discography LPs re-released on CD Stefan Grossman Guitar Videos homepage ED Denson homepage