"Blue Mule", also known as "Old Blue Mule" and "Austin Breakdown" is an American reel in cut time and G Major. The parts are played AB (Silberberg), AA'BB' (Lamancusa) or AA'BB'C (Beisswenger & McCann). "Blue Mule" was recorded for the Library of Congress by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph in the early 1940's from Ozarks Mountains fiddlers, where it is a regionally popular tune formerly seldom heard in other parts of the country. The tune may have had origins in a hornpipe and is structurally similar. Mark Wilson sees resemblance with the tune "Nancy's Got a Pretty Dress On". There is some speculation it may have derived from the play-party song "Skip to My Lou". "Blue Mule" is usually heard played in two strains. Source Glen Rickman (1901-1982) believed the tune to have been played during the Civil War and identified his additional third part as the one a "Rebel" cousin had played [Beisswenger & McCann]. Guthrie Meade gives two early 78RPM recorded sources: Bob Miller's Hinky Dinkers (1930) and Jess Hillard & His West Virginia Hillbillies (1933). The banjo tablature is from John Letscher. The tune was in the repertoire of Missouri fiddlers Art Galbraith (1909-1993, who said it was learned from older members of his family) and Bob Holt (1930-2004). It was recorded by Bill (Willie) Bilyeau for the Library of Congress. It was printed in Beisswenger & McCann's Ozarks Fiddle Music (2008), Silberberg's Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern (2002) and Lamancusa's The Gettysburg Collection of Old-Time Fiddle Tunes (2021). It was recorded by Art Galbraith on Dixie Blossoms (1981), Art Galbraith on Dixie Blossoms (1980).