Grateful Dead Family Discography: Fireball Mail

Fireball Mail

Composer: Floyd Jenkins (Fred Rose)

Fireball Mail was performed as an instrumental by the Good Old Boys, with Jerry Garcia sitting in, in February 1975.

The song was published with writing credited to Floyd Jenkins. This was a name used by Fred Rose for some songs. Either Fred Rose or Floyd Jenkins are credited on most recordings.

The song has lyrics and early recordings, starting with Roy Acuff, include vocals. The instrumental version was popularised by Flatt & Scruggs, initially with Bill Monroe, and then on their own recordings. The instrumental versions became a bluegrass standard. Some early recordings of the song use the title Fire Ball Mail.

Jerry Garcia

The Good Old Boys Live: Drink Up And Go Home, Good Old Boys, 2018

Other recordings

no info Single (Wreck On The Highway / Fire Ball Mail), Roy Acuff, 1942 (OKEH 6694)
no info Single (Fireball Mail / Don't Hang Around Me Anymore), Ann Bond, 1947
no info Single (Fire Ball Mail / Blue Canadian Rockies), Cliffie Stone And His Hometown Jamboree Gang, 1950
no info Single (Wreck On The Highway / Fire Ball Mail), Roy Acuff, 1951
no info Old Time Barn Dance, Roy Acuff, 1951
no info Songs Of The Smoky Mountains (EP), Roy Acuff, 1955
no info Single (Fire Ball Mail / When The Roses Bloom Again), Mac Wiseman, 1955
no info Great Speckle Bird And Other Favorites, Roy Acuff And His Smoky Mountain Boys, 1958
no info Single (Fireball Mail / Catfish), The Spitfires, 1959
no info Single (Fire Ball Mail / John Henry), "Little" Jimmy Dickens, 1960
no info Single (Scorpion / Fireball Mail), The Carnations, 1961
no info Sings Fireball Mail, Mac Wiseman, 1961
no info Girls, Guitars And Gibson, Don Gibson, 1962
no info Single (Fire Ball Mail / I Can't Help It), Don Helms, 1962
no info Single (Fireball Mail / ?), Warner Mack, 1962
no info King Of Country Music: All Time Greatest Hits, Roy Acuff, 1962
no info Single (Fireball Mail / Daisy Mae), Jim & Joe, 1963
no info "Twang" A Country Song, Duane Eddy, 1963
no info Single (Fireball Mail / The Hole He Said He'd Dig For Me), Allen Curtis, 1963
no info Single (Fireball Mail / Sail Along Silvery Moon), Jay Dugas, 1963
no info Single (Oh Such A Stranger / Fireball Mail), Don Gibson, 1964
no info America's Most Authentic Folk Banjo, Raymond Fairchild, 1964
12 String Dobro, Tut Taylor And The Folkswingers, 1964
no info Great Train Songs (An American Legend), Roy, Acuff, 1965
no info Blue Grass Special, Clarence Jackson, 1966
no info The Best Of, Duane Eddy, 1966
no info No Letter Today & Other Country & Western Hits, Andy Jones And The Plainsmen, 1966
no info A Night At The Grand Old Opry Volume 1, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1966
no info Sings Country Hits Old & New, Ernest Tubb, 1967
no info America's Favorite Balladeer, Hylo Brown, 1968
no info We Like Trains, Jim & Jesse & the Virginia Boys, 1969
no info Single (Fireball Mail / With Body And Soul), Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, 1969
no info Fireball Mail, Jimmy Lloyd, 1971
no info Tracks & Trains , Hank Snow, 1971
no info Canadian Country Favourites, Bob Fuller & the Mountain Strings, 1971
no info Bobby & Sonny, The Osborne Brothers, 1972
I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends, Earl Scruggs, 1972
The Rich Sounds, Bill Anderson's Po' Boys, 1973
no info Dueling Banjos, Earl Scruggs, 1973
no info From The Old School, Robert White & Raymond Fairchild, 1973
no info A Ton Of Steel, Jimmy Crawford, 1973
The Nashville Hit Man, Charlie McCoy, 1974
no info Bluegrass On Fire, Uncle Leroy & the Pike County Partners, 1974
no info Dobro, Shobro & Steel, Shot Jackson, David Musgrave, Paul Buskirk, 1974
no info Single (Fireball Mail / Send Me the Pillow (That You Dream On)), Billy Carter, 1974
no info Single (Roof Top Lullaby / Fireball Mail), Roy Acuff, 1975
Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys, Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys, 1975
no info Foggy Mountain Banjo, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & the Foggy Mountain Boys, 1976
no info Red White & Bluegrass '76, Red White & Bluegrass Band, 1976
no info Sweet Milk & Peaches, Chubby Wise, 1977
Stone Fox Chase, Charlie McCoy, 1977
no info Clayton Hale & the Bluegrass Mountaineers, Clayton Hale & the Bluegrass Mountaineers, 1978
no info Hot Off the Press, Hot Off the Press, 1978
no info Houndog Ramble, LeRoy Mack, 1978
no info Country Hall Of Fame, Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, 1980
no info Dream Train Engineer, Buck Ryan, 1980
no info Live, Barbara Mandrell, 1981
no info Just For Fun, Dan Huckabee, 1982
no info Classics For Banjo, Mike Scott, 1983
no info Early Dobro Stylings, Ray "Duck" Atkins, 1983
no info Bluegrass In The Sunrise, Gena Lynn Britt, 1984
no info Gospel and Bluegrass, The Madison County Ramblers, 1984
no info Radio Flyer, Radio Flyer, 1988
no info Classic Bluegrass, Mac Wiseman, 1989
no info Right Hand Man, Tom Adams, 1990
no info Carrying The Tradition, The Lonesome River Band, 1991
Bluegrass 1959-1969, Bill Monroe, 1991
String Wizards, John McEuen, 1991
1959-1963, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
1964-1969, Plus, Flatt & Scruggs, 1992
no info The Essential (1936-1949), Roy Acuff, 1992
no info Bluegrass And More, Jim & Jesse & the Virginia Boys, 1993
no info Fireball Mail, Hal Peters Trio, 1994
no info In Nashville, Chubby Wise, 1994
The Great Dobro Sessions, Various Artists (Rob Ickes, Josh Graves and Jerry Douglas), 1994
1968-1974, The Osborne Brothers, 1995
no info Honor the king of country music, Jim & Jesse, 1995
no info Tip Top Daddy: Unissued Acoustic Demos 1958-73, Charlie Feathers, 1995
Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine, Wanda Jackson, 1997
Waltz Across Texas, Ernest Tubb, 1999
Generations of Bluegrass, Vol. 3: Legendary Pickers, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1999
Sugar Hill Snapshots: A Quick Sampling of Sugar Hill Bestsellers, Various Artists (Great Dobro Sessions), 1999
Dueling Banjos / Live at Kansas State, Earl Scruggs, 2000
no info Freight Trains Rides Again, Volume One, Various Artists (Warrior River Boys), 2000
Sultan of Slide, Josh Graves, 2000
25 Bluegrass Classics: Vintage 60's: Songs of Rural America, Various Artists (Hylo Brown & the Bluegrass Cut Ups), 2002
'Tis Sweet to Be Remembered: Complete Recordings 1951-1964, Mac Wiseman, 2003
no info The Essential Collection, Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys, 2003
no info 15 American Railroad Classics, Craig Duncan & the Smoky Mountain Band, 2003
Smokey Mountain Pickin': 24 Great Bluegrass Instrumentals, Various Artists (Clarence Jackson/James Wall), 2003
no info 25 Classic Train Songs, Various Artists (Hylo Brown & the Bluegrass Cut Ups), 2003
Live at the Ragged Edge, Tom Adams and Michael Cleveland, 2004
no info The Essential, Roy Acuff, 2004
All Smiles Tonight: An Anthology of Heritage Music from Hampshire County, Various Artists, 2004
no info Burnin' Up The Strings: The Best Of Bluegrass Instrumentals, Various Artists (Hylo Brown & the Bluegrass Cut-Ups), 2006
Walking Down The Line, James Alan Shelton, 2007
no info 31 Bluegrass Favorites, Various Artists (Hylo Brown & the Bluegrass Cut Ups), 2007
no info Best Of The Flatt & Scruggs TV Show: Vol. 2, Flatt & Scruggs, 2007
Front Porch Pickin', Various Artists (Hylo Brown & the Bluegrass Cut-Ups), 2008
no info Best Loved Bluegrass: 20 All-Time favorites, Various Artists (Lonesome River Band), 2008
no info Oklahoma Wind, Hunt Family Bluegrass, 2010
no info 20 Bluegrass Fiddle Classics, Clarence 'Tater' Tate, 2011
no info Appalachian Guitar Breakdown: 30 Bluegrass Classics, Various Artists (Clarence Jackson), 2011
no info Bluegrass Pickin' Power Picks: 25 Traditional Classics: Instrumentals, Various Artists (Hylo Brown & the Bluegrass Cut-Ups), 2013
no info The Complete Recordings 1952-1962, Don Gibson, 2017
no info Bits & Pieces, Urban Monroes, 2018
The Gasoline Brothers, David Grisman & Tony Rice, 2021