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Mystery Train
Composer: Junior Parker / Sam Philips

Mystery Train was written by Junior Parker (Herman Parker) and originally recorded by him, with the group name Little Junior's Blue Flames, on Sam Philip's Sun label in 1953. The single, which was Parker's 2nd single on Sun, was released on the 1st Nov 1953. The original release credits just Junior Parker as the writer. Sam Philips acquired 50% of the song in 1954 after Parker moved to another record label. Recordings after this date usually credit Parker and Philips.

Sam Philips suggested the song to Elvis Presley in 1955. The Presley version was recorded on 11th July 1955 and released on 1st August 1955. It was his 5th single on Sun. The single was credited to Elvis Presley, Scotty & Bill.

Mystery Train is a rare occurrence in popular song - a song in which the words of the title do not occur in the lyrics of the song.

The Grateful Dead possibly recorded this song on August 6, 1973 during the Wake Of The Flood recording sessions. If so this recording has never been released.



Jerry Garcia

info Keystone Encores Volume 2, Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt, 1988
info Live At Keystone Volume 2, Merl Saunders / Jerry Garcia / John Kahn / Bill Vitt, 1988
info Keepers, Merl Saunders, 1997
info All Good Things: Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions, Jerry Garcia / Jerry Garcia Band, 2004
info Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839, July 29 & 30, 1977, Jerry Garcia Band, 2004
info Pure Jerry: Keystone Berkeley, September 1, 1974, Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders Band, 2004
info The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1: Legion of Mary, Legion Of Mary, 2005
info Pure Jerry: Warner Theatre, March 18, 1978, Jerry Garcia Band, 2005
info Reflections, Jerry Garcia, 2005 (bonus on exp. CD)
info Well Matched: The Best Of Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders and Jerry Garcia, 2006
info Pure Jerry: Jerry Garcia Band, San Francisco Bay Area 1978, Jerry Garcia Band, 2009
info Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings, Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia, 2012
info Garcia Live: Vol 3, Legion Of Mary, 2013
info Garcia Live: Vol 4, Jerry Garcia Band, 2014
info Garcia Live: Vol 5, Jerry Garcia Band, 2014
info Garcia Live: Vol 9, Garcia / Saunders, 2017
info Garcia Live: Vol 15: May 21st, 1971 Keystone Korner, Garcia / Saunders, 2020
info Garcia Live: Vol 17, Jerry Garcia Band, 2021
info Garcia Live: Vol 18: Nov 2, 1974, Garcia / Saunders, 2022

Bob Weir (w/ Kingfish

info Kingfish In Concert : King Biscuit Hour Presents Kingfish, Kingfish, 1996
info Live, Kingfish, 2000
info From the Front Row: Live, Kingfish, 2003 (DVD Audio)
info Greatest Hits Live, Kingfish, 2003

Phil Lesh & Friends

info October 31, 2016, Port Chester, NY, 2016

Junior Parker

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

no info Single (Mystery Train / Love My Baby), Little Junior And The Blue Flames, 1953 (Sun 192)
no info Catalyst: The Roots of Rock: Volume 1, Various Artists, 1977
no info The Legendary Sun Performers, Junior Parker and Billy Love, 1977
no info The Sun Box, Various Artists, 1982
no info Sun's Greatest Hits, Various Artists, 1983
no info Red Hot and Blue, Various Artists, 1983
no info Sun: The Blues Years, Various Artists, 1984
no info The Sun Story, Various Artists, 1987
no info Mystery Train, Junior Parker, 1990
no info Blue Flames: A Sun Blues Collection, Various Artists, 1990
no info Ain't Times Hard, Various Artists, 1995
no info Between the Rails: America's Train Songs, Various Artists, 1998
info Beyond Nashville: The Twisted Heart of Country Music, Various Artists, 2001
info The Sun Records Story, Various Artists, 2001
info Next Time You See Me, Junior Parker, 2005
no info Sun 60th Anniversary, Various Artists, 2012

Other recordings

This list is not intended to be comprehensive.

no info Single (I Forgot To Remember To Forget / Mystery Train), Elvis Presley, 1955 (Sun 223)
no info For LP Fans Only, Elvis Presley, 1959
no info Panicsville, Panics, 1962
no info Guitar That Changed The World, Scotty Moore, 1964
no info The World Of A Country Boy, Johnny Sea, 1964
info Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, 1965
no info Swinging Country, Rusty Draper, 1966
no info On Tour, Sam the Sham & Pharaohs, 1966
no info The Best of, Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, 1967
info Southern Fried, John Hammond, 1969
no info Roger Miller, Roger Miller, 1970
no info Sweet Toronto Soundtrack, Various Artists (Jerry Lee Lewis), 1970
no info Guitar Sounds of, James Burton, 1971
no info Golden Butter: The Best of the, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, 1972
no info Seanor & Koss, Seanor & Koss, 1972
no info Me and Chet, Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins, 1972
info Old Hat, Uncle Dog, 1972
no info Road To Freedom, Alvin Lee, 1973
no info Moondog Matinee, Band, 1973
no info A Good Woman's Love, Jerry Reed, 1974
no info The Elvis Presley Sun Collection, Elvis Presley, 1975
no info The Nashville Outtakes & Early Interviews, Elvis Presley, 1975
no info Unlock Your Mind, Staples, 1978
no info Marty, Marty Stuart, 1978
info The Last Waltz, The Band / Various Artists, 1978
no info Elvis! Soundtrack, Elvis Presley, 1979
no info Downhome Rockabilly, Sleepy LaBeef, 1979
info Too Close for Comfort, Terry & The Pirates, 1979
no info Memphis Blue Streak, Phil Sweet, 1981
info Deal It Out, Tom Fogerty, 1981
no info Everybody's Rockin', Neil Young & the Shocking Pinks, 1983
no info String Along With Rick, Rick Nelson, 1984
no info Live From Europe, Flying Burrito Brothers, 1986
no info Comin' At You, Junior Wells, 1988
no info The Rock 'N' Roll Era: Elvis, The King 1954-1965, Elvis Presley, 1989
no info The Rock 'N' Roll Era: Ricky Nelson 1957-1972, Ricky Nelson, 1989
no info Brother's Keeper, Neville Brothers, 1990
no info Best Of 1964-1975, Rick Nelson, 1990
no info Country USA: 1955, Various Artists (Elvis Presley), 1990
no info Blues Tracks, Pat Travers, 1992
info Monterey International Pop Festival: 25th Anniversary, Various Artists (The Butterfield Blues Band), 1992
no info King Of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters, Elvis Presley, 1992
no info 1976-81, Soft Boys, 1993
info Do They Come From You (EP), Chris Bailey, 1993
info Across the Great Divide, The Band, 1994
no info Brother to Brother, Nolan Struck & King Edward, 1994
no info Heartbreak City, Rarely Herd, 1994
no info It's Now or Never: The Tribute to Elvis, Various Artists (Dwight Yoakam), 1994
no info Bring It on Home, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Rick Danko), 1994
info Larger Than Life, Sleepy LaBeef, 1996
no info Platinum: A Life In Music, Elvis Presley, 1997
info Live From Amsterdam, Flying Burrito Brothers, 1997
info Mystery Train: Classic Railroad Songs, Vol. 2, Various Artists (Sleepy LaBeef), 1997
info Monterey International Pop Festival: 30th Anniversary, Various Artists (The Butterfield Blues Band), 1997
no info The Elvis Presley Collection: The Rocker, Elvis Presley, 1998
no info Me & Jerry/Me & Chet, Chet Atkins / Jerry Reed, 1998
no info Keep on Steppin': The Best of, Junior Wells, 1998
no info The Memphis Sun Recordings, Johnny Rivers, 1998
info The Country-Rockin' Trust Presents: Mystery Train, Various Artists (Johnny Darrell), 2000
no info The Paul Butterfield Blues Band / East West, The Butterfield Blues Band, 2001
info One More Shot, Rick Danko, Jonas Fjeld, Eric Andersen, 2001
no info Mystery Train, Neil Young, 2001
no info Live in Detroit, The Doors, 2001
no info It Was a Very Good Year, James Cotton, 2001
info Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records, Various Artists (Jeff Beck and Chrissie Hynde), 2001
info The Last Waltz Box Set, The Band / Various Artists, 2002
info Reprise Please Baby: The Warner Bros. Years, Dwight Yoakam, 2002
info Backstage and Dangerous: The Private Rehearsal, The Doors, 2002
no info Legendary, Chet Atkins, 2002
info In Others' Words, Dwight Yoakam, 2003
info Light Out for the Territory, Nathaniel Street West, 2003
info Boot Yer Butt, The Doors, 2003
info A Musical History, The Band, 2005
no info Cryin' Heart Blues, Rick Danko, 2005
no info Live in Philadelphia '70, The Doors, 2006
no info Platinum Collection, Dwight Yoakam, 2006
no info Poor Boy Boogie: Anthology, Willie & The Poor Boys, 2006
no info A Stone Alone: The Solo Anthology 1974-2001, Bill Wyman, 2006
no info ElvisGrass, Various Artists, 2006
no info Live in Boston '70, The Doors, 2007
no info Vanguard Visionaries, Junior Wells, 2007
no info The Bluegrass Elvises, Vol. 1, Shawn Camp & Billy Burnette, 2007
no info Chasin' Dreams, Honi Deaton & Dream, 2007
info Movin' On, Gee Gee Kettel & Soluna Samay, 2007
info F.O.E. Hall, Fairless Hills, PA, March 30, 2007, Trident, 2007
info For You: The Decca Years, Rick Nelson, 2008
info The Roots of the Grateful Dead, Various Artists (Elvis Presley), 2008
no info The Last Time Around 1970-1982, Rick Nelson, 2010
no info Sunny Day, Elizabeth Mitchell, 2010
no info Live Anthology, Rick Danko, 2011
no info Live 1986, The Blasters, 2011
no info Life Finds A Way, The Grascals, 2012

 
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