The Fendermen

The Fendermen were an American pop/rockabilly duo, comprising Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey, active in the early 1960s. Jim Sundquist (lead guitarist; born James D. Sundquist, November 26, 1937, Niagara, Wisconsin; later settled in Minnesota) and Phil Humphrey (rhythm guitarist; from Milwaukee, Wisconsin). At this point, Humphrey lived in Stoughton, Wisconsin with his wife and daughter. Sundquist and Humphrey, both born on November 26, 1937, met as students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the late 1950s. The duo had one hit single, "Mule Skinner Blues", released in 1960 on the Cuca Records label which was picked up for national distribution by Soma Records. The song hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart in September 1960, and No. 2 in Canada. The duo called themselves "the Fendermen" because they played Fender guitars (a Telecaster and a Stratocaster), and they connected them both to the same amplifier. These guitars were the only instruments used in the recording of "Mule Skinner Blues". Sundquist died on June 4, 2013, of cancer at his home in Fairfax, Minnesota, at age 75. Humphrey died on March 29, 2016, at a Minnesota hospital, at age 78, due to heart failure.