Best I can sdo Paul Jay is to refer you to Woody"s Folkways CD40101, Muleskinner Blues, The Ash Recordings Vol 2....Cut #16, recorded on April 19th, 1944. It continues in the liner notes: This "Native American Ballad" (ballad native to America) grew out of the lore of Southern African Americans. Stackolee became a legend because he was big, tough and mean--in fact, in one version of the song, the Devil does not even want him in hell. Memphis is where he loaded cotton and killed Billy de Lyon over a Stetson hat; again, there are questions about what started the argument, but all Stackolee wanted was an excuse to kill. Sung by blues singers for decades, there are numerous variants. Woody's story is the traditional story, but his lyrics vary from many available printed texts as well as the text in his unpublished manuscript, "Songs of Woody Guthrie". For additional information check John A. and Alan Lomax, American Ballds and Folksongs pp93-99. Hope this is a little help. It's all I got.......Good Luck....