Jug band

A jug band is a band employing a jug player and other traditional and homemade instruments, such as rhythm guitar, washtub bass, washboard, jug, mandolin, spoons, and kazoo. A jug player is required for a jug band, but other types of band employing a mix of traditional and homemade instruments are spasm bands and Skiffle bands.

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Instruments are often improvised, and in the early days of jug music, guitar and mandolins were sometimes made from the necks of discarded guitars fastened to large gourds. The gourds were flattened on one side, with a sound-hole cut into the flat side, before drying. Banjos were sometimes made from a discarded guitar neck and a metal pie plate.

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The eponymous jug is just that: a jug (usually made of glass or stoneware) played with the mouth. Making an embouchure like that employed with a trombone or tuba, the musician holds the opening of the jug about an inch from his or her mouth and emits a blast of sound, made by the "buzzing" of the lips, directly into it. (The jug is not played by blowing across its opening.) Since the jug does not actually touch the musician's mouth, the jug itself serves primarily to amplify the sound made by the musician's lips. As with a bugle, changes in pitch are controlled by altering the embrasure, and a practiced juggist can produce a wide range of notes. A bass instrument, the jug is part of the band's rhythm section, though jug solos are not uncommon.

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Early jug bands were typically made up of African American vaudeville musicians. Beginning in the urban south, they played a mixture of Memphis blues (even before it was formally called the blues), ragtime, and Appalachian music.

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It has been said that "The history of jug bands is the story of the birth of the blues". W.C. Handy said that he learned blues style from street musicians, playing improvised instruments. The informal and energetic music of the jug bands also contributed to the development of rock and roll.

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Jug bands were a popular and widespread form of musical entertainment until largely supplanted by big bands and swing in the 1930s.

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Among the best known traditional jug bands were Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, whose song "Walk Right In" was a hit in the 1920s and 1930s and was reprised by folk musicians in the 1960s and the Memphis Jug Band. Among mid-20th century jug bands,Jim Kweskin's Jug Band was the most successful. The Even Dozen Jug Band was also well known and featured Maria D'Amato (Maria Muldaur) and Joshua Rifkin.

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Modern tributes to the jug band include "Willie and the Poor Boys" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and "Jug Band Music" by The Lovin' Spoonful. John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful also led the J-Band, that included not only musicians from the modern folk revival, but Yank Rachell, mandolin player and jug band leader from the original era.

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A well known children's Christmas special, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, based on a book written by Lillian Hoban and

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Russell Hoban, features a jug band comprised of woodland-creature Muppets and a soundtrack composed by Paul Williams. The show first aired in 1977 and is still a seasonal favorite.

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Jug bands have continued to exist and evolve to the present day. Some bands remain faithful to the original roots, while others continually expand the jug band repertoire to include other folk music, popular music, and classical music forms.

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An annual JugFest gathering of jug bands is held each October in Sutter Creek, California.

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Band: Band may mean:...

Rhythm guitar: Rhythm guitar is the role of the guitar in playing accompaniment in various musical styles. The term rhythm guitar, therefore, is simply a musical notion which implies almost any guitar, usually electric, played in a way where it supplies the pulse or rhythm of a song in conjunction with the bass gu...

Washtub bass: The washtub bass, or "gutbucket," is a folk instrument that uses a metal washtub as a resonator. Although it is possible for a washtub bass to have four or more strings and tuning pegs, most washtub basses have a single string whose tone is adjusted by manipulating the neck and finger board to chan...

Jug band related Images and Photos (experimental)

Jazz Band	Rock Band	Jazz-Band	Jazz Band
Red Jug I	Magic Band	Queen - Band	The Band c.1973
The Band c.1973	Band-In-A-Box	Cantina Band	Band Of Light