Seasons of the Ukulele

A weekly song challenge for ukulele players - all welcome. Find out more here

Season 755 - Jug Band Music

jon

hi folks,
welcome to season 755!
this week is all about Jug Band Music - i remember hosting a season like this
many years ago, and i'd like to revisit these kind of songs this week

to me, Jug Band songs are an intersecting point, or maybe like the middle of
a Venn Diagram - where elements of old school blues and jazz
and old time folk, ragtime and tin pan alley and nonsense verse all meet
and especially in later incarnations of jug bands and current ones there's a real
celebratory and joyful vibe that just is about loving music for music's sake and
a desire to keep this old music alive

so yes, this week's challenge is to play any song that's been sung live or
recorded on albums by any one of the myriad Jug band's over the years
from the dawn of the 2oth century to now. it'd be great too if you're
willing or able, to incorporate some home-made or rudimentary,
improvised & under-rated instruments into your videos (kazoo, slide whistle,
empty milk jug, footstomp etc etc) - just for that ol- down home,
simple, rustic, fun vibe, but if not, just you and your uke is just fine 🙂

jug band music has such a rich history that's always fascinated me and of course
the music itself with it's great rhythms and authenticity and just
great great songs that are mostly pretty easy to play and can't help make you smile

all the usual "conditions" apply, start and end times etc
any original songs or instrumentals in the spirit of jug band music
always welcome

i hope you enjoy the week everyone, i'm very much looking forward to
see what songs you'll bring to the season!

PLAYLIST

dr_mitch

This one might inspire me to attempt multitrack recording with my Kanzoo (a kazoo in a tin can). Also, I know quite a few in this style, so watch out!

jon

dr_mitch are they the ones from Will Grove-White, mate? they're awesome,
i got one as well. glad you've got a few songs up your sleeve ready to go Mitch 🙂

CanadaJim

I have taken a break for a short while Jon, but as you probably know, this is a style that I really love.
This is the Maple Leaf Champions jug band.

jon

CanadaJim that's such a fantastic photograph Jim. very much looking
forward to see what songs you might do for us this week xo

UkeCan1

For twoferness, I searched YouTube for "drag jug band", and discovered this cover by drag artist Dusty Pörn and her puppet partner Gizzy.

"When the River Meets the Sea"

Written by Paul Williams, for the 1977 Jim Henson Studio TV movie musical, "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas", which I don't think I've seen. It's free on YouTube though, and under an hour.

Here's Emmet and his Ma Alice Otter singing it together in the movie:

There are two reprises - I'm assuming one of them is played by the eponymous jug band.

This is the second time in recent months that I've covered a song with a phrase (in this case the title) that sounds a lot like another phrase that is inexplicably illegal here in Queensland.

LimousinLil

Bonjour, Jon … and thanks for hosting! Apparently, this is the most famous Jug Band song EVAH, and as I was unexpectedly spared the task of shopping this morning, I decided to get in there quickly before anyone else did it. (And my apologies … I have mislaid both my kazoo and my swanee whistle; I'll try to do better next time!)

AlanDP

An old popular song with kazoo plus cardboard box and old milk bottle percussion.

CanadaJim

JUG BAND MUSIC - Will Shade

Here's a song from the Memphis Jug Band that shares a title with Jon's Season.
Song titles cannot be copyrighted and The Lovin' Spoonful also played an entirely different song called Jug Band Music. I'd love to hear someone's version of that song and I'm sure Jon would too.

The metal coal oil jug is one that I bought at a flea market 15 or 20 years ago. I was excited when I saw it because Gus Cannon of Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers played a metal coal oil jug, that was inherited by Fritz Richmond, the washtub bass player in Jim Kweskin's Jug Band. Fritz died in Portland in 2005 and I have no idea who has Gus's jug now.
Ufortunately I never did get the hang of playing the jug.

bobjking

Hey, Jon!

Long time no uke! I hope everyone's doing okay.

Here's a potential new Wood Street Dogs tune that I just wrote (so new, the other guys haven't even heard it yet!) that I figured (somewhat fortuitously) would work in a jug band stylee. As yet, the song has no name. Any suggestions would be gratefully received!

8 string baritone, tenor, harmonica, whistling, jaw harp and (I scoured the house for a suitable jug but came up blank) a vintage Alfred Meakin teapot.

The teapot is almost inaudible on a phone speaker so I'd suggest a decent pair of headphones to fully appreciate the warm bass notes/the occasional sound of the spout chinking against my teeth!

Cheers!

jon

wow, just blown away by the fantastic music on day one here at jug band central!
thank you fine folks for the fantastic songs, really has put a spring in me ol step this Monday morning
Wendy, Val, Alan, Jim and Bobby with some super tunes and Bobby's original is next level awesome
so thank you crew 🙂
think i'll keep a bit of a running tally as to what kind of weird, wonderful and fun
instruments (aside from singing voice) everyone is using lol.
here we are on day one after the first 5 songs:

kazoo - 2
harmonica - 1
whistling - 1
cardboard box - 1
ukulele - 6
glass milk bottle - 1
jaw harp - 1
vintage Alfred Meakin teapot (lol) - 1

stay tuned for further updates haha…

play list should be good to here. will go and add it tothe the first post now
also there's another 6 or 7 hours to do a song in 3B's awesome "WHAT A DRAG!" week…
over n out til tomorrow 🙂

johnpoole

Hi Jonno. I couldn't find my kazoo…that elusive little sucker (or blower as the case may be). But I banged a tambourine with my foot. Here's one from Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers recorded 1926. A mighty song I first heard on Harry Smith's Folk Anthology. Based on true events. I'm hoping Charlie may be a distant relative.

Threebird

Thanks for hosting this Season, I don't have a jug band song to play, but a new friend of mine found something that works. As threatened in some other old thread, here is an encore from Ms. Rusty Mantrap. This also is a 'twofer' for Season 755 since The Watermelon Mountain Jug Band covers 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. Ms. Mantrap apologizes for not playing any kazoos or jugs in this performance, unfortunately she won't have any jugs to play until after her upcoming augmentation surgery!

AlanDP

An instrumental written by Sam Morgan about 1927. That's when it was first recorded, anyway.

CeeJay

Well, this an afturnnoone wasted.

Back In The Jug Agane Band…..

perhaps we should have spent the hole day doing of it.

jon

thanks to John, 3B, Alan and Chris for the ripper tunes overnight,
we're getting a fantastic playlist together, together. loving the music gang!
especially cool to see the first bit o' tambo stompin, the appearance of spoon and pot percussion
and a real treat to see CJ's awesome array of instruments, especially the washboard
playlist is current and here is the latest from the jug band central tally room 🙂
thank you fine folks!

kazoo - 3
harmonica - 2
whistling - 1
cardboard box - 2
ukulele - 9
glass milk bottle - 1
jaw harp - 1
vintage Alfred Meakin teapot (lol) - 1
tambourine stomp - 1
banjo ukulele - 1
keyboard - 1
plastic jug - 1
washboard - 1
spoon - 1
cooking pot - 1

johnpoole

Hi Jon. Here's one from a one man band Henry Thomas. From 1928. Bull Doze Blues. Famously covered by Canned Heat as "Going up the Country' . Henry played guitar and the Quills ,a type of pan pipe with flute tones. Canned Heat played flute to emulate. I'm playing a rolled up cardboard mouth trumpet.

CanadaJim

SWEET SUE - Victor Young & Will J. Harris 1928
-learned from the first Jim Kweskin Jug Band LP

I know I've very recently heard our host, Jon do a mighty fine version of this song, but it was on my list anyway. Apologies for my amateur kazoo playing.

jon

couple of fantastic songs via John and Jim from the great Henry Thomas and Young and Harris, both
favourites of mine, thank you lads! seems that the late 20's were the most fertile years
for Jug Band Music…i've recorded a handful of songs too the last few days and w/out exception
the composition dates have either been 1928 or 29…
lovely to see John's gorgeous greyhound Ruby stealing the show along with his awesome home-made
cardboard mouth trumpet and Jim's kazoo resplendent w/ a mounted bike horn which is the coolest
thing i've seen in ages
no significant movement in our tally, but just looking down the list of things
folks have used so far makes me smile 🙂
til tomorrow folks xo

kazoo - 4
harmonica - 2
whistling - 1
cardboard box - 2
ukulele - 11
glass milk bottle - 1
jaw harp - 1
vintage Alfred Meakin teapot (lol) - 1
tambourine stomp - 1
banjo ukulele - 1
keyboard - 1
plastic jug - 1
washboard - 1
spoon - 1
cooking pot - 1
cardboard trumpet - 1

LimousinLil

Sorry .. not an entry; but has anyone come across "Abby the Spoon Lady"? I found her a while ago and she is absolutely fascinating to watch. I'm not sure whether spoons can count as an instrument used in Jug Band music, but I don't see why they shouldn't. She is really worth a listen ….