History

Louisville: Storied birthplace of jug band music

At the turn of the 20th century, the River City enjoyed the lively, traditional fiddle and guitar tunes of the day like everyone else.

But America's 18th-largest city was harvesting music from an unlikely source: whisky jugs! The jugs abounded because of the community's long association with bourbon. By the spring of 1900, jug band tunes were delighting citizens on the streets of Louisville.

In 1903, Kentucky Derby fans first heard the now legendary Louisville Jug Band. Its leader, Earl McDonald, has been recommended for the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.

The infectious rhythm of jug bands was soon serenading steamboat passengers up and down the Ohio River.

By the 1920's, Louisville's proliferating jug bands were entertaining theater and dance crowds in major cities east of the Mississippi. The popularity of these wonderful homespun tunes swelled in places like Memphis, and soon crossed oceans. Today, jug band music is popular in Europe, Asia and Australia.

This outstanding music, pioneered in Louisville is now popular all over the world!

Jug Blower Earl McDonald has been recommended for the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.