Press Releases

National Jug Band Jubilee adds more events leading up to the all-day festival

2022-09-19T18:35:11+00:00

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE PDF

LOUISVILLE, KY, (September 15, 2022) – Time is fast-approaching for the 2022 National Jug Band Jubilee. The free, all-day festival had a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it will be back on Saturday, September 24 at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park, from Noon to 9 p.m. This week the festival’s organizers announced a few more opportunities for local students and music fans to enjoy the jug band love. Education has always been an important component of the Jubilee’s mission, and the festival has sent Jug Bands to area schools on the day prior to the concert for several years.

On Friday, September 23rd, the How Long Jug Band (Portland, OR) will play at Frayser Elementary. The Busted Jug Band (Boston, MA) are playing at Greathouse/Shyrock Elementary School, and the Slick Skillet Serenaders (New Orleans, LA) are playing at Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School (LPAS).“Our students are always so delighted to see performances from the Jug Band Jubilee every year. The music is fun, accessible, and historically informative,” said Amos Hopkins, Arts Magnet Coordinator at LPAS.

Also on Friday night, the Jubilee presents a Jug Band Jam Session at West Sixth Brewery in the Nulu Marketplace from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Both professional and amateur jug band musicians will be sharing songs and stories in a night of celebration. Very low-key and welcoming, come join or watch and enjoy a beer! The Slick Skillet Serenaders are also playing a the Nachbar in Germantown that night from 7-11pm Keep an eye on our Facebook page for all of the latest details https://www.facebook.com/JugBandJubilee.

All these events lead up to the big day on Saturday when the festival will be headlined by GRAMMY-nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis. Perennial favorites the Juggernaut Jug Band and the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs are also set to perform. He is the schedule for the day:

• Noon – Cincinnati Dancing Pigs, Cincinnati, OH
• 1pm – How Long Jug Band – Portland, OR
• 2pm – The Busted Jug Band – Boston, MA
• 3pm – Ever-Lovin Jug Band – Waterloo, ON, CA
• 4pm – Jug Band Workshops!
• 5pm – Juggernaut Jug Band – Louisville, KY
• 6pm – M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio – Hampton, VA
• 7pm – The Slick Skillet Serenaders – New Orleans, LA
• 8pm – Jontavious Willis – Greenville, GA

In addition to the music, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. The National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for several workshops. Learn to blow a jug, play a washboard, washtub bass, kazoo and more! There is also great local vending, food, beer, and wine.

The National Jug Band Jubilee was founded in 2005 to preserve the legacy of jug band music through music and education. Jug band music is a pre-World War II jazz style that thrived in Louisville between 1890 and 1930. The River City is considered to be the home of the genre because it produced the first two jug bands to record – Sara Martin’s Jug Band (OKeh Record, 1924) and Whistler’s Jug Band (Gennett, 1924). These recording started a national craze that lasted until the Great Depression.

The 2022 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2022, at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park. The music at begins at Noon and ends at 9 p.m.

For more information contact Heather Leoncini at (502) 417-1107 or
juggernautpr@yahoo.com.

###

**Print-Ready, Hi-Res photos available upon request**

National Jug Band Jubilee adds more events leading up to the all-day festival2022-09-19T18:35:11+00:00

National Jug Band Jubilee returns to Waterfront Park in September

2022-09-19T04:02:25+00:00

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE PDF

National Jug Band Jubilee returns to Waterfront Park in September

LOUISVILLE, KY, (August 4, 2022) – It’s been a while since fans of the National Jug Band Jubilee got to dance to the rhythm of jug band music on the banks of the Ohio River. The free, all-day festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the festival that celebrates all things jug band is coming back for 2022!

The 2022 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 24 at the Brown- Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park, from Noon to 9 p.m. GRAMMY-nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis is the festival headliner. Perennial favorites the Juggernaut Jug Band and the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs are also set to perform. The complete line-up is as follows:

  • –  Jontavious Willis (Greenville, GA)
  • –  The Slick Skillet Serenaders (New Orleans, LA)
  • –  M.S.G Acoustic Blues Trio (Hampton, VA)
  • –  Juggernaut Jug Band (Louisville, KY)
  • –  The Busted Jug Band (Boston, MA)
  • –  Cincinnati Dancing Pigs (Cincinnati, OH)
  • –  Ever-Lovin Jug Band (Ontario, Canada)
  • –  How Long Jug Band (Portland, OR)Heather Leoncini, president of the National Jug Band Jubilee, said the Jubilee board is excited to bring everyone back together again to celebrate the history of Jug Band music.“After taking a couple of years off, this year’s Jubilee feels extra special for everyone,” Leoncini said. “People from all over the United States, and even some from other countries, come to Louisville specifically for this festival. I expect to see a lot of dancing when the bands start playing.”In addition to the music, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. The National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for several workshops. Learn to blow a jug, play a washboard, washtub bass, kazoo and more! There is also great local vending, food, beer and wine.The Jubilee also offers a lot of activities for children, including a booth from the Little Loomhouse.

“We’ve had a booth at the Jubilee since 2015, and it has become one of my favorite festivals. I love doing weaving projects with the families while getting to hear the great music. It is something our staff and volunteers look forward to,” said Michelle Amos, executive director of the Little Loomhouse.

The National Jug Band Jubilee was founded in 2005 to preserve the legacy of jug band music through music and education. Jug band music is a pre-World War II jazz style that thrived in Louisville between 1890 and 1930. The River City is considered to be the home of the genre because it produced the first two jug bands to record – Sara Martin’s Jug Band (OKeh Record, 1924) and Whistler’s Jug Band (Gennett, 1924). These recordings started a national craze that lasted until the Great Depression.

In addition to putting on a free, all-day festival, the National Jug Band Jubilee sends jug bands to perform at local elementary schools on Friday, the day before the Jubilee. On Friday night, there are also fun Jubilee events happening around town, including an open Jug Band jam session. Details for the Friday night events will be announced soon.

###

**Print-Ready, Hi-Res photos available upon request**

National Jug Band Jubilee returns to Waterfront Park in September2022-09-19T04:02:25+00:00

National Jug Band Jubilee returns to Waterfront Park in September

2022-07-22T20:03:34+00:00

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE PDF

LOUISVILLE, KY, (July 25, 2022) – It’s been a while since fans of the National Jug Band Jubilee got to dance to rhythm of jug band music on the banks of the Ohio River. The free, all-day festival was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the festival that celebrates all things jug band is coming back for 2022!

The 2022 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 24 at the Brown- Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park, from Noon to 9 p.m. GRAMMY-nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis is the festival headliner. Perennial favorites the Juggernaut Jug Band and the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs are also set to perform. The rest of the day’s lineup will feature some of the bands that didn’t get to play in the two cancelled festivals. The complete lineup will be available soon at the festival’s website, www.jugbandjubilee.com.

Heather Leoncini, president of the National Jug Band Jubilee, said the Jubilee board is excited to bring everyone back together again to celebrate the history of jug band.

“After taking a couple of years off, this year’s Jubilee feels is extra special for everyone,” Leoncini said. “People from all over the United States, and even some from other countries, come to Louisville specifically for this festival. I expect to see a lot of dancing when the bands start playing.”

In addition to the music, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. The National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for several workshops. Learn to blow a jug, play a washboard, washtub bass, kazoo and more! There is also great local vending, food, beer and wine.

The Jubilee also offers a lot of activities for children, including a booth from the Little Loomhouse.

“We’ve had a booth at the Jubilee since 2015, and it has become one of my favorite festivals. I love doing weaving projects with the families while getting to hear the great music. It is something our staff and volunteers look forward to,” said Michelle Amos, executive director of the Little Loomhouse.

The National Jug Band Jubilee’s was founded in 2004 to preserve the legacy of jug band music through music and education. Jug band music is a pre-World War II jazz style that thrived in Louisville between 1890 and 1930. The River City is considered to be the home of the genre because it produced

page1image757735424

the first two jug bands to record – Sara Martin’s Jug Band (OKeh Record, 1924) and Whistler’s Jug Band (Gennett, 1924). These recording started a national craze that lasted until the Great Depression.

In addition to putting on a free, all-day festival, the National Jug Band Jubilee sends jug bands to perform at local elementary schools and hosts an educational panel discussion on the day prior to the festival. Prior workshops have dealt with the topic of race in traditional music and the role of river culture in the development of jug band music. The details of this year’s panel discussion will be released soon.

The 2022 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park. The music at begins at Noon and ends at 9 p.m. For more information contact Heather Leoncini at (502) 417-1107 or juggernautpr@yahoo.com.

###

National Jug Band Jubilee returns to Waterfront Park in September2022-07-22T20:03:34+00:00

National Jug Band Jubilee is back on September 18, 2021

2022-04-16T20:08:35+00:00

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE PDF

LOUISVILLE, KY, (July 29, 2021) – The National Jug Band Jubilee returns to the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park on Saturday, September 18, 2021. This will be the 16th festival for the non-profit organization. This year’s headlining performer will be acoustic blues talent Jontavious Willis, a 25-year-old multi-instrumentalist who was nominated for a Grammy in 2020 thanks to his latest album, Spectacular Class. The complete line-up for the 2021 National Jug Band Jubilee will be announced very soon!

Willis hails from Greenville, Georgia. He grew up singing gospel music at the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church with his grandfather. Willis was drawn to blues music after watching a video of Muddy Waters performing “Hoochie Coochie Man.” He was later mentored by legendary bluesman Taj Mahal who has said, “That’s my Wonderboy, the Wunderkind. Jontavious is a great new voice of the 21st century in the acoustic blues.”

Part of the National Jug Band Jubilee’s mission is to preserve Louisville’s jug band legacy through education as well as music. The Jubilee board has joined forces with the Louisville Historical Society to present “Lost Sounds: Rediscovering Black Fiddlers” on Friday, September 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Roots 101 African American Museum, 124 N. 1st St. This panel discussion on Black fiddlers will explore the contributions of Kentuckiana musicians like bandleader Henry Hart, Clifford Hayes of the Louisville Jug Band, the Booker Family Orchestra, and Jess Ferguson of Whistler’s Jug Band. The event will also feature live music and a cash bar. Admission is free, but there is a suggested donation of $10 to benefit Roots 101.

The National Jug Band Jubilee is excited to be back on the banks of the Ohio River, celebrating this unique form of river music – as it should be. Louisville is the acknowledged home of jug band music, a pre-war jazz style that features traditional and homemade instruments. In the late 19th century, African American musicians walked the streets of the River City playing tunes on improvised instruments like empty liquor jugs (“the poor man’s tuba”), kazoos and washboards. By the time the sound reached its peak in the 1930s, it had infiltrated towns up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, especially Memphis and New Orleans. Louisville Jug Bands were the first to record, with Sara Martin recording “Blue Devil Blues” with the Dixieland Jug Blowers in 1924.

The 2021 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 18, 2021 at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park. The music at begins at 1pm and ends at 10 p.m. In addition to the bands, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. There is also great local vending, food, beer and wine. Lots of kid’s activities. And as always, the National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for several workshops. Learn to blow a jug, play a washboard, washtub bass, kazoo and more! The Jubilee is a free event.

###

**Print-Ready, Hi-Res photos available upon request**

National Jug Band Jubilee is back on September 18, 20212022-04-16T20:08:35+00:00

National Jug Band Jubilee celebrates 15th anniversary with Kweskin

2022-04-16T20:08:51+00:00

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRESS RELEASE PDF

LOUISVILLE, KY, (July 30, 2019) – Jug band music is a pre-World War II jazz style that thrived in Louisville from 1890 to 1930. A former public relations executive named Rod Wenz organized the first National Jug Band Jubilee 15-years ago to celebrate that legacy. The Juggernaut Jug Band and the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs entertained 400 people onboard the Belle of Louisville. Since then the Jubilee has grown into a free, all-day festival that attracts thousands of people to each year to see the best jug band talent in the world.

American folk revival pioneer Jim Kweskin (Boston, MA) will return to Louisville to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the festival. Kweskin founded the legendary Jim Kweskin Jug Band in the 1960s and helped to popular some of the Louisville jug band standards. His group influenced the Grateful Dead, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the Lovin’ Spoonful.

Other performers at the 2019 National Jug Band Jubilee include: Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (New York, NY); the Steel City Jug Slammers (Birmingham, AL); Miss Maybelle & “Ragtime” Charlie Judkins (New York, NY); the Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band (New Orleans, LA); the Jake Leg Stompers (Bucksnort, TN); the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs (Cincinnati, OH); and Louisville’s own Juggernaut Jug Band.

The National Jug Band Jubilee’s mission is to preserve Louisville’s legacy through education as well as music. The organization will host a panel discussion at the Frazier History Museum on Friday, September 13th, the night before the Jubilee, at 7 p.m. “All in the Family: Examining Jug Band Music’s relationship with American Popular Music” will feature Jug Band legend Jim Kweskin, fiddle historian John Harrod, musician Bill Steber and author Michael L. Jones examining jug band music’s connections to other musical genres. The event will include a performance by the Juggernaut Jug Band. The Friday night event at the Frazier is free for members and $15 for non-members and celebrates the opening of a new exhibit at the Frazier, “Celebrating the Sounds of Kentucky”.

The 2019 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park. The music at begins at 1pm and ends at 11 p.m. In addition to the bands, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. There is also great local vending, food, beer and wine. And as always, the National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for several workshops. Learn to blow a jug, play a washboard, washtub bass, kazoo and more!

###

**Print-Ready, Hi-Res photos available upon request**

National Jug Band Jubilee celebrates 15th anniversary with Kweskin2022-04-16T20:08:51+00:00

Panel discussion, pre-festivals shows lead up to 14th National Jug Band Jubilee

2022-04-16T20:09:00+00:00

 

 

CLICK HERE DOWNLOAD THIS PRESS RELEASE AS PDF  ||||| 
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE POSTER

LOUISVILLE, KY, (August 23, 2018) – The National Jug Band Jubilee’s mission is to preserve Louisville’s legacy as the home of jug band music through music and education. In addition to putting on a free, all-day festival, the organization sends jug bands to perform at elementary schools every year on the day prior to the Jubilee and offers workshops during the festival itself. In 2018, its 14thyear, the National Jug Band Jubilee will expand its educational offerings with a panel discussion titled “The Color of Jug Band Music: Examining the Complex Racial History of the Genre.” The talk will take place at the Highlands Community Campus. 1228 E Breckinridge Street, on Friday, September 14 at 7 p.m.

Jug band music was pioneered in the late 19th century by African American musicians walked the streets of the River City playing novelty instruments like empty liquor jugs (“the poor man’s tuba”), kazoos and washboards. By the time the sound reached its peak in the 1930s, it had infiltrated towns up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, especially Memphis and New Orleans. It was also black musicians who produced the first jug band recordings. However, when the genre is depicted in contemporary media, the jug bands are usually groups of white musicians in a rural setting.

“The Color of Jug Band Music” will explore the role race, power, and mass media has played in obscuring the origins of jug band music and erasing many of the genre’s pioneers from the narrative of American popular music. The panelists will include: Heather Leoncini, President of the National Jug Band Jubilee; Jubilee board member Michael L. Jones, author of “Louisville Jug Music: From Earl McDonald to the National Jubilee”; educators and music duo Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons; and fiddle historian John Harrod. The moderator will be Nathan Salsburg, curator of the Alan Lomax Archive.

The panel discussion, which is free and open to the public, is part of an expanded Friday night line-up of events that has turned the National Jug Band Jubilee into a multi-day celebration. “The Color of Jug Band Music” will be followed, in the same space, by a swing dance event with music by New Orleans’ Frog & Henry and dance lessons with LindyHop Louisville. Admission is $10 and includes a free dance lesson. The show starts at 8:30 p.m., following the discussion. There will be a cash bar and chairs for non-dancers who just want to enjoy the music.

Also, on Friday, there will be a free National Jug Band Jubilee Jam Session at the Goodwood Tap Room. 636 E Main St, Louisville, from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Asheville, N.C.-band Vaden Landers & The Do Rights will also play a free show at the Nachbar, 969 Charles Street, from 9 p.m. to Midnight.

The 2018 National Jug Band Jubilee will take place on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at the Brown-Foreman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park. The music at begins at Noon and ends at 11 p.m. In addition to the bands, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. Volunteers from Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana will make and decorate instruments with kids from Noon to 6 p.m. The South Louisville-based Little Loomhouse will have several of its namesake small looms on hand so festival-goers can weave their own mug rugs and other small items from Noon to 6 p.m. The Steam Exchange, a community arts organization based in Smoketown, will be doing jug band screen printing activities for kids from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. And as always, the National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for several workshops of its own.

 

Here is the schedule:

  • 1:00 – Derby City Dandies (Louisville, KY)
  • 2:00 – Vaden Landers & The Do Rights (Asheville, NC)
  • 3:00 – Cincinnati Dancing Pigs (Cincinnati, OH)
  • 4:00 – Workshops: Jug, Washboard, Kazoo, Washtub, Saw, Spoons and dance!
  • 5:00 – Juggernaut Jug Band (Louisville, KY)
  • 6:00 – Chris Rodrigues and Abby the Spoon Lady (Asheville, NC)
  • 7:00 – Hubby Jenkins (New York, NY)
  • 8:15 – Frog & Henry (New Orleans, LA)
  • 9:30 – Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons (Seattle, WA)

 

###

Panel discussion, pre-festivals shows lead up to 14th National Jug Band Jubilee2022-04-16T20:09:00+00:00

New programs and more great bands are coming to 14th National Jug Band Jubilee 

2022-04-16T20:09:14+00:00

 

New programs and more great bands are coming to 14th National Jug Band Jubilee 

CLICK HERE DOWNLOAD THIS PRESS RELEASE AS PDF

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE POSTER

LOUISVILLE, KY, (July 25, 2018) – It is hard to believe in the midst of the summer heat, but fall is fast approaching and with it the 2018 National Jug Band Jubilee. The free, all-day festival will take place on Saturday, September 15, 2018 at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater in Waterfront Park. The 14thyear of the Jubilee will feature a few additions, among them a panel discussion on Friday, September 14 dealing with racial issues within the history of jug band music.

What will never change at the Jubilee is the quality of the music. This year the festival will offer another top-notch lineup of early jazz, jug band, and string band performers. The duo of Chris Rodriguez and Abby the Spoon Lady is the act that has drawn the most attention thus far. The Asheville, N.C.-based musicians are Youtube sensations thanks to their videos showcasing Abby’s percussion skills and Rodriguez’s unique blues-Appalachian style guitar and vocals. Another highlight of this year’s festival is Hubby Jenkins, a talented multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn who is also a member of the Grammy-award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Academics and Seattle songsters Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons will take part in the Friday night panel discussion. The Jubilee will release more details on that at a later date, but we can tell you that Hunter and Seamons will dazzle the audience at the festival with their combination of banjo and fiddle breakdowns, a cappella field hollers, and gospel tunes.

New Orleans supergroup Frog & Henry is coming to the Jubilee to perform dance hits and early jazz music from the 1900s on brass and string instruments. Another Asheville group, Vanden Landers and the Do Rights, will complement Frog & Henry with a blend of blues, ragtime, jazz, western swing, country and old-time Appalachian music.

The rest of the Jubilee line-up consists of some old friends. Louisville’s own Juggernaut Jug Band and the Cincinnati Dancing Pigs have appeared at every Jubilee since the beginning of the festival. The groups return this year to perform their collective repertoireof novelty tunes and jug band classics. Louisville’s Derby City Dandies will also make a return engagement to the 2018 National Jug Band Jubilee. The Dandy’s perform Prohibition-era standards.

The music at the Jubilee begins at Noon on Saturday and ends at 11 p.m. In addition to the bands, the Jubilee features other fun activities for kids ages 2 to 82. Volunteers from Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana will make and decorate instruments with kids from Noon to 6 p.m. The South Louisville-based Little Loomhouse will have several of its namesake small looms on hand so festival-goers can weave their own mug rugs and other small items from Noon to 6 p.m. The Steam Exchange, a community arts organization based in Smoketown, will be doing jug band screen printing activities for kids from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. And as always, the National Jug Band Jubilee will take a break from the music at 4 p.m. for a number of workshops of its own.

The National Jug Band Jubilee was created to celebrate the legacy of jug band music in the River City. Louisville is the acknowledged home of jug band music, a pre-war jazz style that features traditional and homemade instruments. In the late 19th century, African American musicians walked the streets of the River City playing tunes on improvised instruments like empty liquor jugs (“the poor man’s tuba”), kazoos and washboards. By the time the sound reached its peak in the 1930s, it had infiltrated towns up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, especially Memphis and New Orleans.

###

For Immediate Relief *
*  Jug band music relieves tension

 FROM:
National Jug Band Jubilee
www.jugbandjubilee.org

Contact:
Heather Leoncini
(502) 417-1107
juggernautpr@yahoo.com

 

New programs and more great bands are coming to 14th National Jug Band Jubilee 2022-04-16T20:09:14+00:00

Jubilee 2017, Sat Sept 16

2022-04-16T20:09:08+00:00

Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton headlines 13th National Jug Band Jubilee

LOUISVILLE, KY, (June 16, 2017) “ The National Jug Band Jubilee is excited to announce that Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton will headline its 2017 festival. The Los Angeles-born vocalist and multi-instrumentalist was recently featured in the “American Epic Sessions,” the last episode of the four-part PBS documentary American Epic which chronicled the development of American roots music. Paxton™s music draws from country, blues, and early jazz music. According to Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal, Paxton is “virtually the only music-maker of his generation “ playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin, among other implements “ to fully assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and ’30s, the blues of Bessie Smith and Lonnie Johnson.

Paxton’s grandparents moved from Louisiana to California in 1956. These southern roots had a profound impact on him. Listening to his hometown blues radio station, as well as the old Cajun and country blues songs his grandmother used to sing, Paxton became interested in these early sounds. He began playing the fiddle when he was 12, and picked up the banjo two years later. He has since added piano, harmonica, Cajun accordion, ukulele, guitar, and the bones to his musical arsenal. Paxton, who is legally blind, is one of the few African American banjo players touring today.

The 2017 National Jug Band Jubilee takes place at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater on River Road in Waterfront Park on Saturday, September 16. Festivities start at Noon. In addition to hosting some of the greatest jug bands from around the world, the 2017 Jubilee will include an expanded vending area featuring food trucks, local artists, and children’s workshops between bands. This is a FREE and family-friendly event. We are also excited that several jug bands that are in town for the Jubilee will be doing shows in local elementary schools on Friday, Sept 15th. This furthers our mission of education and preserving this unique form of Americana music that got its start here in Louisville.

The National Jug Band Jubilee was created to celebrate the legacy of jug band music in the River City. Louisville is the acknowledged home of jug band music, a pre-war jazz style that features traditional and homemade instruments. In the late 19th century, African American musicians walked the streets of the River City playing tunes on improvised instruments like empty liquor jugs (“the poor man’s tuba”), kazoos and washboards. By the time the sound reached its peak in the 1930s, it had infiltrated towns up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, especially Memphis and New Orleans.

Jubilee 2017, Sat Sept 162022-04-16T20:09:08+00:00

Grammy-winner Dom Flemons headlines 12th National Jug Band Jubilee

2017-04-02T01:08:48+00:00

National Jug Band Jubilee 2016

www.jugbandjubilee.org

Grammy-winner Dom Flemons headlines 12th National Jug Band Jubilee

LOUISVILLE, KY, (July 30, 2016) – The National Jug Band Jubilee is excited to announce that Grammy Award-winning artist Dom Flemons will headline its 2016 festival. Flemons is the “American Songster,” pulling from various traditions of old-time folk music to create new sounds. Having performed music professionally since 2005, he has played live for over one million people just within the past three years. As part of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, which he co-founded with Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson, he has played at a variety of festivals spanning from the Newport Folk Festival to Bonnaroo, in addition to renowned venues such as the Grand Ole Opry.

The 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee takes place at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater on Saturday, September 17. Festivities start at Noon. This is the festival’s 12th anniversary and the organizers have a few special treats for fans this year. In addition to hosting some of the greatest jug bands from around the world, the 2016 Jubilee will include an expanded vendor’s area featuring more local artists, there will be several children’s workshops between bands, and much more family-friendly fun.

Headlining the 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee will be a return engagement for Flemons since the Carolina Chocolate Drops performed at one of the first incarnations of the festival. The National Jug Band Jubilee was created to celebrate the legacy of jug band music in the River City. Louisville is the acknowledged home of jug band music, a pre-war jazz style that features traditional and homemade instruments. In the late 19th century, African American musicians walked the streets of the River City playing tunes on improvised instruments like empty liquor jugs (“the poor man’s tuba”), kazoos and washboards. By the time the sound reached its peak in the 1930s, it had infiltrated towns up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, especially Memphis and New Orleans.

 

Grammy-winner Dom Flemons headlines 12th National Jug Band Jubilee2017-04-02T01:08:48+00:00

G Burns Jug Band leader returns home for 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee

2017-04-02T01:08:56+00:00

National Jug Band Jubilee 2016

www.jugbandjubilee.org

 

For Immediate Relief *                                                               

*  Jug band music relieves tension

Contact:     Heather Leoncini
(502) 417-1107
juggernautpr@yahoo.com

G Burns Jug Band leader returns home for 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee

LOUISVILLE, KY, (August 26, 2016) – Clinton Davis of San Diego’s “G Burns Jug Band” is coming home! The Louisville native was first inspired to play jug band music after hearing the Juggernaut Jug Band as a child. Now the multi-instrumentalist and his jug band will be sharing a stage with that group as part of the 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee.

This year’s festival will be headlined by Grammy-Award winning folk artist Dom Flemons, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Headlining the 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee will be a return engagement for Flemons since the Carolina Chocolate Drops performed at one of the first incarnations of the festival.

The 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee takes place at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater on Saturday, September 17 from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. This is the festival’s 12th anniversary and the organizers have a few special treats for fans this year. The Little Loomhouse will have a booth in the festival’s expanded vendors’ area. There will be several children’s workshops between bands, and much more family-friendly fun.

 

Here is the current lineup:

The Bourbonville Buskers (Louisville, KY)

Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada)

Side Street Steppers (Memphis, TN)

Cincinnati Dancing Pigs (Cincinnati, OH)

Juggernaut Jug Band (Louisville, KY)

The Gallus Brothers (Bellingham, WA)

Burns Jug Band (San Diego, CA)

Dom Flemons (Raleigh, NC)

 

The National Jug Band Jubilee was created to celebrate the legacy of jug band music in the River City. Louisville is the acknowledged home of jug band music, a pre-war jazz style that features traditional and homemade instruments. In the late 19th century, African American musicians walked the streets of the River City playing tunes on improvised instruments like empty liquor jugs (“the poor man’s tuba”), kazoos and washboards. By the time the sound reached its peak in the 1930s, it had infiltrated towns up and down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, especially Memphis and New Orleans.

 

2016 NJBJ web poster

G Burns Jug Band leader returns home for 2016 National Jug Band Jubilee2017-04-02T01:08:56+00:00
Go to Top