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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!
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