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Jug Band Music: The DIY Revolution That Started It All
Picture this: it’s 1900, you’re broke, but you want to make music. What do you do? You grab whatever’s lying around – a ceramic jug, washboard, kazoo, maybe an old guitar – and you start jamming. Jug bands made street performances, played at parties, and began entertaining on riverboats on the Ohio River around 1900. Early jug bands were typically made up of African-American vaudeville and medicine show musicians. Beginning in the urban South (namely, Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, Tennessee), they played a mixture of blues, ragtime, and jazz. This ‘do it yourself’ approach to their instrument-making gained immense popularity in America during the 1920s and early 1930s, and became closely linked to the development of the blues. The beauty of jug bands wasn’t just their scrappy resourcefulness – it was how they proved you didn’t need fancy equipment to create something magical. Gus Cannon’s “Walk Right In” was a number 1 hit for the Rooftop Singers in 1963, the only time a jug band song topped the charts. Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead was in Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions in 1964. You might say all American roots music came from jug band music. If you did say that, you’d be kinda right. Certainly, bluegrass, country, blues, Americana, and other forms of roots music have been influenced by jug band music even if their origins lie elsewhere.
Hokum Blues: When the Blues Got Naughty
Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music—a song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make humorous, sexual innuendos. This trope goes back to early dirty blues recordings, enjoyed huge commercial success in the 1920s and 1930s, and is used from time to time in modern American blues and blues rock. Think of hokum blues as the blues’ mischievous cousin who couldn’t keep a straight face. Played in a bawdy and humorous style that became known as hokum, it ended up selling one million copies. Tampa Red and Georgia Tom were the kings of this style, turning street slang and double entendres into chart-toppers. They played a style of music called Hokum, which blended blues, jazz, and ragtime with bawdy lyrics and double entendres. The group consisted of various musicians over the years, including Georgia Tom Dorsey, Tampa Red, and Big Bill Broonzy. What’s wild is that Georgia Tom later became Thomas Dorsey, known as the father of gospel music – talk about a career pivot! Hokum after its heyday influenced rhythm and blues in 1940s and Chicago blues in 1950s and 1960s.
Piedmont Blues: The Sophisticated Country Cousin
While Delta blues was getting all the attention with its raw, emotional power, Piedmont blues was quietly developing its own sophisticated style on the East Coast. This wasn’t your typical blues – it was blues with a college education. The fingerpicking technique was borrowed from ragtime, creating intricate patterns that made a single guitar sound like a whole band. Players like Blind Blake and Rev. Gary Davis turned this style into an art form, with their fingers dancing across the strings in ways that seemed impossible. The influence was huge – when the folk revival hit in the 1960s, artists like Bob Dylan studied these masters religiously. Unlike the slide guitar dominance of the Delta, Piedmont blues relied on clean, precise fingerpicking that created a bouncing, almost piano-like rhythm. You can hear echoes of this style in everything from folk to country to modern acoustic guitar playing.
Sanctified Gospel: Where Church Met the Dance Floor
Sanctified gospel took traditional church music and cranked up the energy to eleven. We’re talking shouting, handclapping, tambourine shaking, and rhythms that made it impossible to sit still. This wasn’t your quiet Sunday morning service – this was religion with a backbeat. The sanctified churches didn’t just allow this kind of expression; they encouraged it as a way to connect with the divine. The influence on popular music was immediate and lasting. When Little Richard started screaming “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop” and Ray Charles brought gospel piano to secular music, they were drawing directly from the sanctified tradition. The call-and-response patterns, the emotional intensity, the rhythmic complexity – all of it came from these ecstatic church services. Soul music wouldn’t exist without sanctified gospel, and neither would rock and roll’s more explosive moments.
String Band Music: The Foundation of Folk
Before there were country bands or bluegrass groups, there were string bands – small ensembles of fiddles, banjos, and acoustic guitars playing for dances, parties, and community gatherings. These weren’t professional musicians in most cases; they were farmers, laborers, and craftsmen who played music for the love of it. The repertoire was vast – everything from ancient ballads brought over from Ireland and Scotland to newly composed dance tunes. What made string bands special was their democratic nature. There was no single star; everyone contributed to the overall sound. The fiddle might carry the melody, the banjo would provide rhythm and fills, and the guitar would hold it all together with steady chords. This collaborative approach became the template for countless American music genres. When Bill Monroe formed his bluegrass band, he was essentially creating a supercharged string band. When country music started incorporating drums and electric instruments, it was still following the basic string band format.
Exotica: America’s Musical Vacation
In the 1950s and 60s, America fell in love with an imaginary Pacific paradise, and exotica music was the soundtrack. Artists like Martin Denny and Les Baxter created lush, tropical soundscapes using bird calls, jungle sounds, and faux-Polynesian instruments. It was pure escapism – tiki bars, lounge culture, and suburban fantasies about exotic islands. The music was sophisticated in its production but silly in its concept, mixing legitimate world music elements with Hollywood stereotypes. What’s fascinating is how exotica actually pioneered world music fusion decades before it became trendy. The use of unusual percussion, ethnic instruments, and ambient sounds created a template that later influenced everything from new age music to electronic dance music. Surf rock borrowed heavily from exotica’s dreamy, reverb-heavy guitar sounds. Even today, when you hear that reverb-drenched guitar in indie rock or the ambient textures in electronic music, you’re hearing echoes of those tiki bar fantasies.
Cowboy Blues: When the Range Met the Railroad
Long before country music claimed the cowboy image, there was cowboy blues – a raw, honest style sung by actual cowboys, ranch hands, and railroad workers. This wasn’t the romanticized version of cowboy life; this was the real deal, complete with all the loneliness, hardship, and occasional violence of frontier life. Artists like Lead Belly and Henry Thomas captured the authentic voice of the American West, singing about everything from cattle drives to prison work gangs. The guitar work was often sparse but effective, providing just enough accompaniment to support the storytelling. These songs were history lessons set to music, preserving stories and experiences that might otherwise have been lost. When country music emerged as a commercial genre, it borrowed heavily from cowboy blues but cleaned up the rougher edges. The storytelling tradition, the themes of travel and hardship, the sparse instrumental arrangements – all of it came from those early cowboy blues singers.
Race Records: The Birth of Black Commercial Music
In the 1920s, the record industry discovered there was money to be made in Black music, so they created a separate category called “race records.” It sounds terrible today, but at the time it was revolutionary – it was the first systematic effort to record and market music by African American artists for African American audiences. Everything from blues to jazz to gospel fell under this umbrella, and suddenly artists who had been playing for tips on street corners were making actual records. The catalog was incredible: Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson – legends who might never have been recorded otherwise. What started as a marketing category became the foundation of the modern music industry. The distribution networks, the recording techniques, the artist development – all of it came from the race records era. When R&B emerged in the 1940s, it was essentially race records with a new name and better marketing.
Skiffle: The British Invasion’s Secret Weapon
Skiffle was basically British teenagers trying to recreate American jug band music with whatever instruments they could find. It sounds like it shouldn’t have worked, but it sparked a musical revolution. Lonnie Donegan was the king of British skiffle, and his success inspired thousands of young Brits to pick up guitars and start bands. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin – they all started as skiffle groups. The beauty of skiffle was its accessibility. You didn’t need expensive equipment or years of training. A guitar, a washboard, maybe a tea chest bass made from an actual tea chest, and you were in business. The repertoire was a mix of American folk songs, blues standards, and original compositions, all performed with an energy that was infectious. When the British Invasion hit America in the 1960s, it was really the sound of skiffle that had evolved and electrified. Those British bands weren’t just imitating American music; they were reimagining it through the lens of their own DIY skiffle experience.
Novelty Ragtime: When Piano Got Playful
Scott Joplin and his peers are remembered for their serious contributions to American music, but there was also a whole world of novelty ragtime that was pure fun. These were piano pieces with titles like “The Spaghetti Rag” and “Dill Pickles Rag” – music designed to make people smile and show off the pianist’s technical skills at the same time. The compositions were often incredibly complex, featuring rapid-fire passages, unexpected key changes, and rhythmic tricks that kept listeners on their toes. But they were also deeply silly, incorporating sound effects, musical jokes, and references to popular culture. This tradition of musical humor became a staple of American popular music. When rock and roll started producing novelty hits in the 1950s and 60s, it was following a template established by those ragtime composers. The technical virtuosity combined with pure entertainment value – that’s a uniquely American approach to music that started with novelty ragtime.
Hillbilly Boogie: Country Music Gets the Blues
In the 1940s, country musicians discovered boogie-woogie piano, and the result was hillbilly boogie – country music with a serious case of the blues. This was faster, more energetic, and more urban than traditional country music, but it still maintained those rural storytelling traditions. The piano became a driving force, providing rolling bass lines and rhythmic energy that made it impossible to sit still. Artists started incorporating elements from jump blues, swing, and even early R&B, creating a sound that was both familiar and revolutionary. This cross-pollination was crucial to the development of rockabilly and early rock and roll. When Elvis Presley started recording at Sun Studios, he was essentially combining hillbilly boogie with R&B and pop sensibilities. The energy, the rhythm, the attitude – it all came from those hillbilly boogie pioneers who weren’t afraid to mix their country music with whatever else sounded good.
Sacred Harp Singing: America’s Oldest Choral Tradition
Sacred harp singing represents one of America’s oldest continuous musical traditions – a cappella hymn singing using a unique notation system called shape notes. Picture this: a room full of people arranged in a square by voice part, singing at the top of their lungs with no instrumental accompaniment. The sound is powerful, primitive, and deeply moving. The songs themselves date back centuries, but the tradition of sacred harp singing has been passed down through generations without interruption. The harmonies are stark and sometimes jarring to modern ears, but they create an emotional intensity that’s hard to match. This tradition influenced the folk revival movement, with artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez studying the old songbooks and learning the traditional harmonies. You can hear echoes of sacred harp singing in everything from gospel quartets to indie folk harmonies. The communal aspect – the idea that everyone participates regardless of skill level – became a model for later folk music communities.
Prison Work Songs: Music of Survival
Prison work songs and field hollers were born out of necessity – they helped synchronize group labor and provided a psychological escape from brutal conditions. These weren’t performances; they were tools for survival. The call-and-response format allowed one strong voice to lead while others joined in, creating a rhythm that matched the work being done. The lyrics often contained coded messages, complaints about conditions, or simply expressions of hope for better times. What’s remarkable is how these songs developed their own sophisticated musical language. The blue notes, the vocal techniques, the rhythmic complexity – all of it came from people who had no formal musical training but needed music to get through each day. When the blues emerged as a commercial genre, it was built on the foundation of these work songs. The emotional intensity, the storytelling traditions, the vocal techniques – everything that makes the blues powerful can be traced back to those prison gangs and work crews. Soul music, too, owes a debt to this tradition, particularly in its use of call-and-response patterns and emotional delivery.
Parlor Music: The Soundtrack of Middle-Class America
Before radio, before records, before any form of mass entertainment, there was parlor music – the songs that middle-class American families played and sang in their homes. Every respectable household had a piano, and every member of the family was expected to be able to entertain guests with a song or two. The repertoire was vast: sentimental ballads, comic songs, patriotic numbers, and simplified versions of popular opera arias. The sheet music industry was huge, with new songs published constantly and distributed through music stores across the country. These songs reflected the values and concerns of their time – family, patriotism, romance, and moral instruction. What’s interesting is how parlor music established many of the conventions of American popular song: verse-chorus structure, simple but effective harmonies, lyrics that told complete stories. When Tin Pan Alley started cranking out pop songs in the early 20th century, it was really just industrializing the parlor music tradition. The ballad tradition in popular music – from crooners to power ballads to modern pop – all traces back to those Victorian parlor songs.
Medicine Show Music: Entertainment on Wheels
Medicine shows were traveling entertainment companies that mixed music, comedy, and sales pitches for patent medicines. They were part carnival, part pharmacy, and part concert hall, rolling into small towns across America with a wagon full of performers and dubious medical remedies. The music was eclectic by necessity – these performers had to be able to play anything that would draw a crowd. They mixed elements of minstrelsy, vaudeville, blues, and folk music, creating shows that were both entertaining and commercially successful. What made medicine show music special was its adaptability. Performers had to read the crowd and adjust their material accordingly, developing an improvisational skill that influenced later musical forms. Many famous musicians got their start on the medicine show circuit, learning how to connect with audiences and develop stage presence. The variety format, the mixing of musical styles, the emphasis on entertainment over artistic purity – these became hallmarks of American popular music. When radio and television started featuring variety shows, they were essentially recreating the medicine show format for mass audiences.
Barrelhouse Piano: Saloon Music Gets Serious
Barrelhouse piano was the rowdy, percussive style that kept the drinks flowing and the customers dancing in saloons and honky-tonks across America. This wasn’t refined parlor music – this was music that had to compete with loud crowds, clinking glasses, and general mayhem. The pianists developed a powerful, rhythmic style that emphasized the bass notes and created a driving rhythm that could cut through any noise. The repertoire was a mix of popular songs, blues, and original compositions, all played with an energy and intensity that was infectious. What’s fascinating is how barrelhouse piano influenced virtually every form of American popular music that followed. When boogie-woogie emerged in the 1930s, it was essentially barrelhouse piano with more sophisticated arrangements. Rock and roll piano, from Jerry Lee Lewis to Little Richard, was built on barrelhouse foundations. Even modern pop music, when it features piano, often uses techniques that can be traced back to those saloon pianists who had to make their instruments heard over everything else in the room.
Hawaiian Steel Guitar Craze: America’s First World Music Fad
In the 1910s and 1920s, America went crazy for Hawaiian music, and the steel guitar was at the center of it all. Hawaiian musicians had developed a technique of playing guitar with a metal slide, creating a smooth, flowing sound that was unlike anything in American music. When Hawaiian groups started touring the mainland, audiences were mesmerized. Sheet music stores couldn’t keep up with demand for Hawaiian songs, and guitar manufacturers started producing instruments specifically designed for the Hawaiian style. The influence was immediate and lasting. Country musicians adopted the steel guitar and made it a central part of their sound. The pedal steel guitar, which became essential to country music, was a direct evolution of the Hawaiian steel guitar. Surf rock in the 1960s borrowed heavily from Hawaiian guitar techniques, using reverb and tremolo to recreate that smooth, flowing sound. Even today, when you hear slide guitar in blues or rock music, you’re hearing techniques that were popularized by those Hawaiian musicians who captivated American audiences a century ago.
Jump Blues: The Direct Line to Rock and Roll
Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. With his dynamic bands that he called The Tympany Five no matter how many musicians were in it, Jordan mapped out the main parameters of the classic R&B, urban blues and early rock-and-roll genres with a series of highly influential 78-rpm discs released by Decca Records. Louis Jordan was the king of this style, and his influence was massive. He is described by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as “The Father of Rhythm & Blues” and “The Grandfather of Rock ‘n’ Roll”. The Hall also states that “Saturday Night Fish Fry” is “an early example of rap and possibly the first rock and roll recording”. B.B. King and Muddy Waters both cite Jordan as an early inspiration and more directly relevant to rock’n’roll, so do Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. The latter once went so far as to say: “I identify myself with Louis Jordan more than any other artist. By the mid-1950s, some jump blues songs had become core standards, with songs like “Train Kept a Rollin” played by rock groups including the Yardbirds, Aerosmith and Motorhead.
Spasm Band: New Orleans’ Musical Chaos
In the 1890s, New Orleans street kids started forming “spasm bands” – groups that used homemade instruments and played whatever came to mind. These weren’t organized musical groups; they were spontaneous eruptions of creativity that happened on street corners, in parks, and wherever people gathered. The instruments were ingenious: cigar box guitars, washboard drums, kazoos made from combs and paper, and various no
Besides founding Festivaltopia, Luca is the co founder of trib, an art and fashion collectiv you find on several regional events and online. Also he is part of the management board at HORiZONTE, a group travel provider in Germany.
