Forged on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers during the nineteenth century, jug band music was the early soundtrack for a new nation. Louisville was at the heart of it all. German and Irish immigrants, former slaves en route to Chicago and homesteaders moving into the city created a fertile ground for this new sound. Artists like Earl McDonald and his Original Louisville Jug Band made the city legendary. Some stayed in this so-called money town, passing on licks and melodies that still influence bands like the Juggernaut Jug Band. Tune in to Louisville’s jug band music history with local writer Michael Jones and discover a tradition that has left a long­ lasting impression on America’s musical culture.

Michael L. Jones is an award-winning journalist who resides in Louisville, Kentucky. He is also sits on the board of directors of the National Jug Band Jubilee, a nationally-renowned festival that celebrates a form of pre-World War II folk music that was created in Louisville. Jones has been a staff writer for The Courier-Journal, the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO), the Jeffersonville Evening News, and the Louisville Defender. He is currently the Calendar Editor for the Highlander Newspaper.