The Memphis Jug Band are generally primarily associated with the blues, but in truth they were a more broad-based musical agglomeration, whose music was designed to be danceable, humorous and out-and out entertaining. Their line-up varied across the years, but the essential jug band sound and instrumentation of guitar, jug, kazoo, harmonica, and occasional banjo, mandolin, washboard and woodblocks, remained at the core of their sound, which has provided a template for skiffle groups and modern jug bands ever since, with many of their songs also still being performed by such bands.

This great-value 3-CD set comprises most of their recordings for Victor and Okeh during this era, including recordings as The Memphis Sheikhs and The Carolina Peanut Boys. It features some of those jug band classics which have passed into later bands’ repertoires, including “He’s In The Jailhouse Now”, “Move That Thing”, “On The Road Again”, and “Bottle It Up And Go”. It’s a comprehensive overview of their career, and a highly entertaining showcase for their rough-edged but finely-honed skill as entertainers.

REVIEW

This is a three disc collection with 72 tracks, offering a comprehensive overview of the leading exponent of the so called 'jug' bands… A fascinating document of a seldom explored genre. - Gerry Stonestreet (In Tune Issue 348)