Jim Kweskin

The signature revivalist of '20s jug band blues, Jim Kweskin cut an odd path across the early '60s Boston folk scene. With Geoff Muldaur, Kweskin pieced together a modern jug band that included, among others, washtub bassist and jug player Fritz Richmond, banjo ace Bill Keith, harmonica player and acid-cult leader Mel Lyman, and most notably, blues vocalist Maria D'Amato (later Muldaur). With a highly energized approach, freewheeling musicianship, and humor not unlike the Holy Modal Rounders, the Kweskin Jug Band electrified audiences throughout coffeehouses, released several albums, and greatly influenced rockers like the Grateful Dead and the Lovin' Spoonful. After their late '60s break-up and a deepening relationship with Lyman's cult, Kweskin went solo in the '70s. A reformed version of the Jug Band began performing again in the '00s.