jug band

noun

a small group of performers who play chiefly blues or folk music on makeshift or very simple instruments, as washboards, harmonicas, kazoos, and empty jugs, the latter being played by blowing across the openings.

Compare spasm band.

Origin of jug band

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for jug band

jug band

noun

a small group playing folk or jazz music, using empty jugs that are played by blowing across their openings to produce bass notes

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jug band

musical ensemble in which the bass line is carried or augmented by a player blowing on the open lip of a jug (n.), 1886, American English.