Earl McDonald

Earl McDonald (October 2, 1885 – April 28, 1949) was an American singer and jug player, noted as a pioneer in creating and recording jug band music. His musical contributions helped Louisville become a center for jug band music and cemented his legacy as "king of jug players".

Personal life He was born in South Carolina, but his family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, shortly thereafter. This move immediately placed him into the middle of an evolving music scene. These streets of Louisville helped his passion for music take off, as he did not grow up in a musical family or have private tutors. He made his instruments out of everyday items as his family did not have access to high quality acoustic instruments. He was the son of Mattie McDonald and the grandson of Agnes Reid, who both worked as servants for a white man named McDonald. During World War II, McDonald worked under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) on road construction, while still playing music. This group was known as the Louisville Jug Band. Their first performances featured ordinary audiences on the streets of Louisville, but they would later accept invitations to play at local gatherings of well-off politicians and other influential elites.

The Louisville Jug Band was composed of a number of musicians who recorded for different labels under various names including the Dixieland Jug Blowers, the Old Southern Jug Band, Earl McDonald's Original Louisville Jug Band and the Louisville Stompers. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he performed regularly with his band, the Ballard Chefs, on radio station WHAS, helping to popularize jug band music, and made over 40 recordings.