Little Brown Jug: A Song History

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"Little Brown Jug" first appeared as sheet music in Philadelphia in 1869, issued by J. E. Winner and credited simply to "Eastburn."[1][2] "Eastburn" was the middle name of Joseph Eastburn Winner (1837–1918), the Philadelphia publisher behind the song, whose older brother, Septimus Winner, also composed and published music; Joseph copyrighted the song that year.[2][3] The Traditional Tune Archive describes it as written for the minstrel stage.[3] Its comic verses tell of a married couple fond of drink, with the husband treating his jug as his closest companion.[1] The piece soon reached other formats, among them an 1876 piano arrangement by Edward Mack, published by W. H. Boner & Co.[2]

Glazed brown earthenware pitcher shaped like a seated man in a tricorn hat

Daniel Greatbatch, Toby jug, mottled brown earthenware, American, 1849–58. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0).

The bouncy melody passed easily into oral tradition. It was reportedly a common number at country dances in Orange County, New York, in the 1930s, and fiddlers from the Ozarks to Arizona and North Carolina kept it in their repertoires; Missouri fiddler Art Galbraith picked it up early in his playing.[3] Early records include a 1929 Columbia side by James Morrison and His Orchestra and a 1930 Brunswick recording by fiddler Clark Kessinger, and it appears on a 1984 County album by Tommy Jarrell.[3] Folklorists found it as a song too: John Quincy Wolf Jr. recorded a version from Mrs. Russell Vaughan of Memphis, and the collection's notes point to further printed versions in the Randolph, Brown and Belden collections.[4]

In the swing era the tune gained a second life. Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Little Brown Jug" on April 10, 1939, in the same session as "Sunrise Serenade," and it became one of the band's first hits.[5]

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Sources

  1. Duke University Libraries, Historic American Sheet Music: "The Little Brown Jug".
  2. IMSLP Petrucci Music Library: "The Little Brown Jug (Winner, Joseph Eastburn)".
  3. The Traditional Tune Archive: "Annotation:Little Brown Jug".
  4. Lyon College, John Quincy Wolf Folklore Collection: "Little Brown Jug".
  5. The Syncopated Times: "Glenn Miller: Profiles in Jazz".