Biography
Whistler & His Jug Band maintained a lengthy career as a popular ensemble, waxing material for multiple companies between the mid-1920s and early 1930s while shaping the direction of later jug groups. Guitarist, vocalist, and whistler Buford Threlkeld assembled the unit in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1915. Although occasional personnel adjustments occurred, fiddler Jess Ferguson and banjo player Willie Black stayed with Whistler & His Jug Band for more than a decade. The jazz-influenced outfit reached the studio for the first time in September 1924, traveling to Richmond, Indiana, to record several sides for Gennett. Those included “Chicago Flip,” “Jail House Blues,” and “I’m a Jazz Baby,” along with the unissued “The Vampire Woman.” A second trip brought the musicians to St. Louis in April 1927, where ten songs were cut for Okeh, among them “Low Down Blues,” “The Vamps of 28,” and “Pig Meat Blues.” Thirteen-year-old Rudolph Thompson played jug on that date and remained in the group for the June 1931 session. This time the band recorded at home in Louisville, delivering tracks for Victor such as “Hold That Tiger” and “Foldin’ Bed.”