Maria Muldaur was a Greenwich Village folk singer who first made her mark in bands such as the Even Dozen Jug Band and the fabled Jim Kweskin Jug Band. After the Kweskin group broke up, she became a solo artist, at first with her then-husband, singer Geoff Muldaur, and then as a major '70s pop star. Here's a quick look at her work...
Even Dozen Jug Band "The Even Dozen Jug Band" (Elektra Records, 1964)
A folk-revival proto-supergroup which featured David Grisman on mandolin, along with other luminaries such as acoustic blues picker Stefan Grossman, singers Maria Muldaur and John Sebastian (later of the Lovin' Spoonful), guitarist Steve Katz and even arranger/pianist Joshua Rifkin. The album was full of salty old-time blues tunes, and presaged the work of Muldaur's next port of call, the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. Interesting early stuff from the heyday of the folk revival.
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band "Jug Band Music" (Vanguard Records, 1965)
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band "See Reverse Side For Title" (Vanguard Records, 1967)
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band "Garden Of Joy" (Vanguard Records, 1967)
Geoff Muldaur "Sleepy Man Blues" (Prestige Records, 1963)
Maria Muldaur & Geoff Muldaur "Pottery Pie" (Warner/Reprise Records, 1970)
Maria Muldaur & Geoff Muldaur "Sweet Potatoes" (Warner/Reprise Records, 1972)
Maria Muldaur "Maria Muldaur" (Reprise Records, 1973)
Maria Muldaur "Waitress In A Donut Shop" (Reprise Records, 1974)
Maria Muldaur "Sweet Harmony" (Reprise Records, 1975)
Maria Muldaur "Southern Winds" (Warner Brothers, 1978)
Maria Muldaur "Open Your Eyes" (Warner Brothers, 1979)
Maria Muldaur "Gospel Nights" (Takoma Records, 1980) (LP)
Maria Muldaur "There Is A Love" (Myrrh Records, 1982) (LP)
Maria Muldaur "Sweet And Slow" (Tudor Records, 1983)
Maria Muldaur "Transblucency" (Uptown Records, 1986) (LP)
Maria Muldaur "Live In London" (Making Waves Records, 1987)
Maria Muldaur "On The Sunny Side" (Music For Little People, 1990)
Maria Muldaur "Louisiana Love Call" (Black Top Records, 1992)
Maria Muldaur "Jazzabelle" (Stony Plain Records, 1994)
Maria Muldaur "Meet Me At Midnite" (Black Top Records, 1994)
Maria Muldaur "Fanning The Flames" (Telarc Records, 1996)
Maria Muldaur "Southland Of The Heart" (Telarc Records, 1998)
Maria Muldaur "Swingin' In The Rain" (Music For Little People, 1998)
Maria Muldaur "Meet Me Where They Play The Blues" (Telarc Records, 1999)
Maria Muldaur "Richland Woman Blues" (Stony Plain Records, 2001)
Maria Muldaur & Carrie Lyn "Animal Crackers In My Soup" (Music For Little People, 2002)
Maria Muldaur "A Woman Alone With The Blues: Remembering Peggy Lee" (Telarc Records, 2003)
Maria Muldaur/Eric Bibb/Rory Block "Sisters And Brothers" (Telarc Records, 2004)
Maria Muldaur "Love Wants To Dance" (Telarc Records, 2004)
Maria Muldaur "Sweet Lovin' Ol' Soul: Old Highway 61 Revisited" (Stony Plain Records, 2005)
Maria Muldaur "Heart Of Mine: Maria Muldaur Sings Love Songs Of Bob Dylan" (Telarc Records, 2006)
Maria Muldaur "Songs For The Young At Heart" (MFLP, 2006)
Maria Muldaur "Naughty, Bawdy, And Blue" (Stony Plain Records, 2007)
Maria Muldaur "Yes We Can!" (Telarc Records, 2008)
Maria Muldaur "Maria Muldaur And Her Garden Of Joy" (Stony Plain Records, 2009)
Maria Muldaur "Steady Love" (Stony Plain Records Records, 2011)
Maria Muldaur/Various Artists "Jug Band Extravaganza" (Folk Era Records, 2010)
A deliriously fun all-star summit meeting in celebration of jug band music, its early 20th Century origins and giddy revival during the early years of the 1960's folk scene. Onstage are luminaries such as Jim Kweskin, Geoff and Maria Muldaur, John Sebastian and mandolinist David Grisman, all of whom were in early jug bands, and all of whom play with great energy, enthusiasm, and affection for the bluesy music of their youth. Sebastian -- formerly of the Lovin' Spoonful, who cannily transformed jug band music into psychedelicized Top Forty pop -- acts as the frontman and MC for the show, although everyone takes turns in the spotlight. This concert (which I wish I'd gone to!) was the brainchild of filmmaker Todd Kwait, who got the jug band bug and looked up the biggest stars of the genre, in order to make a (fun, fascinating) documentary about the music and its history, called "Chasin' Gus' Ghost." One focus of his explorations was 1920s bandleader Gus Cannon, who recorded an early version of the song "Walk Right In," which decades later became a huge pop hit for the Rooftop Singers, back in 1963. Cannon is a legendary figure among jug band connoisseurs, and the saltiness and good humor of his music echoes in these knowing, playful performances of standards such as "Stealin'," "Wild Ox Moan" and "Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You." If you're halfway tempted, go ahead and dive in -- both the movie and the album are a delight.
