In honor of Black History Month (BHM) being
celebrated every February, I have decided to place some caches
honoring little-known but very influential Black Louisvillians from
years gone by.
Earl McDonald (1884-1949) started his first jug
band as a teenager in 1902, and as a young man, he performed on the
street, at house parties and at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky
Derby. By 1914, he was travelling with his band to performances in
New York and Chicago.
In 1924, McDonald became the first commercially
recorded jug player when his band backed Louisville singer Sara
Martin (also buried in Louisville Cemetery) for a recording session
in New York. Over the next few years, he recorded approximately 30
songs under various band names and with various instrumentations.
He also organized bands to play for sponsors like Old Grand-Dad
Whiskey and Ballard Flour; as the Ballard Chefs, one of
Earl’s bands performed on WHAS radio for three years,
spreading jug band music throughout the South and inspiring jug
bands in Memphis and other cities.
Today, McDonald’s music is considered among
the most sophisticated of all the jug bands for its complex
arrangements, jazz progressions and virtuosic soloing, and few jug
players have matched the bright, clear tone he first recorded 85
years ago.
At the time of his death, his grave was unmarked
and remained so until the National Jug Band Jubilee raised funds
for a very nice marker in 2009.
A sample of his recordings can be heard in the
"related web page" link at the top of the page. Click on it, turn
up your speakers, and enjoy the great music.
Now for the cache: The listed coordinates will
bring you to the site of Mr McDonald's gravesite. To the left of
his grave is a fellow named Jesse. He was born 12 May 1ABC and died
14 Oct 1DEF.
The cache can be located at N38 13.UVW, W085
43.XYZ where:
U = A - 4
V = B - 4
W = C - 1
X = D - 2
Y = E - 1
Z = F - 7
The cache is a Rx bottle hidden in typical
fashion. Please be advised that there is NO night caching allowed.
Any indications of violating this requirement will result in your
log being deleted.
This cache was approved by the sexton of the
cemetery, Mr Scott Bruner. I am indebted to him for his assistance
with this BHM series.