Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Folk musician Fritz Richmond was the premier jug and washtub bass player of the psychedelic era. An odd distinction, to be certain, but his work with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band was instrumental in preserving and popularizing the roots music of the pre-World War II era. Born John B. Richmond, Jr. in Newton, MA, on July 10, 1939, he was in middle school when he assembled his first washtub bass, purchasing a washtub at Sears Roebuck and then stringing it with the cord from a set of Venetian blinds. With friends John "Buz" Marten and John Nagy, Richmond then formed the traditional folk trio the Hoppers, regularly playing the Boston coffeehouse circuit before he was called to serve in the Korean War. His military duties included helicopter repair, leading to the discovery that discarded steel flight control cable worked even better with the washtub bass. After his tour of duty ended in 1962, Richmond landed in Cambridge, MA, joining local folkies the Charles River Valley Boys before teaming with singer Geoff Muldaur at the popular Club 47.

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub

Wash Tub