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The Christmas Jug Band played a truly unique blend of alternative country, traditional American music, and holiday songs that made its splash in the late '80s/early '90s. The group's roots were much older than that, as the band merged two jug band concepts that had developed in California. In the mid-'70s, the Ohio-based Monday Night Wild Turkey Jug Band trio performed massive jug band jams with local musicians throughout a ten-week stay in California. Cover songs were forbidden, and many homemade instruments were used in order to stay away from a slick-sounding approach. Meanwhile, participant Dan Hicks had a recording session to take part in and asked several of the other regular jammers to cover for him at a regular gig in late December. The group members billed themselves as the Three Wise Men + 4 - 1 Jug Band, and laid down a holiday-only set that won them a spot on Christmas Eve. The band quickly crafted some originals to go with the covers of seasonal tunes, and the reception wa...