HISTORY
CIGAR BOX HISTORY
The Beginning
The Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) has its origins in the 1800s. The US Government started to impose a tobacco tax in 1862, this move forced tobacco and cigar manufacturers to package their products in small boxes with official Government tax seal affixed to each box proving that the company had paid the tax.
These boxes were plentiful and easy to acquire and with most real musical instruments being rather expensive for the average person, with some everyday items such as baling wire, scrap wood or a broom handle along with a cigar box, you could build an instrument that one could actually play.
“Home Sweet Home” by Edwin Forbes, 1876
One of the earliest known illustrations of a cigar box instrument was drawn by Edwin Forbes, the official etching artist for the US Union Army. The 1876 artwork features two American Civil War soldiers at a campfire, one of whom is playing a cigar box fiddle.
JUG BANDS & THE BLUES
These primitive instruments help to give rise to Jug bands and The Blues. Most of the Jug Band and Blues performers were mostly poor black musicians that could not afford real instruments a Cigar Box Guitar was affordable and readily available. The Cigar Box Guitars popularity also helped these musicians to form Jug Bands that would perform at social events.
These Jug Bands would not only use the Cigar Box Guitar but many other home made instruments made from readily available everyday items such as jugs, wash boards, broom handles, wash tubs, scrap wood.
RISE IN POPULARITY
The popularity of Cigar Box Guitars began to rise and grow newspapers started printing plans for these instruments. In 1884 plans for a Cigar Box Banjo by Daniel Carter Beard, who was the co-founder of the BSA, “Boys Scouts of America” had been printed. Similar plans by, John Richards were also printed in 1886 for Harpers Young People.
By 1890 the Cigar Box Banjo were so popular they were being reprinted in the “American Boys Handibook”
Cigar Box Guitars and similar instruments remained so popular that their plans were being reprinted by newspapers and magazines, as we moved into the 20th century.
These included plans for a variety of instruments such as Ukuleles, Fiddles, Mandolins, Banjos and other instruments. During WW 1 soldiers in the trenches would hand craft these simple instruments to help pass the time.
In the 20s as Blues music was starting to become popular among poor black musicians so they started to use these instruments to learn how to play.
One of the most famous is the Gospel legend Blind Willie Johnson, who honed his playing skills on a one stringed Cigar box guitar his father had made. Willie, would pluck out melodies on the one string, while using his pocketknife as a slide.
The earliest recording of what is thought be a Cigar Box Guitar is the 78 rpm record by El Morrow and James “Beans and Ham bone” Albert is the 1931 “Beans” and “Tippin Out”. It was recorded by Victor Records in Charlotte, North Carolina.
MUSICAL GREATS
Carl Perkins is quoted as saying ” Before I went to school, I started foolin’ around on a guitar. My daddy made me one with a Cigar Box, a broomstick and two strands of baling wire, and I’d sit and beat on that thing” Carl Perkins honed his skills on a Cigar Box Guitar, along with Carl others such as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Albert King, Blind Willie Johnson, Little Freddie King to name a few.
The Cigar Box Guitar like many other things, with its popularity slowing down in the 40s didn’t generate much interest.
CIGAR BOX GUITAR REVIVAL
Cigar Box Guitars and other similar instruments are making a modern day revival. Musicians are looking to take their music more authentic direction, by ways of an old time hand crafted instrument such as the Cigar Box Guitar.
Modern day musicians are rediscovering the fantastic sound that can be made with a one, two, three and four string Cigar Box Guitar and other similar instruments. No you can amplify them with a variety of electric pickups, you can also customize to your taste. Some musicians are experimenting with other mediums such as square garden shovels, boat paddles, etc.
Some modern day musicians bringing back these simple instruments are Paul McCartney, A.J. Gaither, April Mae & The June Bugs, Belinda Gent bemuzic, Justin Johnson, Samantha Fish and Shane Speal to name a few.
I hope you find this article of interest and my hope is it may inspire you to give it a go !! and build a Cigar Box Guitar, to play around with or just as a decorator piece.
Take care
Butch
ARCB Guitars
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