Features
Fritz Richmond Succumbs To Cancer
Jug and washtub bass player Fritz Richmond, 66, died of lung cancer in Portland, Ore., November 20th. He was considered one of the finest player of those instruments in the world, and one of his washtub basses is on display in the Smithsonian.
He came to prominence in 1963 with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band after developing the washtub bass into a usable instrument by stringing it with steel cable and inventing a steel-and-rawhide glove so he could play it.
In the early ’70s, Richmond moved to Los Angeles and engineered albums for The Doors,
One of his many contributions to music includes naming the band
Another was his signature granny glasses, later popularized by