The Jim Kweskin Jug Band was among the most-influential acts of the ’60s folk revival. Its free-spirited mix of retro jug band, jazz, blues, folk and ragtime inspired the Lovin’ Spoonful and Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. After years away from music, Kweskin launched a solo career focused on his trademark style, centered around his energetic vocals and solid fingerpicking. Never Too Late reunites him with duet partners old and new.

Kweskin’s impressive picking opens “You’re Just in Love,” sung with granddaughter Fiona Kweskin, as it does the pop chestnut “Side by Side,” with Samoa Wilson and backed by Cindy Cashdollar’s Dobro. Maria Muldaur, the best-known Jug Band alumnus, joins for “The Sheik of Araby” and the Louis & Lillian Armstrong duet “Let’s Get Happy Together.”

Kweskin’s guitar and Cashdollar’s lap steel stand out on the title track, sung with Juli Crockett. His duet with Wilson on the Carter Family’s “Engine 143,” opens with Maybelle-style picking enhanced by Cashdollar’s resonator. His easygoing licks on Leadbelly’s “Relax Your Mind,” sung with Rose Guerin, bring the laid-back mood implied by the title.

These 18 tracks not only validate 83-year-old Kweskin’s original vision, but each is superbly sung and picked.

This article originally appeared in VG’s March 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.