Maria Muldaur grew up with old timey music. In her early years, she jammed with and learned from Doc Watson, Rev. Gary Davis, Son House, and Mississippi John Hurt, as well as contemporaries John Sebastian and David Grisman, to name a few. She was a member of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, a legendary band even today, where she married fellow bandmate Geoff Muldaur and went on to live in Woodstock NY, hobnobbing with musicians such as Bob Dylan, The Band, Paul Butterfield and Janis Joplin.

Eventually, Muldar had a big hit, “Midnight at the Oasis,” and followed it up with the anthem “I’m A Woman.” She continued to have a healthy solo career, working with Linda Ronstadt, Dr. John, Ry Cooder, Lowell George, and many others. Her style went from old-timey music to blues, to funk, to cajun, to rhythm and blues, and now it has come full circle with a return to her roots with her new album, “Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy: Good Time Music for Hard Times.”

Enlisting the help of old friends John Sebastian, David Grisman, Taj Mahal, Dan Hicks, and Fritz Richmond, she also taps into new talent, listing “sensational new discovery” Kit Stovepipe, who tears up the National Guitar as well as the jug and the washboard.

The album is a joyous collection of traditional jugband tunes, two new songs written by Dan Hicks, a classic Jim Kweskin tune, and unforgettable tunes by B. Curtis and Clifford Hayes that capture all the magic, excitement, and sheer joy that embodies old-timey jugband music. Muldaur’s voice shines brightly throughout, and her duet with Dan Hicks on the traditional medley of “Life’s Too Short/When Elephants Roost in Bamboo Trees” is priceless.

A Peter Allen quote on the inside cover tells it all: “Don’t throw the Past away, You just might need it some rainy day. Dreams can come true again, When Everything Old Is New Again.” This one’s a big keeper!

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