Jump, Little Children

Named in honor of the song by bluesmen Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, acoustic funk-popsters Jump, Little Children formed at the North Carolina School of the Arts, where founding members Jay Clifford (vocals, guitar), Ward Williams (cello) and brothers Matt (harmonica, accordion, mandolin) and Evan Bivins (drums) were originally studying classical music. Influenced by a friend from Dublin, they began playing traditional Irish folk music in their spare time, increasingly drawing influence from Delta blues as well; eventually, the group quit school to focus on performing full-time, even gigging in Ireland in 1992 before returning to the U.S. and settling in Boston. There Jump, Little Children began writing and performing original material, and in the spring of 1994 they relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, adding upright bassist Jonathan Gray and building a grass-roots following through their extensive street-corner performances and club dates. Turning increasingly towards pop, the band released their independent debut The Licorice Tea Demos in 1995; the Buzz EP followed in 1997, and soon after Jump, Little Children signed to Atlantic, issuing Magazine the following year.