Who are the original members of the Lovin Spoonful?
Original lineup in 1965. Clockwise from below: John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone.
Did John Sebastian perform at Woodstock?
John Sebastian Woodstock Setlist. Singer, songwriter, musician John Sebastian was not booked to perform at Woodstock, but the audience knew him well as the former lead singer of The Lovin' Spoonful.
What is the biggest hit by the Lovin Spoonful?
Summer in the City.The album contains every Top 40 hit single enjoyed by the band in the United States including its only chart-topper, "Summer in the City." The original recordings were produced by Erik Jacobsen, and originally released on Kama Sutra Records.
Is Zal Yanovsky still alive?
December 13, 2002Zal Yanovsky / Date of death
Who is the highest paid performer at Woodstock?
Jimi HendrixSo it was certainly justified that Jimi Hendrix was billed as the overall headliner at Woodstock in 1969, and that he commanded the highest paycheck of all performers. Hendrix was paid $18,000 for appearing at Woodstock, which is the equivalent of about $125,000 today.
Who was the best performer at Woodstock?
Jimi Hendrix1: Jimi Hendrix Though meant to run across three days, Woodstock's disorganization meant it sprawled into the morning of Monday, August 18, 1969, with Blood, Sweat And Tears, Crosby, Stills Nash And Young, The Butterfield Blues Band, and more plowing on well after midnight.
Are the Lovin Spoonful still performing?
The Lovin Spoonful is currently on tour.
What was the Lovin spoonfuls first hit?
While the bulk of the top early folk-rock acts sprang from California, the Spoonful were very much a Greenwich Village band, honing their chops at the Night Owl club and practices in the basement of the Hotel Albert before their breakthrough to a nationwide audience with “Do You Believe in Magic.” Unlike many top folk- ...
What was Thunderclap Newman's biggest hit?
Something in the AirAndy Newman, who has died aged 73, earned musical immortality as part of Thunderclap Newman, whose 1969 No 1 hit Something in the Air became one of the indestructible staples of British 1960s pop.
Why did Zal leave the Lovin Spoonful?
He was arrested on a marijuana charge in San Francisco in 1966 with bass player Steve Boone but avoided prosecution when they incriminated their supplier. The ensuing publicity sparked an outcry from their fans, who called for a boycott of their records and concerts. Yanovsky left the band in 1967.
What guitar did Zal Yanovsky?
In the late '60s, he played a Gibson L-5, an ES-335, and a '56 Les Paul Custom, but he eventually shifted to Fender Stratocasters and Norlin-era Gibson Firebirds and Les Pauls. When 17-year-old Michael Monarch joined Steppenwolf in 1967, he'd only been playing guitar for a few years.
How did the Lovin Spoonful get their name?
The Lovin' Spoonful took their name from the blues song lyric "My baby loves me 'bout a lovin' spoonful." NOTE: Lovin' Spoonful -- The band's name was inspired by some lines in a song of Mississippi John Hurt called the "Coffee Blues".
When did Sebastian play at Woodstock?
August 1969Woodstock appearance In August 1969, Sebastian made an unscheduled appearance at Woodstock.
What day did John Sebastian play at Woodstock?
John Sebastian Concert Setlist at Woodstock on August 16, 1969 | setlist.fm.
Who turned down performing at Woodstock?
John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Bonham 0f Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin was asked to play Woodstock, but the band's manager, Peter Grant, turned it down.
Who all performed at 1969 Woodstock?
Most people know the big artists that played Woodstock — Santana, CCR, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix to name a few — but 34 acts were on the bill. The Friday lineup included Richie Havens, Swami Satchidananda, Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar, Melanie Safka, Arlo Guthrie and Joan Baez.
Who was the singer in the Spoonful?
Sebastian was joined by Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone, and Joe Butler in the Spoonful, which was named after "The Coffee Blues," a Mississippi John Hurt song.
When did Sebastian leave the loonful?
Sebastian left the Lovin' Spoonful in 1968 and did not play with any later versions of the band, except for a brief reunion with the other three original members to appear in Paul Simon 's 1980 film One-Trick Pony, and again for a single performance at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2000.
What song did Sebastian play with the Doors?
During the 1960s and 1970s, Sebastian guested on a number of recordings by other artists. He played harmonica with the Doors on the song " Roadhouse Blues " (from the album Morrison Hotel ), under the pseudonym G. Pugliese to avoid problems with his contract and to avoid association with Jim Morrison, who was then facing trial on charges of lewd behavior after the Miami concert incident. He also appeared on two Doors live albums, playing on " Little Red Rooster " on Alive, She Cried and on seven songs on Live in Detroit. Both albums were later re-released, remastered, and repackaged into one single album, In Concert, and included Morrison's introduction of Sebastian to the stage on the "Little Red Rooster" track.
What format is John Sebastian's Welcome Back?
by John Sebastian, Welcome Back, Reprise Records 1976. Sample from The Best of John Sebastian, Rhino Entertainment /WEA Corp., 1989, 1990 format= Ogg
Who was the blues guitarist who played harmonica?
Through his father's connections, he met and was influenced by blues musicians Sonny Terry and Lightnin' Hopkins (for whom Sebastian served as "unofficial tour guide and valet" when Hopkins was in New York City). Sebastian became part of the folk and blues scene that was developing in Greenwich Village, which in part later gave rise to folk rock.
What was Sebastian's first musical?
One of Sebastian's first projects after leaving the Spoonful was composing the music and lyrics for a play with music, Jimmy Shine, written by Murray Schisgal. It opened on Broadway in December 1968, with Dustin Hoffman in the title role, and ran until April 1969, for a total of over 150 performances. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sebastian himself wrote a stage musical adaptation of E.B. White 's Charlotte's Web in consultation with his godfather Garth Williams, who illustrated White's original book. The proposed musical included 20 songs, some of which Sebastian performed in concert, but the musical was never produced.
When did the loving spoonful get arrested?
The Lovin' Spoonful were torn asunder by a drug bust in 1967. Boone and Yanovsky were arrested in California for marijuana possession, and evidently got out of trouble by turning in their source.
Who played the harmonica on the Spoonful?
The Spoonful were rounded out by Steve Boone on bass and Joe Butler on drums.
Who was the leader of the Greenwich Village folk band?
Leader and principal songwriter John Sebastian was a young veteran of the Greenwich Village folk scene when he formed the band in 1965 with Zal Yanovsky, who'd already played primitive folk-rock of a sort with future members of the Mamas & the Papas in the Mugwumps.
When was the loving spoonful on Hullabaloo?
The Lovin’ Spoonful on Hullabaloo in 1965 , introduced by Peter Noone of Herman and the Hermits:
How long did the loving spoonful last?
From May 1965 till May 1966 was the entire history of the Lovin’ Spoonful in that form. It existed for one year, and one year only. From May 1966 on, it was like a ship with a hole in it that was slowly sinking. And as it sank, the momentum went down with it.
What was the first rock group to play in the 1960s?
One of the first and best folk-rock groups, the Lovin’ Spoonful were also among the foremost mid-1960s acts to play, as one of their songs was titled, “Good Time Music.” From late 1965 to mid-1967, they reeled off nine Top Twenty hits, from odes to the power of rock’n’roll (“Do You Believe in Magic”) and jug band-cum-rock (“Daydream”) to proto-country rock (“Nashville Cats”) and a #1 hard rocker (“Summer in the City”).
Where did the Spoonful come from?
While the bulk of the top early folk-rock acts sprang from California, the Spoonful were very much a Greenwich Village band, honing their chops at the Night Owl club and practices in the basement of the Hotel Albert before their breakthrough to a nationwide audience with “Do You Believe in Magic.”.
How many monitors did the band Mira Sound have?
But we were dealing with sixteen- [track] when we’d walk into Mira Sound [Studios]. There were sixteen monitors; they were so unsure of how to handle sixteen-tracks and playback that they put sixteen frigging speakers up on the wall. Submaster groups and all that stuff was just something they hadn’t gotten together yet. It wasn’t long before they submastered it down to four speakers on the wall.
Who was the singer who sang the song "Do You Believe in Magic"?
The Spoonful’s influence extended all the way up to the Beatles, whose “Good Day Sunshine” bears their imprint. “Daydream” and “Do You Believe in Magic” were even among the portable jukebox of forty or so singles John Lennon took on tour. Yet by 1967, the Spoonful were falling apart. By the late 1960s they were finished, with chief singer-songwriter John Sebastian starting a solo career.
Who is Steve Boone?
Steve Boone, bass player for the ‘good time’ folk-rock band Lovin’ Spoonful, known for hits like “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream” and “Summer in the City,” candidly recounts the band’s history to Richie Unterberger and the events that led to their breakup. One of the first and best folk-rock groups, the Lovin’ Spoonful were also among ...
Overview
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist. He is best known as a founder of the Lovin' Spoonful, as well as for his impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and a U.S. No. 1 hit in 1976, "Welcome Back".
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as a member of th…
Early life
Sebastian was born in New York City and grew up in Italy and Greenwich Village. His father, John Sebastian (né John Sebastian Pugliese), was a noted classical harmonica player, and his mother, Jane (born Mary Jane Bishir), was a radio script writer. His godmother was Vivian Vance ("Ethel Mertz" of I Love Lucy), who was a close friend of his mother. His godfather and first babysitter was children's book illustrator Garth Williams, a friend of his father. Eleanor Roosevelt was a neighbor …
Early career
In the early 1960s, Sebastian developed an interest in blues music and in playing harmonica in a blues style, rather than the classical style of his father. Through his father's connections, he met and was influenced by blues musicians Sonny Terry and Lightnin' Hopkins (for whom Sebastian served as "unofficial tour guide and valet" when Hopkins was in New York City). Sebastian became part of the folk and blues scene that was developing in Greenwich Village, which in part later gav…
The Lovin' Spoonful
Sebastian was joined by Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone, and Joe Butler in the Spoonful, which was named after "The Coffee Blues," a Mississippi John Hurt song. The Lovin' Spoonful, which blended folk-rock and pop with elements of blues, country, and jug band music, became part of the American response to the British Invasion, and was noted for such hits as "Do You Believe in Magic", "Jug …
Solo career 1960s–1970s
One of Sebastian's first projects after leaving the Spoonful was composing the music and lyrics for a play with music, Jimmy Shine, written by Murray Schisgal. It opened on Broadway in December 1968, with Dustin Hoffman in the title role, and ran until April 1969, for a total of over 150 performances. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sebastian himself wrote a stage musical adaptation of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web in consultation with his godfather Garth Williams, who i…
Later career
Since the 1980s, Sebastian has been active in several music-related areas, not only writing and performing his own material but also performing roots music, developing soundtrack and instructional material, hosting and appearing on television programs, and writing a children's book about a harmonica-playing bear.
Influence and legacy
Sebastian is a notable songwriter whose work has been covered by many artists, including Elvis Costello ("The Room Nobody Lives In"), Johnny Cash ("Darlin' Companion"), and Del McCoury ("Nashville Cats"). Several songs have also spawned multiple covers, including:
• "Lovin' You" – covered by Dolly Parton, Helen Reddy, and Bobby Darin;
• "Stories We Could Tell" – covered by The Everly Brothers, Tom Petty, and Jimmy Buffett;
Awards and honors
As an original member of the Lovin' Spoonful, Sebastian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.