Biography
Throughout his career John Sebastian has pursued paths as singer, songwriter, and musician. Leading the folk-rock ensemble the Lovin' Spoonful, he guided a succession of Top Ten successes between 1965 and 1967 that featured the number-one singles "Daydream" and "Summer in the City," later reclaiming the top chart position in 1976 with the solo release "Welcome Back." He composed or co-composed these tracks plus numerous others, including material placed in Broadway productions and motion pictures. On harmonica and additional instruments he has backed performers including Judy Collins, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Doors, Bob Dylan, the Everly Brothers, Art Garfunkel, Gordon Lightfoot, Laura Nyro, Graham Parker, Dolly Parton, Peter, Paul & Mary, John Prine, and Bonnie Raitt.
Classical harmonica player John Sebastian and radio-show writer raised their son in Greenwich Village. There the younger Sebastian adapted techniques learned from his father to the folk revival unfolding locally during the late 1950s and early 1960s. By age 16 he performed in coffeehouses and folk venues; by age 18 he appeared on recordings as a sideman. In 1964 he joined the Even Dozen Jug Band, which issued a self-titled Elektra Records album before disbanding. He also participated briefly in the Mugwumps alongside future Lovin' Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky and future Mamas and the Papas members Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty. During winter 1964-1965 he and Yanovsky assembled the quartet that became the Lovin' Spoonful, adding bassist Steve Boone and drummer Joe Butler. Meanwhile Sebastian continued session work, playing bass on Bob Dylan's first electric album, Bringing It All Back Home.
The Lovin' Spoonful signed with Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records subsidiary, and issued their debut single "Do You Believe in Magic" in summer 1965, on which Sebastian sang lead (as he did on every group single during his tenure while writing or co-writing all their hits). It reached the Top Ten, as did the follow-up "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," while the fall album Do You Believe in Magic remained on the charts for eight months. Third single "Daydream" hit number one and accompanied a Top Ten Daydream LP. Fourth single "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" had already appeared on the debut album yet still climbed to the Top Five; fifth single "Summer in the City" arrived as a gold-certified number-one hit in summer 1966. Next came the September soundtrack album for the Woody Allen film What's Up, Tiger Lily? Sixth consecutive Top Ten single "Rain on the Roof" preceded seventh Top Ten single "Nashville Cats," which peaked in January 1967 alongside a Top 20 showing for the band's third album, Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, which charted six months. In spring the Lovin' Spoonful supplied music for Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now, yielding Top 20 single "Darling, Be Home Soon." "Six O'Clock" produced another Top 20 hit by June.
Difficulties arose that summer when Yanovsky and Boone faced drug charges, prompting Yanovsky's exit; Jerry Yester replaced him. The band also parted from producer Erik Jacobsen. "She's Still a Mystery" became their eleventh consecutive Top 20 hit in November, yet Sebastian grew dissatisfied. After finishing fourth LP Everything Playing (which yielded minor-chart single "Money") at year's end, he departed. Throughout 1968 he developed solo material and considered, then declined, an invitation to join friends who later formed Crosby, Stills & Nash. He supplied songs for the Broadway play Jimmy Shine starring Dustin Hoffman, among them "She's a Lady," which charted modestly for him at the close of 1968. That single appeared on Kama Sutra, but Sebastian left the label for Warner Bros. Records' Reprise subsidiary. Kama Sutra claimed he owed another album, triggering litigation that postponed his debut solo album by one year. Although Reprise secured rights and released John B. Sebastian in January 1970, MGM issued its own version drawn from second-generation tapes, later withdrawn.
Sebastian delivered an unplanned yet notable performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. Present backstage though unscheduled and affected by recreational substances, he performed briefly during a set change and received strong audience response. Despite the MGM release, John B. Sebastian reached the Top 20 in spring 1970. His solo trajectory accelerated with appearances on the chart-topping Woodstock soundtrack album in May and in the documentary film that opened in August. MGM obtained a tape of his July 1970 concert and issued it as John Sebastian Live; further litigation led to its withdrawal. Sebastian countered with Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian in March 1971. Both albums capitalized on his stature as a festival performer, showcasing his acoustic guitar, tie-dyed denim attire, and performances before large crowds at events such as the Atlanta Pop Festival, the Isle of Wight Festival, and the Festival of Life during 1970-1971.
August 1971 brought second studio album The Four of Us, anchored by the ambitious title track occupying all of side two, yet sales proved modest. Tarzana Kid followed in September 1974 without charting. Sebastian's recording activity had largely stalled when he received a request to compose the theme for new series Welcome Back, Kotter, which debuted in September 1975; he also performed the song over weekly credits. The series succeeded, prompting Reprise to release single "Welcome Back," which reached number one in May 1976 and earned gold certification. Welcome Back LP returned him to the album charts, yet the release concluded his recording contract and the hit remained an isolated commercial peak.
Over the subsequent 17 years Sebastian toured, guested on other artists' recordings, and contributed occasional soundtrack material. Independent Shanachie Records issued his fifth studio album, Tar Beach, in 1993. He later reunited with longtime associates to revisit jug-band music first encountered in Greenwich Village more than three decades earlier, forming John Sebastian and the J-Band and releasing I Want My Roots (1996) and Chasin' Gus' Ghost (1999). As a member of the Lovin' Spoonful he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Classical harmonica player John Sebastian and radio-show writer raised their son in Greenwich Village. There the younger Sebastian adapted techniques learned from his father to the folk revival unfolding locally during the late 1950s and early 1960s. By age 16 he performed in coffeehouses and folk venues; by age 18 he appeared on recordings as a sideman. In 1964 he joined the Even Dozen Jug Band, which issued a self-titled Elektra Records album before disbanding. He also participated briefly in the Mugwumps alongside future Lovin' Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky and future Mamas and the Papas members Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty. During winter 1964-1965 he and Yanovsky assembled the quartet that became the Lovin' Spoonful, adding bassist Steve Boone and drummer Joe Butler. Meanwhile Sebastian continued session work, playing bass on Bob Dylan's first electric album, Bringing It All Back Home.
The Lovin' Spoonful signed with Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records subsidiary, and issued their debut single "Do You Believe in Magic" in summer 1965, on which Sebastian sang lead (as he did on every group single during his tenure while writing or co-writing all their hits). It reached the Top Ten, as did the follow-up "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," while the fall album Do You Believe in Magic remained on the charts for eight months. Third single "Daydream" hit number one and accompanied a Top Ten Daydream LP. Fourth single "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" had already appeared on the debut album yet still climbed to the Top Five; fifth single "Summer in the City" arrived as a gold-certified number-one hit in summer 1966. Next came the September soundtrack album for the Woody Allen film What's Up, Tiger Lily? Sixth consecutive Top Ten single "Rain on the Roof" preceded seventh Top Ten single "Nashville Cats," which peaked in January 1967 alongside a Top 20 showing for the band's third album, Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, which charted six months. In spring the Lovin' Spoonful supplied music for Francis Ford Coppola's You're a Big Boy Now, yielding Top 20 single "Darling, Be Home Soon." "Six O'Clock" produced another Top 20 hit by June.
Difficulties arose that summer when Yanovsky and Boone faced drug charges, prompting Yanovsky's exit; Jerry Yester replaced him. The band also parted from producer Erik Jacobsen. "She's Still a Mystery" became their eleventh consecutive Top 20 hit in November, yet Sebastian grew dissatisfied. After finishing fourth LP Everything Playing (which yielded minor-chart single "Money") at year's end, he departed. Throughout 1968 he developed solo material and considered, then declined, an invitation to join friends who later formed Crosby, Stills & Nash. He supplied songs for the Broadway play Jimmy Shine starring Dustin Hoffman, among them "She's a Lady," which charted modestly for him at the close of 1968. That single appeared on Kama Sutra, but Sebastian left the label for Warner Bros. Records' Reprise subsidiary. Kama Sutra claimed he owed another album, triggering litigation that postponed his debut solo album by one year. Although Reprise secured rights and released John B. Sebastian in January 1970, MGM issued its own version drawn from second-generation tapes, later withdrawn.
Sebastian delivered an unplanned yet notable performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. Present backstage though unscheduled and affected by recreational substances, he performed briefly during a set change and received strong audience response. Despite the MGM release, John B. Sebastian reached the Top 20 in spring 1970. His solo trajectory accelerated with appearances on the chart-topping Woodstock soundtrack album in May and in the documentary film that opened in August. MGM obtained a tape of his July 1970 concert and issued it as John Sebastian Live; further litigation led to its withdrawal. Sebastian countered with Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian in March 1971. Both albums capitalized on his stature as a festival performer, showcasing his acoustic guitar, tie-dyed denim attire, and performances before large crowds at events such as the Atlanta Pop Festival, the Isle of Wight Festival, and the Festival of Life during 1970-1971.
August 1971 brought second studio album The Four of Us, anchored by the ambitious title track occupying all of side two, yet sales proved modest. Tarzana Kid followed in September 1974 without charting. Sebastian's recording activity had largely stalled when he received a request to compose the theme for new series Welcome Back, Kotter, which debuted in September 1975; he also performed the song over weekly credits. The series succeeded, prompting Reprise to release single "Welcome Back," which reached number one in May 1976 and earned gold certification. Welcome Back LP returned him to the album charts, yet the release concluded his recording contract and the hit remained an isolated commercial peak.
Over the subsequent 17 years Sebastian toured, guested on other artists' recordings, and contributed occasional soundtrack material. Independent Shanachie Records issued his fifth studio album, Tar Beach, in 1993. He later reunited with longtime associates to revisit jug-band music first encountered in Greenwich Village more than three decades earlier, forming John Sebastian and the J-Band and releasing I Want My Roots (1996) and Chasin' Gus' Ghost (1999). As a member of the Lovin' Spoonful he entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
Albums
