The Lovin' Spoonful
is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry."
|
THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL TICKETS
|
Career
The band had its roots in the folk music scene based in the Greenwich Village section of lower Manhattan during the early 1960s. Sebastian, who grew up in contact with music and musicians, was the son of a much-recorded and highly technically accomplished classical harmonica player. He had reached maturity toward the end of the
American folk music revival that spanned from the 1950s to the early
'60s. Sebastian was joined in the Spoonful by guitarist
Zal Yanovsky from a
bohemian folk group called
The Mugwumps, playing local coffee houses and small clubs (two other members formed half of
the Mamas & the Papas.
[1] Drummer-vocalist
Joe Butler and bassist
Steve Boone rounded out the group. Unlike many pop groups of the day (the early
Beatles being a notable and influential exception), The Lovin' Spoonful played all the instruments on their records, and aside from a few covers, mostly on their first album, wrote all their own material.
[2] [3]
The Lovin' Spoonful became known for such folk-flavored pop
hits as the Top Ten "
Do You Believe in Magic" and "
You Didn't Have to Be So Nice", and "Daydream", which went to #2 on the
Billboard Hot 100."
Arguably the most successful pop/rock group to have
jug band roots, nearly half the songs on their first album were modernized versions of
jug band standards. Their popularity revived interest in the form, and many subsequent jug bands cite them as an inspiration. The rest of their albums featured mostly original songs, but their jug band roots showed up again and again, particularly in their big hit "Daydream" and the lesser-known "Money", which featured a typewriter as percussion. They even had a crossover hit, as "Nashville Cats", a number eight pop hit, reached the country charts. Other hits were "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind" (another #2 hit), "Six O'Clock", and "Younger Girl". Their only song to reach #1 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart was the harder-edged "
Summer in the City", an indelible part of the soundtrack for the summer of 1966.
Early in their recording and airwave career, Lovin' Spoonful members termed their approach "good-time music". In the liner notes of "Do You Believe in Magic", Zal Yanovsky said he "became a convert to Reddy Kilowatt because it's loud, and people dance to it, and it's loud". Soon-to-be-members of the psychedelic rock band the
Grateful Dead were part of the West Coast acoustic folk music scene when The Lovin' Spoonful came to town while on tour. They credited The Lovin' Spoonful concert as a fateful experience, after which they decided to leave the folk scene and "go electric."
At the peak of its success the band was originally selected to perform on the television show that became "
The Monkees", and also gained an added bit of publicity when Butler replaced
Jim Rado in the role of Claude for a sold-out four-month run with the Broadway production of the rock musical
Hair
. The Lovin' Spoonful's song "Pow!" was used as the opening theme of
Woody Allen's first feature film,
What's Up, Tiger Lily
. John Sebastian composed the music for
Francis Ford Coppola's second film,
You're a Big Boy Now
, and The Lovin' Spoonful played the music for the soundtrack, which included yet another hit, "Darlin' Be Home Soon". Both films were released in 1966.
Yanovsky left the band after the soundtrack album
You're a Big Boy Now
was released in May 1967, primarily due to a drug bust in San Francisco, in which he was arrested for possession of marijuana and pressured by police to name his supplier. As a
Canadian citizen and fearing he would be barred from re-entering the U.S., he complied.
[5] He would later open a restaurant in Canada, the immensely popular Chez Piggy in Kingston, Ontario. The restaurant is now owned and run by his daughter.
[6] Yanovsky's replacement was
Jerry Yester, formerly of the
Modern Folk Quartet, and the band's sound became more pop. Sebastian left the group by early 1968 to go solo.
Without Sebastian's singing and songwriting, The Lovin' Spoonful lasted only until the end of 1968 with very little further success and split up following their album "Revolution '69". The original group reunited briefly for the
Paul Simon film "
One Trick Pony" in 1980.
The Lovin' Spoonful was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
[7] The 1995 film
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
used their song, "
Summer in the City", during its opening credits.
Yanovsky died in 2002.
Sebastian has stated that he no longer wishes to perform with the remaining members of the group because of personal differences.
[8] Boone, Butler and Yester (with Butler now handling lead-singing chores) are still touring under the group name, with the addition of two new members.
Name
The band's name was inspired by some lines in a song of
Mississippi John Hurt called the "Coffee Blues."
John Sebastian credits
Fritz Richmond for suggesting the name.
[9]
Discography
Original U.S. Singles
| Release Year
| Label/Catalog #
| Titles (A-side / B-side)
| Billboard Top Singles
| Cashbox
|
| 1965
| Kama Sutra KA-201
| "Do You Believe In Magic" / "On The Road Again"
| 9
| 8
|
| 1965
| Kama Sutra KA-205
| "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" / "My Gal"
| 10
| 11
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KA-208
| "Daydream" / "Night Owl Blues"
| 2
| 1
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KA-209
| "Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?" / "Didn't Want To Have To Do It"
| 2
| 4
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KA-211
| "Summer in the City" / "Butchie's Tune"
| 1
| 1
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KA-216
| "Rain on the Roof" / "Pow"
| 10
| 9
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KA-219
| "Nashville Cats" /
| 8
| 10
|
|
| "Full Measure"
| 87
| 97
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KA-220
| "Darlin' Be Home Soon" / "Darling Companion"
| 15
| 15
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KA-225
| "Six O'Clock" / "The Finale"
| 18
| 15
|
| 1967
| Buddah BDA-12
| "As Long As You're Here" / "Ereh Er'uoy Sa Gnol Sa" (Zalman Yanovsky solo)
| 101
| 73
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KA-231
| "You're A Big Boy Now" / "Lonely (Amy's Theme)"
| --
| --
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KA-239
| "She Is Still A Mystery" / "Only Pretty, What A Pity"
| 27
| 16
|
| 1968
| Kama Sutra KA-241
| "Money" / "Close Your Eyes"
| 48
| 40
|
| 1968
| Kama Sutra KA-250
| "Never Goin' Back" / "Forever"
| 73
| 59
|
| 1968
| Kama Sutra KA-251
| "('Til I) Run With You" / "Revelation:Revolution `69"
| 128
| --
|
| 1969
| Kama Sutra KA-255
| "Me About You" / "Amazing Air"
| 91
| 82
|
| 1970
| Kama Sutra KA-505
| "Younger Generation" / "Boredom"
| --
| --
|
Original U.S. Albums (Kama Sutra)
| Release Year
| Label/Catalog #
| Album Title
| Billboard Pop Albums
|
| 1965
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8050
| Do You Believe in Magic
| 32
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8051
| Daydream
| 10
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8053
| What's Up Tiger Lily?
(soundtrack)
| 126
|
| 1966
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8054
| Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful
| 14
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8056
| The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
| 3
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8058
| You're A Big Boy Now
(soundtrack)
| 160
|
| 1967
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8061
| Everything Playing
| 118
|
| 1968
| Kama Sutra KLP/KLPS-8064
| The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful, Vol. 2
| 156
|
| 1969
| Kama Sutra KLPS-8073
| Revelation: Revolution '69
| --
|
| 1970
| Kama Sutra KSBS-2011
| John Sebastian Song Book Vol. 1
| --
|
| 1971
| Kama Sutra KSBS-2029
| Once Upon A Time
| --
|
Compilations
-
What's Shakin
(1966 - Elektra EUK 250)
- The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1969 - Deluxe Label)
- The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1970 - Kama Sutra Label)
- More Golden Spoonful
(1974)
- Daydream/What's Up Tiger Lily
(double LP) (1977 - Kama Sutra Label)
- File
(1977 - Pye Label)
- So Nice
(1979 - 51 West Label)
- The Great Years
(1979 - Mode Label)
- Pop History
(197? - Polydor Label)
- The Best in the West
(1983 - Buddah Label)
- The EP Collection
(1988 - See for Miles Label)
- Do You Believe in Magic/Everything Playing
(1988 - That's Original Label)
- Collection Lovin' Spoonful (20 Hits)
(1988 - Castle Label)
- All the Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1988 - Pair Label)
- Greatest Hits
(1988 - Hollywood Label)
- 20 Greatest Hits
(1989 - Big Time Label)
- Anthology
(1990 - Rhino Label)
- Summer in the City - 19 Great Songs
(1991 - Huub Label)
- A Spoonful of Soundtracks
(1991 - Repertoire Label)
- In the Movies
(1991 - Sequel Label)
- Believe in Magic/Everything Playing
(1992 - Castle Label)
- The Best... Lovin' Spoonful
(1994 - Kama Sutra Label)
- The Lovin' Spoonful
(1995 -Rhino Label)
- Do You Believe in Magic/Hums
(1995 - Kama Sutra Label)
- The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1996 - Music Club Label)
- Do You Believe in Magic & Other Hits
(1997 - Rhino Flashback Label)
- Summer in the City
(1997 - Colelctables Label)
- Greatest Hits
(1998 - Delta Label)
- The Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(1998 - Camden Label)
- Best 28
(1998 - BMG / RCA Label)
- Collector's Edition, Volume 1
(1999 - Platinum Disc Label)
- Collector's Edition, Volume 2
(1999 - Platinum Disc Label)
- Collector's Edition, Volume 3
(1999 - Platinum Disc Label)
- Collector's Edition, Volume 1-3
(1999 - Platinum Disc Label)
- Lovin' Spoonful
(2000 - Platinum Disc Label)
- French 60's EP Collection
(2000 - Magic Label)
- Greatest Hits
(2000 - Buddha Label)
- The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(2001 - Paradiso Label)
- Platinum & Gold Collection
(2003 - Buddah Label)
- The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(2004 - BMG International Label)
- Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful
(2004 - BMG International Label)
- Lovin' You
(2005 - BCI Music Label)
- Singles A's and B's
(2006 - Repertoire Label)
References
- Pop Matters entry on the Mugwumps CD reissue. Accessed January 5, 2009.
- Rolling Stone Magazine entry for The Lovin' Spoonful. Accessed January 5, 2009
- Classic Bands website Lovin' Spoonful entry. Accessed January 5, 2009.
- http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=5102
- Sony Legacy Recordings biography entry for The Lovin' Spoonful. From Allmusic biography by Richie Unterberger. Accessed January 5, 2009.
- Zal Yanovsky Obituary. The Independent. 18 December 2002 Accessed January 5, 2009.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry for the Lovin' Spoonful. Accessed January 5, 2009.
- Classic Bands web site. Interview with John Sebastian. Gary James. No interview date. Accessed January 13, 2009.
- Jug band great Fritz Richmond dies at 66