The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful lacked the studied cool of folk rock
contemporaries like The Byrds (who emerged around the same time in
1965) but consistently delivered a zany grab-bag of pop, blues and
jug music.
The heart of the band's sound was provided by the mellow
vocals of their ingenious songwriter and founder member, John
Sebastian.
It was Sebastian who gave The Spoonful their name,
taken from a line in a Mississippi John Hurt song.
Born into a musical family, Sebastian closely studied
traditional music and the blues in his teens, and teamed up in the
early 60s with Zal Yanovsky.
Together they formed The Mugwumps
with Denny Doherty and Mama Cass Elliott, who later joined The
Mamas & The Papas.
After The Mugwumps split, Sebastian and Yanovsky persuaded
drummer Joe Butler and rhythm guitarist Steve Boone to form The
Lovin' Spoonful. Together they performed in the Night Owl Cafe in
Greenwich Village (New York), where they were discovered.
With their infectious humour, enthralling live performances and
endless self-penned compositions, they became an instant hit and
collected some celebrity fans, including The Byrds, Bob Dylan and
Phil Spector.
 A recording contract followed and Do You Believe In Magic? was
their first chart success, followed by Daydream in the
spring of 1966, which gained them an international audience. Summer
In The City was their third release and second
million-seller.
Hits cascaded from the group - mostly penned by the hugely
talented Sebastian; Nashville Cats, Darling Be Home
Soon, You Didn't Have To Be So Nice, and Younger
Girl. He also turned his hand to film scores.
It had actually been the intention in 1965 to devise a zany TV
series around the group's talents by producer Don Kirshner.
Unfortunately, The Spoonful proved unsuitable and in the end the
series was made with four unknowns forming the group known to
millions as The Monkees.
 In 1967, Yanovsky was involved in a drugs bust and left the
band. His place was taken by Jerry Yester, whose brother Jim was a
member of The Association.
The band tried hard to recapture some
of their earlier spirit, but couldn't quite make it because of
the strain of constant touring.
The fun seemed to have gone out of the act and they disbanded
gracefully, though in the mid 70s Sebastian did try briefly - and
unsuccessfully - to reform the group.
Yanovsky tried a solo career, with only moderate success.
Sebastian also went solo, and enjoyed a variety of successes
although never quite repeated his Spoonful days.
By 1969 he had moved to Los Angeles and appeared at Woodstock,
playing acoustic guitar amid the notorious downpour.
He had a US Number 1 hit in 1976 with Welcome Back -
the theme to the TV series Welcome Back Kotter, before
turning to sessions with a variety of top acts, including Crosby,
Stills, Nash & Young, Rita Coolidge and Keith Moon.
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