The Lovin' Spoonful

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The Lovin' Spoonful

Background information
Origin United States
Genre(s) Pop rock
Former members
John Sebastian (1965-1968)
Zal Yanovsky (1965-1967)
Joe Butler
Steve Boone
Jerry Yester (1967-1969)

The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. 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. When asked about his band, Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry". The Lovin' Spoonful became part of the American response to the British Invasion.

Contents

[edit] Career

The band had its roots in a bohemian folk group called The Mugwumps, who played coffee houses and small clubs, some members of which split to form the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas and the Papas.

John Sebastian, who grew up in contact with music and musicians, was the son of a much-recorded and highly technically accomplished 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, drummer-vocalist Joe Butler and bassist Steve Boone. Unlike many pop bands of the day (but influenced by The Beatles in this regard), The Lovin' Spoonful played all the instruments on their records, and aside from a few covers, wrote all their own material.

The Lovin' Spoonful became part of the American response to the British Invasion and was noted for such folk-flavored hits as "Jug Band Music", "Do You Believe in Magic", "You Didn't Have to be So Nice", and "Daydream". Putting an "anti-drug" spin on the traditional folk song "Blues in the Bottle", the Lovin' Spoonful endeared themselves to radio stations across the United States. Soon they were a cross-over hit, topping both rock-and-roll and country charts with "Nashville Cats". Other hits were "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind", "Six O'Clock", and "Younger Girl". Their only song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart was the hard-edged "Summer in the City".

Early in their recording and airwave career, Lovin' Spoonful members termed their approach "good-time music". 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".

The chart-topping 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 music was also featured in Woody Allen's first feature film, What's Up, Tiger Lily (Their song, "Pow!" was the opening theme song), and You're a Big Boy Now, in which they sung the titular tune. Both films were 1966 releases.

Zal Yanovsky quit the band after the album You're a Big Boy Now was released in May 1967, primarily due to a famous drug bust in San Francisco, in which Yanovsky 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. That act stirred anger among the group's fans and turmoil within the group itself, which led to his departure. He would later open a restaurant in Canada.

Yanovsky's replacement was Jerry Yester, formerly of the Modern Folk Quartet. Sebastian left the group by early 1968 to go solo. Without the power of Sebastian, the Lovin' Spoonful lasted only until the end of 1968, with very little success, and split up following their album Revolution '69. There were resurgences of interest in the Lovin' Spoonful upon their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, as well as with the release of the 1995 film Die Hard: With a Vengeance which used their song, "Summer in the City", during its opening credits.

A brief reunion of the original group occurred for the Paul Simon film One Trick Pony in 1980. 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. 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.

[edit] References

The Fingerpicking Blues of Mississippi John Hurt: A Spoonful of Classic Songs taught by John Sebastian and Happy Traum DVD. Homespun Videos. July 2004. ASIN B0002KWSJ4

[edit] Discography

[edit] 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"
--
--

[edit] 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
--

[edit] Compilations

  • The Best of the Lovin' Spoonful (1969 - Deluxe 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)
  • The Very Best of the Lovin Spoonful (1988 - Kama Sutra Label)
  • 20 Greatest Hits (1989 - Big Time Label)
  • The Lovin' Spoonful 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)

[edit] References

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[edit] External links