Influential Folk Rock musician and singer John Sebastian turns 80 today
He is most famous for being a former member and the founder of The Lovin’ Spoonful
Influential Folk Rock musician and singer John Sebastian turns 80 today
John Sebastian was born in New York City on March 17, 1944, and grew up in Italy and Greenwich Village. Sebastian grew up surrounded by music and musicians, including Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie and hearing such players as Lead Belly and Mississippi John Hurt in his own neighborhood. During the early 1960’s, Sebastian developed an interest in blues music and in playing harmonica in a blues style, becoming part of the folk and blues scene that was developing in Greenwich Village and later gave rise to folk rock. In 1965 he formed 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”, “Summer in the City”, “Daydream”, “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?”, “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice”. The band became one of the most popular late 1960’s acts worldwide and remains an influential band to this day. After several drug problems within the members of the band, that could result in jail time for Sebastian, he 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. Ever since he left the Spoonful that he remained an active and successful solo artist. Still, during the 1960’s and early 1970’s, Sebastian collaborate with The Doors on their album “Morrison Hotel” where he plays harmonica on the song “Roadhouse Blues2. He also appears as a guest introduced by Jim Morrison on The Doors live album “Alive She Cried” and “Live In Detroit” on the song “Little Red Rooster”. Sebastian is also credited with playing harmonica on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s song “Déjà Vu” from the album of the same name. Aside from music, he also has worked in other fields such as television presenter, children’s book author and instructor at Homespun Tapes. As an original member of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Sebastian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He turns 80 today.
Watch The Lovin’ Spoonful performing their hit “Daydream” in 1967
Watch more 1960’s related videos
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