John Sebastian
John B. Sebastian (born March 17, 1944 in Greenwich Village , New York ) is an American rock musician and songwriter . He is the founder of the rock band The Lovin 'Spoonful .
Sebastian grew up in a musical environment and during his childhood and youth he met well-known musicians such as Burl Ives , Woody Guthrie , Leadbelly , Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin 'Hopkins . He played in the bands Even Dozen Jug Band and the Mugwumps ; The latter resulted in The Lovin 'Spoonful and The Mamas and the Papas . With The Doors he recorded the song Roadhouse Blues in 1969 .
In 1969 Sebastian performed at the Woodstock Festival even though he was not invited. He was Wavy Gravy was discovered backstage. Sebastian wore wild tie-dye clothing and, according to legend, was so under the influence of drugs that he was unable to refuse the invitation. At the beginning of his lecture, he instructed the audience to "just love everyone around you and take some trash on your way home". His brief appearance with a kind of rap , which was almost parody of a hippie conversation due to its psychedelic state, was enthusiastically received by the crowd.
Other appearances such as in 1970 at the Atlanta International Pop Festival or at the third and largest Isle of Wight Festival followed. In 1976, Sebastian had a number one hit in the United States with the theme song for the television series Welcome Back, Kotter . In the early 1990s he made a record with musicians from NRBQ called Tar Beach . At that time he also hosted an oldies show for the American television station NBC .
Others
John Sebastian made a guest appearance as himself on an episode of A Terribly Nice Family ; he met other old stars like Robby Krieger from the Doors , Woodstock contender Richie Havens , Peter Noone from Herman's Hermits , Mark Lindsay from Paul Revere & the Raiders and Spencer Davis .
Also in the film What's Up Tiger Lily? from 1966 by Woody Allen , Sebastian can be seen with his bandmates. Video sequences from The Lovin 'Spoonful, which were also responsible for the film's soundtrack, were inserted into the film after the film was finished without the director's consent.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
|||
| 1970 | John B. Sebastian |
US20 (31 weeks) US |
|
| John Sebastian Live |
US129 (3 weeks) US |
||
| 1971 | Cheapo-Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian |
US75 (13 weeks) US |
|
| The Four Of Us |
US93 (9 weeks) US |
||
| 1976 | Welcome back |
US79 (10 weeks) US |
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
|||
| 1969 | She's A Lady John B. Sebastian |
US84 (4 weeks) US |
|
| 1976 | Welcome Back Welcome Back |
US1  (14 weeks)US |
|
| Hideaway Welcome Back |
US95 (2 weeks) US |
Web links
- Website of John Sebastian
- John Sebastian. In: VH1 . Archived from the original on August 22, 2009 (English, biography).
- Debbie Tuma: John Sebastian: Finding His Roots. In: The Lovin 'Spoonful Lyrics Page. March 17, 2018 (English, interview).
swell
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sebastian, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sebastian, John B. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rock musician, songwriter, and harmonica player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 17, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Greenwich Village , New York City |