Lovin' Spoonful

John Sebastian, son of accomplished harmonica player John Sebastian, grew up around music and musicians towards the end of the American folk music revival. Alongside guitarist Zal Yanovsky, formerly of The Mugwumps, Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, who would later form the Mamas & the Papas, bassist Steve Boone and drummer-vocalist Joe Butler. The band made their recording debut with four songs on the multi-artist compilation “What’s Shakin’” in 1966 on Kama Sutra records.

With producer Erik Jacobsen at the reigns, the Lovin’ Spoonful’s first official single “Do You Believe in Magic” reached No. 9 on the Billboard Singles chart. The group, who wrote all of their own songs and released the subsequent smash hits “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice”, “Daydream”, “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?”, and the No. 1 instantly recognisable Hit “Summer in the City” all before 1966.

In 1967, the Lovin’ Spoonful were the recipients of a drug bust, and Boone and Yanovsky were arrested for marijuana possession. The pair were later freed for revealing their source, though came under particular scrutiny from the growing hippie counterculture, who called for a boycott of all Spoonful products. However, the Lovin’ Spoonful were undeniably more pop than folk and rock, and largely appealed to mainstream teenagers thus weren’t affected as much as they could have been by the boycott.

Later in 1967 Yanovsky left the group and was replaced by Jerry Yester, formerly the producer of the Association. After the release of albums “You’re A Big Boy Now” (soundtrack) and “Everything Playing”, band leader Sebastian left the group, ending the Lovin’ Spoonful’s most successful period.

In 1991, Butler, Boone and Jerry Yester reconvened the band, and after three decades released a new album “Live at the Hotel Seville” in 1999. In 2000 the original members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed “Do You Believe in Magic” at the ceremony.