John Sebastian

John Sebastian
There is nothing like listening to the music of a man who has truly revolutionized the concept of musical genius. Some people make their name as singer, some as musicians and some as song writers, but over the years one artist has proven that one can excel in all these departments given that he has the same passion and love for music that this legendary man have.

The man in spotlight is John Sebastian who is just above perfect in everything he does. He is a popular American singer, songwriter, musician and an instrumentalist who has been giving us the pleasures of extremely wonderful music for the past forty years and more.

Having made his mark as a solo artist, playing in hit bands, giving music for movies and musicals and playing instruments primarily harmonica; John is among those Ambassadors of American music who are still mesmerizing the world with their charm and elegance.

Born on March 17, 1944 in New York City, John was destined to become what he is today. Music has always been in his genes as his father John Sebastian Sr. was a classical harmonica player. His mother, on the other hand, was a writer of radio shows.

Having grown up in Greenwich Village, Sebastian has always been a crazy music enthusiast who used to eat, drink and think music all the time. By the age of sixteen, this young talented lad was stepping onto the stages of coffeehouses and folk clubs playing music. He gathered the attention of local people quite soon and by the age of eighteen; the world saw him appearing as a sideman on different music recordings.

The decade of 1960s witnessed the star in the making as John Sebastian ventured with different bands as a singer-songwriter. He joined the Even Dozen Jug Band in where which he worked on an album released by Elektra Records. He also remained with the Mugwumps for a short period of time before eventually joining the The Lovin' Spoonful; a band that has played a major role in the mid-'60s rock revolution.

The band started when John along with his friend Yanovsky started making music with bass player Steve Boone and drummer Joe Butler. The awesome foursome would later become the band called Lovin' Spoonful that hold the record of putting their first seven singles into the Top 10.

John Sebastian rose to the super-star status as the leader, singer and songwriter of Lovin' Spoonful. The band came in the limelight with the release of their first single, Do You Believe in Magic, in the summer of 1965 from their debut album. His contribution as the lead vocalists of the band was highly appreciated and he made a splash by hitting the top spot in charts with this album.

While another single You Didn't Have to Be So Nice also peaked in the charts, the band created a mass hysteria and earned a huge fan base thanks to their debut effort that spent eight months in the charts. After the initial success, John and company stated working very hard on their next ventures and they marvelously continued the success galore with their second album whose eponymous single Daydream also reached the Top Ten like that of their previous singles. This was followed by the stupendous success of their next albums Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful and Everything Playing after which John quit the band.

Having proved his mettle in the Lovin' Spoonful, John Sebastian launched his solo career in 1968. Signed to Warner Bros, he began working on solo material and came up his debut solo album in January 1970. He got equal acclaim for his solo work as he used to get before and critics praised his efforts quite highly.

While his debut was still in the Top 20 charts in the spring of 1970, John started working on his next studio album that was released in August 1971. The album was titled The Four of Us that was followed another praiseworthy effort Tarzana Kid in 1974.

Although John Sebastian did not remained active in 1980s as far as the studio work his concerned, but he continued to give his fans a taste of his music through musical collaborations and live acts. The decade of 1990 witnessed him coming up his last solo album Tar Beach in 1993 after that hr formed a group called John Sebastian and the J-Band.

The band started a new chapter in the successful career of John Sebastian and he ended the decade with success of I Want My Roots and Chasin' Gus' Ghost released respectively in 1996 and 1999.

John has literary ventured into everything music. Over the years, he explored different possibilities with his music and leaved his mark in everything he did. From his awe-inspiring collaborations that stared from playing bass on Bob Dylan's first electric album, Bringing It All Back Home to the recently released album of duets with David Grisman; he has worked with many different artists like Fred Neil, Tim Hardin, Mississippi John Hurt, Judy Collins and many others.

Hollywood also got the taste of his music as he composed the soundtrack of blockbuster movies You're A Big Boy Now, The Care Bears Movie and Woody Allen's What's Up Tiger Lily. He ventured successfully in by giving music for hit television series, Welcome Back, Kotter, while his love for Broadway was well shown with Jimmy Shine the musical.

While John Sebastian got the iconic status from his studio work, his charisma is equally tempting on stage. Having performed in sold-out concerts that range from an impressive performance in Woodstock Festival in August 1969 to more recent gate-shattering live acts, John is the king of stage too.

Several of his live performances have been captured and released by different recording companies from time to time. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Lovin' Spoonful and today, he enjoys the iconic status as a rock festival favorite, brandishing his acoustic guitar, wearing a tie-dyed denim suit, and pleasing giant crowds with his impeccable performances.

If you have never experienced the magic of this great artist, then catch him live in a concert and enjoy the pleasures of music like never before.