Singer, songwriter, and musician John Sebastian – born in New York City, New York on March 17, 1944 – is best known as the frontman for 1960s folk-pop group the Lovin’ Spoonful and his 1976 hit single “Welcome Back.” Growing up in a musical family, John Sebastian grew up in a musical family surrounded by friends that were musicians (Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie) and celebrities (Vivian Vance and Eleanor Roosevelt). Inspired by blues and folk rock, he dropped out of New York University to pursue a career in music. John Sebastian played guitar, autoharp, and harmonica and began his career as a session musician, playing on recordings by Billy Faier, Fred Neil, Tom Rush, Bob Dylan, and the Mugwumps. In 1964, John Sebastian formed the Loving Spoonful with Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone, and Joe Butler. Mixing rock, folk, blues, and jug band music, the Lovin Spoonful hit number 1 with the single “Summer in the City” (1966) and had numerous Top 10 singles including “Do You Believe In Magic” (1965), “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice” (1965), “Daydream” (1966), “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind” (1966), “Rain on the Roof” (1966), and “Nashville Cats” (1966). John Sebastian left the Lovin’ Spoonful in June 1968 and pursued a solo career. He spent the first year of his solo career working on music for Broadway but rejoined the rock world when he made an unscheduled appearance at Woodstock in August 1969. His debut solo album, John B. Sebastian, was released in 1970 and rose to number 20 on the Billboard 200. That same year, he released John Sebastian Live, which was deleted and pulled from the market two months later. Another live album, Cheapo Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian, was released in 1971. John Sebastian’s next two studio albums – The Four of Us (1971) and Tarzana Kid (1974) – were only marginally successful but in 1976, he released “Welcome Back,” the theme to the popular TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, which went to the top of the Hot 100. While the song was an enormous hit and is one of his best-loved recordings, he was unable to follow up it with another hit and after the release of the Welcome Back album, John Sebastian recorded the soundtrack to the animated TV special The Devil and Daniel Mouse: A Nelvana Story (1978) and faded from the charts. He has continued to release solo albums on independent labels and do session work and remains a true folk-rock icon and pioneer.
