For any questions about the book or this blog site email me at: stebun@att.net
The Modern Folk Quartet is part of the same movement that the Lovin' Spoonful came up from. Three of its members had direct involvement with our band. Jerry Yester was there in the beginning of the Spoon's existence and later became a full time member.Henry Diltz not only became our official photographer he also played on some of our records. Chip Douglas produced the last Lovin' Spoonful single release "Never Goin' Back" written by John Stewart. It is only fitting then that this song "Whatever Happened to the Lovin' Spoonful" which they recorded and is available on the Bamboo Saloon album from Pony Canyon Records be dedicated to my journey for the last 49 years.
Listen the song here!
So you want to be in a rock and roll band? My first gig 1963 !
This is where it all began for me as a gigging musician. This picture and the one below were taken in 1963 at the Cottage Inn in East Hampton, New York. It's obviously not where it all began but for now it is where my life began that brought me to where I am today. In 1963 I was just three years recovering from a serious auto accident that nearly laid me out and did essentially leave me with a right foot that did not respond to inputs from my brain. I also managed to grow over 2 inches taller in that time yet not a pound in weight did I increase. In the picture are from the top left: me, Joe Butler who would become the Lovin' Spoonful's drummer, Sonny Botari and on drums in this picture Jan Buchner who also sat in while we searched for the Lovin' Spoonful's rhythm master. Bottom row L-R are: Skip Boone my brother and my mentor as a musician who would go on to be part of the group Autosalvage, a ground breaking band in the world of experimental rock and last but not least especially for me, Clay Sonier the band's bass player and the man who pushed me to take up the instrument when he was leaving the band and the Air Force to retire to his home in Louisiana. Missing from this picture is the band's namesake King Charles an extraordinary saxophone player and the person most responsible for me learning how to play by ear on charts that I was not capable of sight reading. A skill that I cannot put a value on it is so great. The small thumbnail picture is also Jan Buchner as a special thanks for providing a place for the first rehearsals by the Lovin' Spoonful at the Bulls Head Inn in Bridgehampton, NY. Without that convenience it is possible the band would have never started up in the first place. Thank you Jan!
"My time and yours" starts out with a musical question. At the top of this page is an album cover and paragraph about a song that asks: Whatever Happened to the Lovin' Spoonful. Just below that is a stop/start button that will enable the song to play
I am hoping that this website and blog will be a great asset for me in introducing anyone interested in why I wrote this book and perhaps even a little bit of "cutting room floor" tidbits that did not make it into the book. . I have a ton of pictures that I will be sharing here and of course leaving the best for the book itself. Oh yes, the book will be called "Hotter Than A Match Head, Life on the run with the Lovin' Spoonful" and it surely is. Check back in as often as you like. I will try to keep the experience fresh and entertaining and worth the effort to check in.
All good,
Steve
