JORMA KAUKONEN

“A pioneer of San Francisco psychedelia, Jorma Kaukonen is a bona fide graybeard folk swami. He mostly lays back, a master in situ, unfurling melodies and savoring every note. – Rolling Stone Magazine 

John Hurlbut will be performing WITH Jorma. In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has  been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots  music, blues, and rock. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a  Grammy recipient, Jorma was at the forefront of popular rock and roll, one  of the founders of the San Francisco sound and a progenitor of Psychedelic  Rock. He is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson  Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen is a music legend  and one of the finest singer-songwriters in his field. He continues to tour  the world bringing his unique styling to old blues tunes while presenting  new songs of weight and dimension. His secret is in playing spontaneous  and unfiltered music, with an individual expression of personality. In 2016,  Jorma, Jack Casady and the other members of Jefferson Airplane were awarded The GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions  to American music. 

“A mesmerizing storyteller, Kaukonen delivers a memoir as intricate  and dazzling as his music.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review 

In 2019 St. Martin’s Press published Jorma‘s autobiography, Been So  Long: My Life and Music, written to express his life both in and out of the  music world. As Kaukonen describes, “My story is my story. Having told bits  and pieces of it over my lifetime to a treasured few, it was time to tell all to a  bigger audience…From rehearsals and jams in small apartments and tiny  back rooms to Monterey, Woodstock, Altamont, the Rock And Roll Hall Of  Fame, the world of the Grammys and beyond… this is part of the road I live  on. This is my embryonic journey and much, much more!” 

“At a time when many rock stars are releasing memoirs, Jorma  Kaukonen’s Been So Long: My Life and Music stands apart…. an  incredibly insightful look inside the life of a musician who was not  only influenced by some of America’s greatest music but who also left  an indelible mark on that very same musical landscape.” —AXS 

The son of a State Department official, Jorma Kaukonen, Jr. was born and  raised in the Washington D.C. area, with occasional extended trips outside the United States. He was a devotee of rock and roll in the Buddy Holly era  but soon developed a love for the blues and bluegrass that were profuse in  the clubs and concerts in the nation’s capital. It inspired him to take up  guitar and play that kind of music himself. Soon he met Jack Casady, the  younger brother of a friend and a wonderful guitar player in his own right.  Though they could not have known it, they were beginning a musical  partnership that has continued for more than 50 years.