Hot Tuna

Through a haze of LSD and psychedelia, Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen were key members of 1960s rockers Jefferson Airplane, helping to define the sound of San Francisco and scoring some of the anthems of the era in White Rabbit and Somebody To Love. They started playing acoustically together and performed before Jefferson Airplane shows around 1968, their love of American country and blues leading to live debut Hot Tuna (1970) recorded during a week of shows at New Orleans House in Berkley, California. Alongside a recurring cast of band mates, Hot Tuna evolved from a humble celebration of folksy, traditional Americana into heavy blues rock jams with Kaukonen's original compositions coming to the fore. Admired for their free form improvisation, the band built a cult following by encouraging fans to tape their live shows and produced the acclaimed albums Burgers (1972), The Phosphorescent Rat (1973) and Yellow Fever (1975) before splitting in 1977. Reforming in 1986, they released Steady As She Goes in 2009, their first studio album in 20 years, and still keep on rolling.

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