Jorma Kaukonen
b. 23 December 1940, Washington, DC, USA. The solo career of the former Jefferson Airplane lead guitarist started after the demise of the Airplane splinter group Hot Tuna in 1978. Kaukonen went back to his roots as a solo acoustic performer in small clubs. Four years earlier, he had released an outstanding recording, QUAH, joined by Tom Hobson and produced by Jack Casady. The album was well-received and although not released in the UK, enough copies were imported to satisfy the small but enthusiastic market. On this album Kaukonen displayed an intensity that had been hidden during his years with the Airplane. The autobiographical Song For The North Star and the emotive Genesis were two outstanding examples. On BARBEQUE KING he was joined by Denny DeGorio (bass) and John Stench (drums), otherwise known as Vital Parts, in a not too successful attempt to work again within a rock group. During his solo years Kaukonen's reputation as an acoustic guitarist has grown considerably; his love for ragtime blues continued to find a small and loyal audience fascinated to watch a six-foot plus body-tattooed Scandinavian playing such delicate music. In 1989, Kaukonen was cajoled into re-forming the Jefferson Airplane, where once again he sacrificed his love of ‘wooden’ music for the power of his biting and frantic lead guitar playing. In 1990, he and Casady re-convened as Hot Tuna.