Zal Yanovsky
b. 19 December 1944, Toronto, Canada. A former member of the Halifax Three and the Mugwumps, Yanovsky founded the Lovin' Spoonful with songwriter John Sebastian. Yanovsky's extrovert behaviour provided the group's visual identity while his exceptional and under-rated guitar playing was a vital fixture of their overall sound. He left the band in 1967. Arrested on a drugs charge in San Francisco, he incriminated his supplier rather than face deportation. The guitarist then formed a fruitful partnership with Jerry Yester who, paradoxically, had replaced him in the Spoonful. The duo produced Tim Buckley's HAPPY SAD as well as Yester's collaboration with Judy Henske, FAREWELL ALDERBARAN and Zalman's own eccentric offering, ALIVE AND WELL IN ARGENTINA. Its irreverent mixture of cover versions and new songs proved a commercial disaster and the artist's career withered in its wake. Although he made several unannounced guest appearances during John Sebastian concerts, Yanovsky gradually withdrew from music altogether. Sebastian reported during an interview that Zally was now a restaurateur.