The Lovin’ Spoonful

Though the group was short-lived, the Lovin' Spoonful's brand of warm-hearted goodtime music made them a quintessential '60s band. Named after a lyric in a Mississippi John Hurt song, the group was a product of the fabled Greenwich Village folk scene; leader John Sebastian had been a solo performer and guitarist Zal Yanovsky had been in the Mugwumps, the early incarnation of the Mamas and the Papas. Joined by bassist Steve Boone and drummer Joe Butler, they began regular gigs at the Night Owl club in the Village.

After recording some folk material for Elektra they signed to the new Kama Sutra label and made their first single, "Do You Believe in Magic." A Top Ten single in fall 1965, the song evinced both the Spoonful's sunny worldview and its folk roots (the guitar-like lead instrument was actually Sebastian on autoharp).

The Spoonful's albums featured a mix of jugband blues, folk-rock and Beatles-styled material but they were more renowned for their singles, all written by Sebastian and all exemplifying the good vibes of the era. "Daydream" and "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice" were intentionally mood-elevating tunes; even their one hard-rocking hit, "Summer in the City" noted that days were a drag but nights made it worthwhile. The band also did two film soundtracks including Woody Allen's first full-length feature, "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" (1965). Their other soundtrack was for an early Francis Ford Coppola film, "You're a Big Boy Now" (1966). Though the movie was forgotten it included the group's best-known ballad, the oft-covered "Darling Be Home Soon."

The one bummer note in the Springfield's history came when Yanovsky was arrested for marijuana and informed on his supplier; he was sacked from the group and Jerry Yester (brother of the Association's Jim Yester) took his place on the album Everything Playing, the closest the band got to psychedelia. From this came their final hits, "She is Still a Mystery" and "Money."

Sebastian left in 1968 to launch a solo career, including a famous Woodstock appearance the following year. The remaining members carried on briefly with Butler as the frontman, releasing an album (Revelation: Revolution '69) that was largely ignored.