The Lovin’ Spoonful were mostly a product of Greenwich Village in New York City. They acted like hippies and they looked like hippies and they had formed a jug band before they became famous as a singing group.

The group came together, like most groups, a little at a time. John Sebastian, who was born in 1944 in New York City grew up in Little Italy and Greenwich Village. His dad played classical harmonica (that really is a thing) and so had music in his blood from the beginning. When the Beatles came along, John thought he would like to do that and began to put together his own band.

The first person he called was Zal Yanovsky, a guitarist. He and John played for awhile in a group called the Mugwumps who were a folk group in the early Sixties. Two other members of the Mugwumps were Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty who later became half of the Mamas and the Papas. When the Mugwumps died, John left New York and wandered the south for a couple years. It was in Mississippi that he met bluesman, John Hurt. Hurt was famous for a song which contained the lyrics, “I love my baby by the lovin’ spoonful.” John took those words with him back to New York and he and Zal continued putting together their band, The Lovin’ Spoonful. They recruited Scott Boone (on bass) and Joe Butler (on drums) and they had a band.

Getting a record contract in New York City is no easy task and they were turned down by just about everyone they approached. They didn’t have a British accent when they sang and that was the big thing in America in 1966. Finally, Phil Spector decided to take a chance on them and they recorded “Do You Believe in Magic” for the Kama Sutra label. Their first record went to number nine on the charts. A very good showing for an unknown band that “didn’t sound like anyone else.”

They recorded three more Top 10 songs, “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice” (#10,) “Daydream” (#2,) and “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind” (#2) before hitting the top with “Summer in the City.”

“Summer in the City” is based on a poem that was written by John Sebastian’s brother Mark, although John changed some of the words to get a grittier sound. The traffic noises toward the middle of the song were put in later to give the effect that you are in the big city while listening to the song. The car horn you hear is from a Volkswagen Beetle and the barrage ends with the sound of a jack hammer.

The Lovin’ Spoonful continued to record for just another couple years, and broke up in 1968. “Summer in the City” was their only number one song. John Sebastian went on to a solo career and in 1976, had a number one song with “Welcome Back,” the theme song of the Welcome Back Kotter television show. I will discuss that in more detail when I get to 1976.

Zal Yanovsky died in 2002 at the age of 57 from a heart attack, but I believe all the other members of the Lovin’ Spoonful are still alive.

“Summer in the City” debuted on the pop charts on July 23, 1966 and spent three weeks at number one.

I just love this video. It has nothing to do with the song, except to show a frantic city. This is from a silent film starring Harold Lloyd from 1928.