Hot Tuna (album)
Encyclopedia
Hot Tuna is the self-titled debut album by the blues-rock
band Hot Tuna
, released in 1970 on RCA Records
, catalogue LSP 4550. It was recorded live at the New Orleans House in Berkeley, California
in September of 1969. It peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200
album chart. The album is currently out of print.
and Jack Casady
while on tour with Jefferson Airplane
, eventually becoming a separate entity within that band to the point of performing as its opening act. In the beginning, Hot Tuna would play in the style of electric Chicago blues
often augmented by Airplane members, such represented by a cover of B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby
" on the live Airplane album Bless Its Pointed Little Head
. For their first album, Kaukonen and Casady decided rather on an all-acoustic set, playing the country blues
of the pre-World War II
era.
The Reverend Gary Davis
had been an early influence on Kaukonen, and two of his songs were included on the album, with an additional pair included on the 1996 reissue. Casady and Kaukonen demonstrated their familiarity with early jazz and ragtime as well as blues by the inclusion of "Hesitation Blues
," recorded by the Victor Military Band in 1916, and the inclusion of two numbers attributed to Jelly Roll Morton
. They also ignored any purist notions of the delta blues
with their cover of "How Long Blues
" by Leroy Carr
, who not only was not from the Mississippi Delta
and did not play guitar, but was also one of the commercial urban blues successes of the 1930s
.
In 1996, RCA reissued the album on compact disc
with five bonus tracks recorded at the same time. The box set Hot Tuna in a Can included this version along with remasters of the band's subsequent four albums First Pull Up Then Pull Down
, Burgers
, America's Choice
and Hoppkorv
. The box set is also out of print.
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
, released in 1970 on RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, catalogue LSP 4550. It was recorded live at the New Orleans House in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in September of 1969. It peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart. The album is currently out of print.
Context and content
Hot Tuna began as a means of relaxation for its two principals Jorma KaukonenJorma Kaukonen
Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.-Biography:...
and Jack Casady
Jack Casady
Jack Casady , is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C...
while on tour with Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, eventually becoming a separate entity within that band to the point of performing as its opening act. In the beginning, Hot Tuna would play in the style of electric Chicago blues
Chicago blues
The Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois, by taking the basic acoustic guitar and harmonica-based Delta blues, making the harmonica louder with a microphone and an instrument amplifier, and adding electrically amplified guitar, amplified bass guitar, drums,...
often augmented by Airplane members, such represented by a cover of B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby
Rock Me Baby
Rock Me Baby is an American television series set in Denver, Colorado. It is a comedy / drama that debuted on September 15, 2003 on UPN. Rock Me Baby stars actor and comedian Dan Cortese as Jimmy Cox, co-host of a popular Denver radio show with his best friend, Carl, played by Carl Anthony Payne II...
" on the live Airplane album Bless Its Pointed Little Head
Bless Its Pointed Little Head
Bless Its Pointed Little Head is a live album by Jefferson Airplane recorded at both the Fillmore East and West in the fall of 1968 and released in 1969. Five songs on the album had not appeared on any of the band's previous studio recordings. The songs that did appear on previous albums, however,...
. For their first album, Kaukonen and Casady decided rather on an all-acoustic set, playing the country blues
Country blues
Country blues is a general term that refers to all the acoustic, mainly guitar-driven forms of the blues. It often incorporated elements of rural gospel, ragtime, hillbilly, and dixieland jazz...
of the pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era.
The Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
had been an early influence on Kaukonen, and two of his songs were included on the album, with an additional pair included on the 1996 reissue. Casady and Kaukonen demonstrated their familiarity with early jazz and ragtime as well as blues by the inclusion of "Hesitation Blues
Hesitation Blues
"Hesitation Blues" is a popular song adapted from a traditional tune. One version was published by Billy Smythe, Scott Middleton, and Art Gillham. Another was published by W.C. Handy as "Hesitating Blues." Because the tune is a traditional tune many artists have given themselves credit as...
," recorded by the Victor Military Band in 1916, and the inclusion of two numbers attributed to Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
. They also ignored any purist notions of the delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
with their cover of "How Long Blues
How Long, How Long Blues
"How Long, How Long Blues" is a traditional eight bar blues song, made famous by Leroy Carr on his 1928 Vocalion Records recording with the guitarist Scrapper Blackwell...
" by Leroy Carr
Leroy Carr
Leroy Carr was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist, who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced such artists as Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. He first became famous for "How Long, How Long Blues" on Vocalion Records in 1928.-Life and...
, who not only was not from the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
and did not play guitar, but was also one of the commercial urban blues successes of the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
.
In 1996, RCA reissued the album on compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
with five bonus tracks recorded at the same time. The box set Hot Tuna in a Can included this version along with remasters of the band's subsequent four albums First Pull Up Then Pull Down
First Pull Up, Then Pull Down
First Pull Up, Then Pull Down was the second album by Hot Tuna. The album was recorded live with electric instruments, instead of the acoustic instruments used on the previous album, Hot Tuna. The album rose to #43 on the Billboard charts...
, Burgers
Burgers (album)
-Personnel:*Jorma Kaukonen – guitars, lead vocals*Jack Casady – bass, vocals, eyebrow*Papa John Creach – violin, vocals*Sammy Piazza – drums, tympani, other percussion, vocals-Additional personnel:...
, America's Choice
America's Choice
America's Choice was the fifth album by the American blues rock band Hot Tuna, recorded in 1974 and released the following year. The first of the "Rampage" trilogy albums recorded by the now power trio, it marked a major shift in musical direction by the group...
and Hoppkorv
Hoppkorv
-Personnel:*Jorma Kaukonen – vocals, guitar*Jack Casady – bass*Bob Steeler – drums, percussion-Additional Personnel:*Nick Buck – keyboards*John Sherman – 2nd guitar on "Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man"*Karen Tobin – background vocals-Production:...
. The box set is also out of print.
Track listing
Personnel
- Jorma KaukonenJorma KaukonenJorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.-Biography:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Jack CasadyJack CasadyJack Casady , is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Will Scarlett – harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
Production
- Al SchmittAl SchmittAl Schmitt is a recording engineer and record producer.-Early career:Schmitt grew up in New York City. After serving in the U.S. Navy he began working at Apex Recording Studios at the age of 19. In the late 1950's Schmitt moved to Los Angeles and became a staff engineer at Radio Recorders on Santa...
– producer - Allen Zentz – engineer
- Pat Ieraci – master of the machines
- Margareta Kaukonen – painting
- Mike Frankel – photography
- Gut – art direction