Woodstock Day 13: John Sebastian

John Sebastian, ex-member of The Lovin' Spoonful, played on Saturday, August 16th at 3:30 pm at Woodstock. Sebastian wasn't originally scheduled to play at Woodstock, but he took the best filler spot available. Sebastian was also high during his set so it very spontaneous and casually played. At the end of his set he had a funny comment: "Just love everybody all around ya and clean up a little garbage on your way out and everything gonna be alright." Clearly a mellow guy at an apropos venue and his set was highly memorable - I mean it's hard to forget a fully tie-dyed man.

Sebastian at Woodstock

Sebastian left The Lovin' Spoonful in 1968 and in the same year he composed the music and lyrics for the musical Jimmy Shine which premiered on Broadway. In 1970, Sebastian released his LP John B. Sebastian which featured him accompanied by various Los Angeles artists. In 1976, he had a #1 single, "Welcome Back," the theme song for the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. He is cited to be a major influence to many rock and blues rock artists.

Sebastian returned for Woodstock '94 and played harmonica for Crosby, Nash, Stills, and Young. (don't worry, I'll get to them too!) In 2008, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He's still fairly active today, mostly in the songwriting department.

To see what Sebastian is up to these days, visit his website: http://www.johnbsebastian.com/