
Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen Can't Stay Idle For Long
Legendary Blues Rock Guitarist Going Strong Well Into His 80's, Band Set To Play Charleston
Jeff Walker, Entertainment Writer
What began as a side project from the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane in 1969, has become a full-blown 55 year nonstop jam. Despite never having any Top 40 singles, Hot Tuna emerged as one of the hottest live performance bands during the 1970's, and more than five decades later the nucleus of the band remains.
While various members of Jefferson Airplane including Paul Kantner and Marty Balin revolved in and out of the band during the first few years, the core of Hot Tuna was and still is Jorma Kaukonen (guitarist/vocals) and Jack Casady (bassist).
84 years young and in reasonably good health Kaukonen enjoys writing songs, recording, and performing live. He admits it's hard for him to be idle. "That's a good question. I do everything I do to keep my music skills at the highest level. I can't practice at home. And quite frankly I'm still excited about experiencing different things with my music."
As unique as genres of rock n' roll are, so too are the origins of band names. Kaukonen came up with names to both bands. With Jefferson Airplane, it was based on his childhood nickname influences of legendary bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson. Hot Tuna's moniker was inspired by a jokester who referenced the name 'hot tuna' after hearing the words 'What's that smell like fish, oh baby', from the song 'Keep On Truckin', off the band's debut release 'Live At The New Orleans House - Berkeley, CA'. "That's how it played out."
As rock n' roll history denotes and Kaukonen has often said, Hot Tuna came about to keep Airplane members busy while famed female singer Grace Slick was recovering from vocal chord surgery. According to Kaukonen, he and Casady would have formed their band no matter what.
"Hot Tuna would have definitely come about. Maybe it would have been delayed for a short while, but it was certainly something Jack and I had in us. When Grace was sidelined for a while that gave us the ideal platform to do what we've come to do best."
Already set in motion and with record label support, Hot Tuna slowly evolved into a must see improvisational jam band. When Airplane resumed touring, Hot Tuna became their opening act, providing them to reach a larger audience.
However, with Balin seeking solo success and existing Airplane members going through personal turmoil, the band hit a wall in 1973, allowing Kaukonen and Casady to go full throttle with Hot Tuna and to focus on their brand of blues rock.
Not following a set script the band often got tagged as a jam band, a label Kaukonen disagrees with. "There's lots of ways to label bands. The jam band genre didn't exist back in the 1960's. Everything was still new. It was easy to fill that vacuum with bands like the Grateful Dead, and God bless them they were the best at it."
As for Hot Tuna. "We were just able to use a set list and run with it, and that set list would change night after night. Our initial goal was just to keep playing our songs."
While Kaukonen's earliest attraction to music came complements of the King during the mid 1950's, he soon hopped on the blues train, and says blues music has been his driving force ever since. "On so many levels. However, my first introduction into modern rock was Elvis, sometime around 1954 or '55. But early rock n' roll and the whole rockabilly sound was inspired by the blues."
He adds, "Jack's older brother Chick introduced me to the blues. He had records from blues artists, and these were guys that didn't get played on the radio, so you had to seek their music out. Once I was introduced to that genre, I was hooked."
Hot Tuna hit the ground running. 1971 saw the release of 'First Pull Up, Then Pull Down', their second live album, followed by a 'Burgers' (1972) featuring iconic violinist Papa John Creach, and 'The Phosphorescent Rat' (1974). The mid 70's saw the band become a power trio with the inclusion of drummer Bob Steeler and Hot Tuna adopting more of a hard blues rock edge. The new sound was evident in 'America's Choice', 'Yellow Fever', and 'Hoppkorv', the latter two albums released in 1975.
With a handful of albums, still there was nothing for mainstream radio. "Bands of our ilk were in a different lane. Would we have loved to have had a hit or two, perhaps but our love for music, and I mean our style of music superseded radio success. All we were ever concerned with is being honest to our music. This many years down the road, I guess it's worked for us." Jokingly he adds, "That ship sailed a long time ago."
Kaukonen senses the record companies might have enjoyed single success, but ultimately were driven by the almighty dollar. "That's probably true. I personally never talked to the label myself. Our songs may not have cracked the Top 40, however our album sales were good, so I feel certain we kept the bean counters smiling."
Jefferson Airplane aside Kaukonen has released 14 albums with Hot Tuna, as well as 15 solo albums including three live recordings. Hot Tuna's most recent release 'Steady As She Goes' came out in 2011, with his latest solo effort 'Ain't In No Hurry' released in 2015, adding his own spin on diverse songs from Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey, early jazz artist Jimmy Cox, and folk legend Woody Guthrie. "My appreciation for music is far ranging."
Did 'Ain't In No Hurry' reflect a 'tongue & cheek' irony, perhaps suggesting he was slowing down. "Not really. Obviously aging is one of the few variables we can't control. Being inside the body of an 84 year old it's tough sometimes to get the machine going. But I just roll with it." The album garnered rave reviews overall, with Rolling Stone Magazine echoing Kaukonen is 'a master in situ, unfurling melodies and savoring every note'.
As he did on several of Hot Tuna's recordings Kaukonen wrote a majority of their songs, with a few tracks covering legends such as Buddy Holly (It's So Easy), Chuck Berry (Talkin' bout You), and an edgier remake of Jimmy Reed's 1959 Top 10 R&B hit 'Baby What You Want Me to Do'.
Is songwriting still a priority for Kaukonen. "It's part of me, and it's inside of me. I haven't written 1000's of songs, but I have written my fair share. I've written songs I'm proud of, and co-written songs I'm proud of. I'm not certain I'm a prolific song writer, but my songs have been well received and that's good enough for me." Regarding new music. "If I was writing today, I'd want for something to kick me in the ass. That's how I'd know it was meant to be."
Having spent a majority of his life either in the recording studio, writing music, or performing live, Kaukonen says the stage tops the list currently. "At this point in my life, absolutely! That might have been somewhat different decades ago, but what we can bring to the show and the fans that come out every night, that's what matters most to me now."
Some might think Hot Tuna only attract baby boomers, but according to Kaukonen it's the music and the musicianship that fills the seats. "It's a combination of both. We still draw the hippie crowd. We draw youngsters interested in our music or people that are interested in playing the guitar, and like what we do."
He adds, "After playing together for more than 60 years, Jack and I are still on the hunt for new music. We're not trying to be a retro band, rather we're hoping to remain fresh."
Admitting his life has been an open book, Kaukonen published his autobiography 'Been So Long: My Life and Music' in 2018. Among the 368 pages he declares 'Music is the reward for being alive'. He explains further. "There's a quote from Nietzsche (19th century philosopher) 'Without music, life would be a mistake'. I believe there's no better way to communicate than through music. It just reaches everyone on a visceral level."
He had toyed with presenting his life's story for years, and even had offers to help write it. "Many guys in my position, maybe because we're songwriters feel there's a book inside us. I kind of had it in mind at some point. Ironically a little more than 10 years ago someone approached me in hopes of writing my story. But it occurred to me they were more interested in me dishing out dirt on everyone I've worked with along the way. I had no desire to do that."
Kaukonen goes on to say, "That kind of lit the spark in me. I've always been journaling, so I've kept somewhat of a timeline of events in my life which made it easier to tackle. The hardest part was getting over the initial hurdle. It took me about two years, because I was still touring and working on music. But it turned out to be a labor of love."
Published with the help of St. Martin's Press, 'Been So Long: My Life and Music' includes a forward from fellow Jefferson Airplane member Grace Slick, and an afterword by Kaukonen’s lifelong partner in entertainment crime Jack Casady.
Having reveled in the limelight for 60 years, Kaukonen admits there have been several milestones, with the original Woodstock Festival among his career highlights, even if the members of Jefferson Airplane didn't fully embrace it initially.
"I feel we (band) and certainly I didn't realize it at the time. No doubt it was the same for several of the groups that played." He describes in further detail, "In 1969 Jefferson Airplane was one of the top bands in rock n' roll. And in that year there were a lot of music festivals, and we played several of them."
As to Woodstock, "We went out 10 days prior to check out the facility. Again we thought it's just another concert date for us. Little did we know it would become the pivotal music festival for the rock n' roll generation. Jack and I were fortunate we had the opportunity to experience it first hand."
In 1996, the 1966–70 lineup of Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Balin (vocals), Casady, Spencer Dryden (drums), Kantner (guitar & vocals) and Kaukonen all in attendance. Slick was unavailable for the induction ceremony.
Six decades and counting, are there blues artists he's delighted in having worked with. "I've been fortunate to have shared the stage and the studio with some of the best musicians to ever emerge. Two artists I'm big fans of today are Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. They are certainly keeping the blues alive for this generation."
Any past or present he would or would have welcomed on stage. "Artists I'd still love to jam with. Eric Clapton comes to mind. He's still living, so that's not out of the question. But I did perform a few times with the legendary Buddy Guy. He's still the man when it comes to blues!"
Kaukonen's bigger wish list extends to a larger than life icon, now departed. "I would have loved to have shared the stage with B.B. King. He was a blues god." They did meet however in a strange forum. "Oddly B.B. and I sat down together in New York for an interview with Tiger Beat Magazine (primarily a teen magazine). The focus was more on B.B., and rightfully so. But I remember him being one of the most gracious human beings I've ever met."
Where Jorma finds the most solace. "Being on stage with Jack is still a thrill. We've known each other for more than 65 years. He's my best friend, and like a brother to me. Probably the greatest thing about our relationship is we respect each other as musicians."
When he's not touring Kaukonen can be found hanging his hat near Athens, Ohio where he's still involved in his long running 'Fur Peace Ranch' experience', a master class guitar camp he founded in 1998. While he began passing the torch over during Covid, he's still and integral part of the sessions. "The mother ship is still here at our little house, although it was time to move on and let someone else take control. For more on Fur Peace visit https://jormakaukonen.com/blog/2025/the-return-of-the-fur-peace-experience/
Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady showcase their style of blues and roots music as the duo bring their Hot Tuna acoustic show, to the Charleston Music Hall on Thursday Jan 30th. It's part of a southeastern swing that has them playing in Durham, NC, Wilmington, and Charlottesville Va.
For more on Jorma visit his website at https://jormakaukonen.com/ For the tour visit https://hottuna.com/tour/ and for more on the Charleston stop visit https://www.charlestonmusichall.com/event/hot-tuna/