Begun as an acoustic spin-off of
the Jefferson Airplane,
Hot Tuna eventually became the full-time focus of founding members
Jack Casady and
Jorma Kaukonen, emerging as a popular touring act of the 1970s. The two were lifelong friends, growing up together in Washington, D.C., and playing in the group the Triumphs. After high school, guitarist
Kaukonen and his government-service parents relocated to the Philippines, but he returned to the U.S. in time for the advent of psychedelia, landing in San Francisco and co-founding
the Airplane in 1965. Bassist
Casady joined not long after, and together they helped lead the group to massive success during the late '60s.
Hot Tuna -- originally dubbed Hot Sh*t, much to the chagrin of their label, RCA -- first began taking shape in 1969, while both
Casady and
Kaukonen were still active members of
the Jefferson Airplane; in fact, their first performances were sandwiched between regular
Airplane gigs. As a trio rounded out by harmonica player Will Scarlet (and occasionally including
Airplane members
Marty Balin and
Spencer Dryden),
Hot Tuna debuted in 1970 with a low-key self-titled LP of traditional blues and ragtime recorded live at the New Orleans House in Berkeley; by the following year's more rock-inspired
First Pull Up, Then Pull Down, their roster included violinist
Papa John Creach, concurrently a full-time member of
the Airplane, and drummer
Sammy Piazza. Minus Scarlet, a third album,
Burgers, appeared in 1972.
By the appearance of 1974's
The Phosphorescent Rat, both
Casady and
Kaukonen had officially exited
Jefferson Airplane; by this time
Creach, who elected to remain with
the Airplane, was no longer in the group. With 1975's
America's Choice,
Piazza too was gone, replaced by drummer
Bob Steeler;
Yellow Fever appeared that same year, with
Hoppkorv following in 1976. Keyboardist
Nick Buck signed on for 1978's
Double Dose, but
Hot Tuna subsequently announced their breakup, closing out the first phase of their career with 1979's
Final Vinyl.
In the wake of the group's demise,
Kaukonen released a solo LP,
Jorma, and later joined the new wave unit Vital Parts;
Casady also fronted a new wave group of his own,
SVT. In 1984, both returned to their roots:
Casady joined fellow
Airplane alums
Balin and
Paul Kantner in
the K.B.C. Band, while
Kaukonen reverted to the acoustic folk and blues of his formative years. Finally,
Casady and
Kaukonen played a handful of club dates under the
Hot Tuna aegis, re-forming on a more concrete basis in 1986; by 1990, their ranks included singer/multi-instrumentalist
Michael Falzarano, a veteran of many early reunion shows. That year
Hot Tuna released
Pair a Dice Found, their first collection of new studio material in over a decade; a series of live releases followed, including 1992's
Live at Sweetwater, 1997's
Splashdown Two, and 1999's
And Furthurmore... In the years to follow,
Hot Tuna continued to play several live shows a year in various configurations. A single-disc best-of from the RCA years,
Keep on Truckin', was released in 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
