John Kahn Band
The John Kahn Band was a short-lived blues-oriented rock band that formed following the death of Jerry Garcia, the iconic guitar player for The Grateful Dead. John Kahn had worked with Jerry Garcia since 1970 and is the only member other than Garcia that was in every iteration of the Jerry Garcia Band over a twenty year period.[1] The John Kahn band consisted mostly of the surviving members of the Jerry Garcia Band and officially formed in early 1996. They played two public concerts in preparation for a planned tour, unfortunately, John Kahn died and the tour never happened.[2]
History[edit]
The John Kahn Band was formed following the death of Jerry Garcia. At the suggestion of longtime Jerry Garcia Band bassist John Kahn, the remaining members decided to form a new band and performed two concerts at the Palookaville Club in Santa Cruz, CA. on May 4 and 5, 1996. They had originally scheduled a single show but added another after the overwhelming response, selling out both shows instantly. Former Jefferson Starship manager, Michael Gaiman promoted the event and had longer term plans for a tour and possibly an album. The band members included John Kahn on bass, Melvin Seals on organ, Jackie LaBranch and Gloria Jones back-up singers, Donny Baldwin on drums, and newly added members Larry Batiste on vocals and Ho-Young Kim on guitar.
John Kahn was interviewed about the future of the John Kahn Band, and he responded: "Well, my plans are not real definite. This was just an experimental thing to see if it was gonna work at all. It seems like it was an awful lot of fun for everybody, so I'd like to continue with it and see what we can do. We all love to play together and I would love to make a record with some original songs that I've been working on with Larry Batiste. And I know Melvin writes songs. I'd really like to do some original stuff."[3]
The future of the John Kahn Band, including any planned tour or album, was ended just a few weeks after the Palookaville shows following the death of John Kahn.[2]
Death of John Kahn[edit]
John Kahn died of a heart attack in his sleep on May 30, 1996 in Mill Valley, California.[4] His death was less than one year after Jerry Garcia, possibly caused by a narcotics overdose,[5][2] his death was also at least partially attributed to his grief, depression, and being blacklisted by the Garcia Estate not paying for such things as "music royalties, freestanding figures and drawings."[6]
Legacy and JGB[edit]
The promoter of the Palookaville shows, Michael Gaiman, contacted Melvin Seals following Kahn's death - Seals stated “He said I was the next-longest-surviving member, and he wanted to know if we wanted to put something together. Based on what I saw at Palookaville, I decided to do what Jerry would have done.” Seals wanted to call the band Tribute, but Gaiman wanted to brand them JGB.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Remembering John Kahn, Jerry Garcia's Main "Un-Dead" Collaborator, On The Anniversary Of His Death [Videos]". L4LM. May 30, 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Melvin Seals Brings Jerry Garcia's Legacy Full Circle". September 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Gopher Proxy". gopherproxy.meulie.net.
- ↑ Jackson, Blair (1999). Garcia: An American Life. Penguin Books. p. 470. ISBN 0-14-02-9199-7.
As had happened with Garcia, Kahn's heart simply gave out. Though there were drugs in his system at the time of his death, it was not ruled an overdose.
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- ↑ "John Kahn | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ↑ Horowitz, Donna. "Creditors Eye Garcia Estate". Tulsa World.
External links[edit]
- Final Interview with Fat Music writer Felton Pruitt on 5/5/1996 - Gopher Proxy
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