ZAL YANOFSKY
Zal Yanovsky (December 19, 1944 – December 13, 2002) was a Canadian rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky. He played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin' Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964. According to Sebastian, "He could play like Elmore James, he could play like Floyd Cramer, he could play like Chuck Berry. He could play like all these people, yet he still had his own overpowering personality. Out of this we could, I thought, craft something with real flexibility." (More from Wikipedia)
The Mamas and the Papas are another band featuring both men and women that had enduring popularity throughout the British Invasion years. The complicated story of their formation and the other musicians who moved in and out of their circles – which included John Sebastian and Zal Yanofsky of the Lovin' Spoonful – is related in their song "Creeque Alley". Considerably more drama would follow during and after the Mamas and the Papas had their hit-making run.
(November 2013)