Zal Yanovsky
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist
Zalman Yanovsky (December 19, 1944 – December 13, 2002) was a Canadian folk-rock musician and restaurateur. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky (née Gemeril), who died in 1958. He played lead guitar and sang for the Lovin' Spoonful, a rock band which he founded with John Sebastian in 1964.
In 1967 he left the Lovin' Spoonful and was replaced by Jerry Yester. Yanovsky released a solo album in 1968 titled Alive and Well in Argentina. In 1971 he retired from music and became a restaurateur, opening his own restaurant in 1979 and writing cookbooks. He continued to perform occasionally.
Yanovsky was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as a member of the Lovin' Spoonful.
Musical careerEdit
Mostly self-taught, Yanovsky began his musical career playing folk music coffee houses in Toronto. He lived on a kibbutz in Israel for a short time before returning to Canada. He teamed with fellow Canadian Denny Doherty in the Halifax Three.<ref name="Larkin60">Template:Cite book</ref> The two joined Cass Elliot in the Mugwumps,<ref name="Larkin60"/> a group mentioned by Doherty's and Cass's later group the Mamas & the Papas in the song "Creeque Alley".
It was at this time that he met John Sebastian, and they formed the Lovin' Spoonful with Steve Boone and Joe Butler.<ref name="Larkin60" /> 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Lovin' Spoonful had hits such as "Do You Believe in Magic", "Summer in the City", "Daydream", "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice". The group's only number one was "Summer In The City" (which stayed there for 3 weeks in August 1966).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In 1966, he was arrested in the United States on a marijuana-related charge.<ref name="Larkin60"/> Returning to his native Canada, he recorded the solo album Alive and Well in Argentina (and Loving Every Minute of It).<ref name="Larkin60"/> Buddah Records released the album in the U.S. in 1968, along with "As Long as You're Here", a single that did not appear on the album. The single (on which the B-side was the same track without vocals and with playback backwards) just missed the Billboard Hot 100, but fared a little better in Cashbox, peaking at No. 73, and reaching No. 57 in the Canadian RPM Magazine charts. Kama Sutra Records reissued the album in 1971 with a completely different cover, and the inclusion of "As Long as You're Here".
While a member of Kris Kristofferson's backing band at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, he had a brief reunion with John Sebastian;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Sebastian had been (apparently) unaware of Yanovsky's presence, and was made aware by a message passed through the crowd, written on a toilet roll.
He also appeared in the off-Broadway show National Lampoon's Lemmings at New York's Village Gate. Although not an original cast member, he contributed a musical number, "Nirvana Banana", a Donovan parody.
In 1980 he appeared in the movie One-Trick Pony and reunited with the Lovin' Spoonful.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> In 1996 Yanovsky was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and performed. In 2000 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Lovin' Spoonful, and performed alongside his former bandmates at the ceremony. The Hall of Fame performance was the last time Yanovsky performed live, and the last time the original line up of The Lovin' Spoonful performed together.
RestaurateurEdit
After retiring from the music business, Yanovsky became a chef and restaurateur<ref name="Larkin60"/> with his second wife, Rose Richardson; together they opened Chez Piggy in 1979, and Pan Chancho Bakery in 1994, both in Kingston, Ontario. He had worked as a chef at The Golden Apple (in Gananoque, Ontario) and, in the mid-1970s, at Dr. Bull's (in Kingston). The success of Chez Piggy prompted the publication of a companion cookbook (The Chez Piggy Cookbook, Firefly Books, 1998) that was collected by fans. After Yanovsky's death in December 2002, and Richardson's death in 2005, his daughter Zoe Yanovsky (with actress Jackie Burroughs) took over the ownership of both eateries. Zoe also completed and launched another cookbook that Zal was working on, titled The Pan Chancho Cookbook (Bookmakers Press, 2006).
Personal lifeEdit
Yanovsky met Canadian actress Jackie Burroughs in 1961 in a laundromat in Toronto, where he was sleeping in a dryer while homeless. They were married in 1967 and had one daughter, Zoe, before separating in 1968.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He subsequently married Rose Richardson. His step-mother was Anna Yanovsky (née Atanas), who died in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
DeathEdit
Yanovsky died on December 13, 2002, in Kingston, Ontario, from a heart attack, at the age of 57. A funeral service was held in Kingston, Ontario, on December 16, 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Anchor DiscographyEdit
SinglesEdit
| Year | Single details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard <ref name=Billboard>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
[[Cashbox (magazine)|US CashTemplate:NbspBox]] <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
CAN <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | ||
| 1967 | "As Long as You're Here" b/w "Ereh Er'ouy Sa Gnol Sa"
|
101Template:Efn | 63 | 57 |
Notes Template:Notelist
AlbumsEdit
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1968 | Alive and Well in Argentina
|
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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- Article at canadianbands.com
- Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
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Template:The Lovin' Spoonful Template:Canadian Music Hall of Fame Template:2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame