artist info

“Hot Tuna is a Psychedelic-Blues Institution.” - Rolling Stone

The duo of Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, who played with Jefferson Airplane as that band flew to its highest heights of creativity and spanned an era in rock music that stretched from the folk and blues revival through psychedelia and beyond, have had a nearly life-long relationship, having played together since they were teenagers living near Washington, D.C. They are both highly respected for their instrumental prowess and the moving, deeply rooted American rock music they helped pioneer. After relocating to San Francisco as it neared the height of the psychedelic scene, Kaukonen was a founding member of Jefferson Airplane in the ’60s and was with the band as it released drug-fueled hits “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” He wrote songs with that band through the late ’60s, becoming known for his long, intricate guitar jams at a time when audiences were game to go along for the ride.

Kaukonen and Casady formed Hot Tuna in 1969 and have played together on and off ever since. And with the rise of the Americana movement in contemporary music, the duo has enjoyed another revival of interest in their music. “My take on music has always had to do with what we now call Americana,” Kaukonen said in a call from his Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio last month. “We just called it ‘old music’ then. … We fell into the rock scene. I was in the right place at the right time.”

The name Hot Tuna invokes as many different moods and reactions as there are Hot Tuna fans — millions of them. To some, Hot Tuna is a reminder of some wild and happy times. To others, that name will forever be linked to their own discovery of the power and depth of American blues and roots music. To newer fans, Hot Tuna is a tight, masterful duo that is on the cutting edge of great music. All of those things are correct, and more. For more than four decades, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady have played, toured, and recorded some of the best and most memorable music ever. And Hot Tuna is still going strong — some would say stronger than ever.

The two released their latest album, the electrified “Steady As She Goes,” in 2011.