Editing The Lovin' Spoonful (section)

==== John Sebastian ====
The Spoonful were one of several bands to have broken up in 1968.{{sfn|Hjort|2008|p=197}} In an article that December, [[Penny Valentine]] of ''[[Disc (magazine)|Disc and Music Echo]]'' counted the band's breakup and the formation of the folk-rock [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]] [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]] as reflecting a consolidation in the industry, "[tying] up all the loose strings of musical talent in the pop world".{{sfn|Hjort|2008|p=197}} Sebastian was offered a position in Crosby, Stills & Nash, but he declined,{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|pp=206–207}}{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=207}} expressing his desire in a contemporary interview to focus on his solo career rather than joining a new group.{{sfn|Hjort|2008|p=197}}

Following the Spoonful's dissolution, Sebastian was the only former member whose music career initially appeared promising.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|pp=196, 255}} Splitting time between New York City and Los Angeles, his first major project after leaving the band was composing the lyrics and music for the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show ''[[Jimmy Shine]]'',{{sfn|Shea|2023|p=343}} which ran from December{{nbsp}}1968 to April{{nbsp}}1969.{{sfn|Pollock|2009|pp=94–95}} In late{{nbsp}}1968, he signed with [[Warner Records]] and he recorded a solo album, ''[[John B. Sebastian (album)|John B. Sebastian]]'', which included contributions from Crosby, Stills & Nash.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006a}} Due to a contract dispute, release of the album was delayed by over a year until January{{nbsp}}1970.{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=203}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006a}}{{refn|group=nb|MGM claimed that they owned the rights to the album due to their contract with the Spoonful,{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=203}} and the label hoped to issue it under the band's name.{{sfn|Pollock|2009|p=94}} Both MGM and Warner issued copies of the LP with unique artwork.{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=203}}}} It reached number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape chart.{{sfn|Unterberger|2006a}}

[[File:2-JohnSebastianErikJacobsenZalYanovsky-Feb1974 4x6 300dpi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Sebastian, Jacobsen and Yanovsky in 1974]]

In the decade after he left the Spoonful, Sebastian was active in the concert and festival circuit, and he typically played around 100 shows a year.{{sfn|Helander|1999|p=237}} He made an impromptu appearance at the [[Woodstock]] festival in August{{nbsp}}1969, in which he played the Spoonful's songs "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Younger Generation".{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=278}} Despite his initial successes, Sebastian struggled as a songwriter for most of the 1970s.{{sfn|Unterberger|2003|p=290}}{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=255}} His 1974 album ''[[Tarzana Kid]]'' did not chart, but it was produced by Erik Jacobsen, marking the first time the two collaborated since their falling out years earlier.{{sfn|Rees|Crampton|1991|p=317}}{{sfn|Unterberger|2006c}} After his first five singles were commercial failures, Sebastian's label planned to drop him;{{sfn|Rees|Crampton|1991|p=317}} he achieved a number one hit in 1976 with "[[Welcome Back (John Sebastian song)|Welcome Back]]", the theme song for the TV show ''[[Welcome Back, Kotter]]'', but he was unable to translate it into continued success.{{sfn|Boone|Moss|2014|p=255}}