Editing Zal Yanovsky

{{Short description|Canadian musical artist (1944–2002)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Zal Yanovsky
| image             = Zal Yanovsky, KRLA Beat 03-11-1967.jpg
| caption           = Yanovsky, 1967
| image_size        = 
| birth_name        = Zalman Yanovsky
| alias             = 
| birth_date        = {{birth date|mf=yes|1944|12|19}}
| birth_place       = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| death_date        = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2002|12|13|1944|12|19}}
| death_place       = [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada
| spouse            = {{unbulleted list
| [[Jackie Burroughs]] (m. 1967; div. 1968) 
|Rose Richardson (m. before 1979)
}}
| instrument        = Guitar, vocals
| genre             = [[Folk music|Folk]], [[folk rock]], [[rock and roll]]
| occupation        = Musician, songwriter, restaurateur
| years_active      = 1964–1971
| label             = 
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist|
*[[The Lovin' Spoonful]]
*[[The Mugwumps (band)|The Mugwumps]]
*[[The Halifax Three]]
}}
| website           = 
}}

'''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>{{cite web |url=https://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/inductee/zal-yanovsky/ |title=Zal Yanovsky |website=Canadian Music Hall of Fame |access-date=June 16, 2021}}</ref> He was also inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2000 as a member of the Lovin' Spoonful.

==Musical career==
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">{{cite book| title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music| editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)| editor-first=Colin| editor-last=Larkin| publisher=[[Virgin Books]]| year=2002| edition=2nd| url=https://archive.org/details/virginencycloped0000unse_d1p5/page/196/mode/2up?q=yanovsky| isbn=978-1-8522-7933-2| page=197| url-access=registration}}</ref> The two joined [[Cass Elliot]] in [[The Mugwumps (band)|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]]".

[[File:The Lovin' Spoonful, Hit Parader, March 1966, No. 3.jpg|thumb|Yanovsky, August{{nbsp}}1965]]

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>{{cite news| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thelovinspoonful/articles/story/5934509/spoonfuls_zal_yanovsky_dies| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120175444/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thelovinspoonful/articles/story/5934509/spoonfuls_zal_yanovsky_dies| url-status=dead| archive-date=November 20, 2007| title=Spoonful's Zal Yanovsky Dies| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| first=Scott| last=Schnider| date=December 16, 2002| access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref> The Lovin' Spoonful had hits such as "[[Do You Believe in Magic (song)|Do You Believe in Magic]]", "[[Summer in the City (song)|Summer in the City]]", "[[Daydream (The Lovin' Spoonful song)|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>{{Cite magazine |title=The Lovin' Spoonful |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-lovin-spoonful/ |access-date=2022-11-21 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1966, [[The Lovin' Spoonful's drug bust|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|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], but fared a little better in ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'', peaking at No. 73, and reaching No. 57 in the Canadian [[RPM (magazine)|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>{{cite web |url=http://www.classicbands.com/spoonful.html |title=The Lovin' Spoonful |website=Classicbands.com |access-date=2010-10-19 }}</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 [[The Village Gate|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 (film)|One-Trick Pony]] and reunited with the Lovin Spoonful.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081280/fullcredits |title=One-Trick Pony (1980) - IMDb |access-date=2024-08-06 |via=www.imdb.com}}</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.

==Restaurateur==
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 life==
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>{{cite news| url=http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/03/05/the-story-of-jackie-burroughs-a-yorkville-laundromat-and-two-of-the-biggest-drug-addled-bands-of-the-1960s/| title=The story of Jackie Burroughs, a Yorkville laundromat, and two of the biggest drug-addled bands of the 1960s| magazine=[[Spacing (magazine)|Spacing]]| last=Bunch| first=Adam| date=March 5, 2013| access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McPherson |first=David |date=2023-05-05 |title=Zal Yanovsky |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/zal-yanovsky |access-date=2024-12-14 |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |language=en}}</ref> He subsequently married Rose Richardson. His step-mother was Anna Yanovsky (née Atanas), who died in 2022.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/thestar/name/anna-yanovsky-obituary?pid=201539724| title=Anna Yanovsky Obituary| date=March 5, 2022| newspaper=[[Toronto Star]]| via=Legacy.com| access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref>

==Death==
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>{{cite news| url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2002-12-16/entertainment/18217535_1_zal-yanovsky-steve-boone-transit-strike-today| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527151541/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2002-12-16/entertainment/18217535_1_zal-yanovsky-steve-boone-transit-strike-today| url-status=dead| archive-date=May 27, 2012| newspaper=[[New York Daily News]]| first=David| last=Hinckley| title=Yanovsky Death Recalls The Best Legacy of Radio| date=December 16, 2002}}</ref>

=={{Anchor|Discography}} Discography ==

=== Singles ===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions
!width="30" scope="col" rowspan="2"|Year
!width="250" scope="col" rowspan="2"|Single details
!width="100" colspan="3"|Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | [[Billboard Hot 100|US ''Billboard'']]<br /><ref name=Billboard>{{cite magazine|title=Bubbling Under the Hot 100|date=October 28, 1967|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VCgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA41|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | [[Cashbox (magazine)|US ''Cash{{nbsp}}Box'']]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Cash Box Top 100|magazine=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]|date=October 28, 1967|page=4}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | [[RPM (magazine)|CAN]]<br /><ref>{{cite magazine|url = https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.100114&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.100114.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.100114 |title = The ''RPM'' 100 |date=November 11, 1967 |magazine = [[RPM (magazine)|RPM]] |via = [[Library and Archives Canada]] |access-date = August 12, 2023}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" |1967
|"As Long as You're Here"<br/><small>b/w "Ereh Er'ouy Sa Gnol Sa"</small>
*Released: September 1967<ref>{{cite magazine|author=''Billboard'' Review Panel|title=Spotlight Singles|date=September 23, 1967|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=18|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XCgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA18|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=Anon.|title=Zalman (Zally) Yanovsky advertisement|date=September 30, 1967|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|page=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WygEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA1|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
*Label: [[Buddha Records|Buddha]] {{small|(BDA 12)}}
|align="center"|101{{efn|group=upper-alpha|Peaked on ''Billboard''{{'s}} [[Bubbling Under the Hot 100]] chart.<ref name=Billboard />}}
|align="center"|63
|align="center"|57
|-
|}

'''Notes'''
{{Notelist|group=upper-alpha}}

=== Albums ===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Year
! Album details
|-
! scope="row" |1968
|''Alive and Well in Argentina''
* Released: April 1968<ref>{{cite book |last1=Childs |first1=Marti Smiley |last2=March |first2=Jeff |title=Echoes of the Sixties |date=1999 |publisher=Billboard Books |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-8230-8316-9 |page=222 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kHoHAQAAMAAJ |language=en |quote=About six months after Zal left the Spoonful, he had asked Jerry [Yester] to collaborate in producing his solo album, ''Alive and Well In Argentina'', which Buddah released in April 1968.}}</ref>
* Label: [[Buddha Records|Buddha]] {{small|(BDS-5019)}}<ref name="Larkin60"/>
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Music|Canada}}
*[[Canadian rock]]
*[[Music of Canada]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons and category}}
* [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p140219|pure_url=yes}} Yanovsky's entry in Allmusic]
* {{discogs artist|Zal Yanovsky}}
* [https://canadianbands.com/zal-yanovsky/ Article at canadianbands.com]
* [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/zal-yanovsky Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca]
* {{imdb name|0946255}}

{{The Lovin' Spoonful}}
{{Canadian Music Hall of Fame}}
{{2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yanovsky, Zal}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:2002 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian guitarists]]
[[Category:Buddah Records artists]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Toronto]]
[[Category:Canadian company founders]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian folk guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian male guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian folk rock musicians]]
[[Category:Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Canadian record producers]]
[[Category:Canadian restaurateurs]]
[[Category:Canadian rock guitarists]]
[[Category:Canadian male songwriters]]
[[Category:Food and drink company founders]]
[[Category:Jewish Canadian musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish singers]]
[[Category:Canadian lead guitarists]]
[[Category:Singers from Toronto]]
[[Category:The Lovin' Spoonful members]]