Greenwich Village, 1964: While the folk boom is still in progress, other musics began seeping into the corners and clubs of lower Manhattan. Rock, once down for the count, came back with a vengeance, largely thanks to a klatch of young British bands. Roots music, especially blues, grew rapidly in popularity as folk enthusiasts expanded their horizons. In this intoxicating milieu, John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone united to form the Lovin' Spoonful.

Originally a jug band with folk roots, they readily incorporated the sounds they heard all around them. Combining British Invasion jangle with the blues' growl and folk's attention to lyrical detail, they forged a sound completely their own. Accomplished musicians all, they had two secret weapons: the guitar virtuosity of Zal Yanovsky and the rising songwriting talent of John Sebastian.

The first Spoonful single, "Do You Believe in Magic," took AM radio by storm in June of that year, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Featuring an irrepressible melody, a chiming autoharp and Yanovsky's tasteful fills, it was an audacious debut. Their inaugural Kama Sutra LP, also titled Do You Believe in Magic, followed in November 1965. Containing three other Sebastian originals and one song credited to the band, the balance of the LP contained traditional blues covers and songs by contemporary writers. Reaching #32 on the Billboard Top 200, it established the band as one of country's brightest new talents.