Jack Casady (born John William Casady, April 13, 1944 in Washington D.C), is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C. area rhythm and blues band "The Triumphs", he switched to bass during his high school years and while still underage (and with a forged I.D.) , played the Washington D.C club scene, backing artists such as Little Anthony and the Imperials and Ray Charles. He became the bass player for Jefferson Airplane (replacing original bassist Bob Harvey) when lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, a high school friend and former Triumphs rhythm guitarist, invited him to join in the summer of 1965. Jefferson Airplane became the first successful exponent of the San Francisco sound, characterized as loud, raw, powerful rock and roll with plenty of feeling and an improvisatory dimension. Their singles, including "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," had a more polished style and successfully charted in 1967 and 1968. They are one of the best remembered bands of the "Psychedelic Sixties," inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x978, 281 KB)Jack Casady playing with Hot Tuna in 2005. ... Hot Tuna at Merlefest, 2006. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that most often follows a twelve-bar structure. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... Little Anthony & The Imperials were a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from Los Angeles, California in the 1950s and 1960s. ... Ray Charles was the stage name of Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. ... Jefferson Airplane is an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For psychedelics, see psychedelic drug. ... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at sunset. ...

Jefferson Airplane Years 1966-1972

Casady adjusted his bass and amplifier for a bigger and more luxurious tone, and as a song's performance developed, stepped beyond the conventional rhythmic and chord-supporting role of rock & roll, in order to explore other possible melodic ideas offered by the rhythm and chord progressions. His impact is immediately evident on Airplane debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off (1966) on tracks such as "Let Me In" and "Run Around." The live Airplane album Bless Its Pointed Little Head, recorded in 1968, demonstrates Casady's unique walking line style to the fullest, as his Guild Starfire bass signal was delivered through a Versatone amplifier which gave his instrument a distinctive growling sound when played in the higher register. The Fred Neil track "The Other Side of This Life" remains the quintessential example of his style. On later Airplane albums, such as Bark, Long John Silver and the live Thirty Seconds Over Winterland, Casady switched over to a $4,000 custom-made Alembic bass (#001, the first made by the company) dubbed "Mission Control." The extraordinarily grand sound Casady produced during his 1968-71 heyday—nowhere better heard than in his multi-tracked playing on "Sunrise," a song from Paul Kantner's 1970 solo album Blows Against the Empire—inspired fans to assign him the affectionate nickname of "God." Jefferson Airplane Takes Off is the debut album of San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane. ... Bless Its Pointed Little Head is a 1969 album by Jefferson Airplane. ... Fred Neil (March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an important American blues and folk singer and songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. ... For other meanings of bark, see Bark (disambiguation). ... Thirty Seconds Over Winterland is a 1973 album by the American psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane. ... Alembic Dragons Breath Custom Bass Guitar Alembic was founded in 1969 and is a manufacturer of high-end electric basses, guitars and preamps. ... Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock movement. ...

Other noteworthy Casady performances on Jefferson Airplane recordings include the seminal Top 10 hit "White Rabbit" (on the album Surrealistic Pillow, 1967), "Rejoyce" and "Watch Her Ride" (After Bathing at Baxters, 1967), "Crown of Creation", "If You Feel" and "The House on Pooneil Corners" (Crown of Creation, 1968), and "Crazy Miranda" and "War Movie" (Bark, 1971). Several of these tracks are remarkable for their groundbreaking infusions of jazz and raga bass lines into the rock format. For years in live performance with the Airplane, Casady's showcase was the Paul Kantner composition "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil," which gave the bassist the opportunity to improvise an open-ended solo that was different every night and often astonishing. The Fly Jefferson Airplane DVD includes one such performance videotaped at The Family Dog, where Casady pulls off a ragingly inventive solo that visibly impresses fellow band member Grace Slick. He was likewise adept at complementing the musicianship of his fellow players; the live version of "Volunteers" on the Woodstock album is a notable example of cooperating bass and keyboard rhythm with session pianist Nicky Hopkins. Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock movement. ... Grace Slick (born October 30, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, and also as a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s. ... Nicholas Nicky Hopkins (February 24, 1944 in Ealing, West London – September 6, 1994 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) was an English musician who featured on scores of the most important British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, playing piano and organ. ...

Casady's appetite for playing led him to do extensive moonlighting during his Airplane tenure. Not only did he perform live on stage with Jimi Hendrix during 1968, he also played bass on the Jimi Hendrix song "Voodoo Child", from the Electric Ladyland album released in the same year (some copies of album misspell his name as Cassidy). He also occasionally played with other key San Francisco bands Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish and James and the Good Brothers. Furthermore, he was a member of two short-lived splinter groups, Mickey and the Heartbeats (with Jerry Garcia and Mickey Hart) and Jack Casady and the Degenerates; neither of these groups ever recorded, though live tapes are in circulation. Later, Casady was to appear on David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember my Name" (1971) and Warren Zevon's "Transverse City" (1989). He also produced Jorma Kaukonen's first solo album, the critically acclaimed "Quah", in 1974. This article contains a trivia section. ... Electric Ladyland is a rock album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in 1968 (1968 in music). ... Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California. ... Country Joe and the Fish, from the cover of Feel Like Im Fixin to Die Country Joe and the Fish was a rock music/folk music band known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1965 to 1970. ... Jerome John Jerry the Bulldog Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician, songwriter, and artist best known for being the lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead. ... Mickey Hart (born September 11, 1943) is best known as one of the two drummers from the rock band the Grateful Dead. ... David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. ...

Hot Tuna at Merlefest, 2006. Left to right, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukonen, and Barry Mitterhof.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1957x1389, 549 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1957x1389, 549 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ...

Hot Tuna

Casady and Kaukonen formed Hot Tuna in 1969, and they still perform to the present day. The group has morphed over the years from an acoustic blues unit to an electric boogie band to a rampaging metal act and back again. Casady is equally comfortable accompanying an acoustic Kaukonen ("Mann's Fate", 1970) or electric jamming ("John's Other", 1971). Casady's solo on "Candy Man" (Hot Tuna's First Pull up Then Pull Down, 1971) also shows his ability at carrying the melody rather than just playing rhythmic scales, a key characteristic of his bass solo work. Some exquisitely intricate playing is evident on the 1972 album Burgers, particularly the sparkling instrumental track "Water Song," which Casady has described as featuring "lead bass." Another Burgers track, " Sunny Day Strut", has Casady's bass dueling with Kaukonen's lead guitar. When Tuna became a power trio in the mid 70's, Casady's Guild Flying V custom bass became his trademark. Later works, especially Live in Japan (1997), still testify to his creativity as evidenced by the continually evolving bass solos on "Candy Man", "Good Shepherd" and "99 Year Blues". Hot Tuna at Merlefest, 2006. ... Burgers is plural of Burger. ...

In the late 1970s, Casady and Kaukonen found that they needed some creative time apart and Hot Tuna disbanded for several years. During this time, Casady helped found a short-lived modern rock band, SVT, with Brian Marnell, a promising songwriter and frontman (who later died of a drug overdose after SVT had disbanded). Again, Casady's versatility was demonstrated as this band played in a convincing New Wave style, totally removed from Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane. During his SVT tenure, Casady actually taped his fingers together to force himself to simplify his highly articulated playing style. He and drummer Paul Zahl formed an exemplary rhythm section, as evidenced on the LP No Regrets (1981). Also during the 80's, Casady joined former Airplane members Paul Kantner and Marty Balin in the KBC Band. Hot Tuna at Merlefest, 2006. ... Sveriges Television- Swedish Television Ford Special Vehicle Team Supraventricular tachycardia Samozaryadnaya Vintovka Tokareva, a WW2 semi-automatic rifle Categories: Disambiguation ... The KBC Band was formed in 1986 by former Jefferson Airplane (later Jefferson Starship) members Paul Kantner (guitar and vocals), Marty Balin (guitar and vocals) and Jack Cassidy (bass). ...

In recent years Casady has had a change of philosophy about the role the bass should play in presenting a song, and though he continues to play melodically, he now prefers to play in support of a song rather than to use a song as a platform for demonstrating his virtuosity of his instrument. As a result, though his mastery has not diminished with time, his sound is no longer as foregrounded or as grand as it once was—by choice.

Dream Factor

Not a singer and never a prolific songwriter, it was not until June 2003 that Casady released his first solo album, Dream Factor, produced by his wife Diane Quine. Like other Airplane-related solo works, there was nothing solo about it, as it featured substantial support from the likes of Warren Haynes, Doyle Bramhall II, Jorma Kaukonen, Fee Waybill, Ivan Neville, the group Box Set, and many other musician friends. A well-played, warm-sounding, and diversely programmed album, Dream Factor ultimately suffers from being too much of a sampler, lacking the fire, audacity and specific personality of Casady's finest work. One exception, the instrumental "Outside," exemplifies the signature sound that Casady's followers hoped the entire album would embody. Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter and long time member of The Allman Brothers Band. ... Doyle Bramhall II (born 24 December 1968) is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and is also the second guitarist in Eric Claptons band. ...

Currently, as well as performing with Hot Tuna, Casady teaches bass workshops at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio. As of May 2007, he is also playing in a new group "Moonalice" alongside former Jefferson Starship bassist and Hot Tuna pianist Pete Sears. Pete Sears has played Keyboards or Bass Guitar with a large variety of artists, including the classic Rod Stewart albums, Gasoline Ally, Every Picture Tells a Story, Never a Dull Moment and Smiler. Pete was with the Jefferson Starship from 1974 to 1987 and currently plays in the Jorma Kaukonen...

Casady helped design in conjunction with Epiphone, the "Jack Casady Signature Bass", a 34-inch scale hollow-body electric bass with single low-impedance humbucker pickup. Traditional humbucker pickup, uncovered A conventional humbucker (or Humbucking pickup) is a type of electric guitar pickup that uses two coils, both generating string signal. ...

External links

• Official Jack Casady website Requires Flash