Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy nominee, Jorma Kaukonen to perform

NEWTON — Jorma Kaukonen, with special guest Barry Mitterhoff, comes to The Newton Theatre on Sunday, March 8 at 8 p.m.

In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and Americana, and at the forefront of popular rock-and-roll.

A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy nominee, he is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna.

The son of a State Department official, Jorma Kaukonen, Jr. was born and raised in the Washington D.C. area. He was a devotee of rock-and-roll in the Buddy Holly era but developed a love for the blues and bluegrass, which led him to take up the guitar. When he met guitar player Jack Casady they could not have known, that they were beginning a musical partnership that would continue for more than 50 years.

Jorma moved to California, where he met Paul Kantner and was asked to join new band Jefferson Airplane. Although Jorma’s true passion was roots music, he accepted. Jorma invited his old musical partner Jack Casady to come out to San Francisco and play electric bass, and together they created much of Jefferson Airplane’s signature sound.

A pioneer of counterculture-era psychedelic rock, the group was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success. They performed at the three most famous American rock festivals of the 1960s — Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969) and Altamont (1969). Their 1967 record Surrealistic Pillow is regarded as one of the key recordings of the “Summer of Love”, and includes hits "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit."

Jorma and Jack would jam whenever they could and would sometimes perform sets within sets at Airplane concerts, often playing clubs following the performances. Making a name for themselves as a duo, they struck a record deal, and Hot Tuna was born. Jorma left Jefferson Airplane after the band’s most productive five years, pursuing his full-time job with Hot Tuna.

Over the next three and a half decades Hot Tuna would perform thousands of concerts and release more than two-dozen records. The musicians who performed with them were many and widely varied, as were their styles — from acoustic to long and loud electric jams but never straying far from their musical roots.

In addition to his work with Hot Tuna, Jorma has recorded more than a dozen solo albums on major labels beginning with 1974’s Quah and continuing with his recent acoustic releases — 2007’s "Stars in My Crown" and "River of Time," produced by Larry Campbell and featuring Levon Helm.

Jorma continues to tour the world bringing his unique styling to old blues tunes while presenting new songs of weight and dimension. He’s releasing his next solo album, "Ain’t In No Hurry," early in 2015 on Red House Records.

Tickets for Jorma Kaukonen are $49 for premium seating, $44 for orchestra and $39 for balcony. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the box office at 973-383-3700.

The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton.