Zalman Yanovsky was a Canadian folk-rock musician. Born in Toronto, he was the son of political cartoonist Avrom Yanovsky and teacher Nechama Yanovsky, 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. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as a member of the Lovin’ Spoonful. He was married to actress Jackie Burroughs, with whom he had one daughter, Zoe.
Yanovsky, August 1965
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American folk-rock band formed in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1964. The band was among the most popular groups in the United States for a short period in the mid-1960s and their music and image influenced many of the contemporary rock acts of their era. Beginning in July 1965 with their debut single "Do You Believe in Magic", the band had seven consecutive singles reach the Top Ten of the U.S. charts in the eighteen months that followed, including the number-two hits "Daydream" and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" and the chart-topping "Summer in the City".
The Lovin' Spoonful in 1965 Clockwise from bottom right: John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone
The Lovin' Spoonful rehearsed for weeks in early 1965 in the basement of Greenwich Village's Hotel Albert (pictured 2023).
The Lovin' Spoonful performing live, 1965
A trade ad for "Nashville Cats", the Lovin' Spoonful's seventh and final single to reach the US Top Ten