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Jorma Kaukonen Biography

Guitarist

Jorma Kaukonen is a renowned guitarist, born on December 23, 1940. He is known for his unique blend of blues, folk, and rock styles and was a key member of the Grateful Dead band.

Related Quotes

“I don't care if my lettuce has DDT on it, just as long as it's crisp.”

Ifs Long Care Modern Don't Care I Don't Care Modern Life Crisps Lettuce Ddt

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“I was writing a lot of true love songs-true love almost gone wrong but saved at the last moment...Many of the best songs get written in a state of abject misery. I prefer to write fewer songs and have less cataclysmic events in my life...Some hit songs are really stupid, and who knows why they're hits. But a lot of hit songs are really good.”

Knows Writing States Moments Lasts Song Gone Written Events Stupid Misery Saved Fewer Really Stupid

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“Of course when you are a kid you listen to what your parents had around. A lot of gospel, jazz. Now when I started to listen to music on my own it was around the time of the birth of rock and roll. Shortly thereafter I started to get into more blues and more traditional rootsy American music.”

Kids Courses Parent My Own Rocks Birth Jazz Traditional Rock And Roll Listening To Music American Music

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“My dad is from Ironwood and the last time I was in Marquette was in 1995 when my dad was still alive. Dad would have loved this. Even though my family is long gone from this area it still feels like home.”

Feels Long Stills Home Lasts Gone Alive Dad Areas My Family My Dad Last Time

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“My dad was president of the Finlandia Foundation for a number of years and there was a period of time when he tried to get me in. I'm glad I finally got in.”

Years President Numbers Dad Periods Foundation My Dad Glad

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“We do a wealth of stuff (live), drawing from over the years.”

Years Stuff Wealth Drawing

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“I'm not sure I ever pleased Ian [Buchanan] with my progress, but he continued to tolerate me. I had to work at everything that I did. Well, it wasn't work; it was fun actually.”

Wells Fun Music Progress Not Sure Working It Tolerate

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“The blessing of this music is that it is fun to do and it keeps evolving.”

Fun Music Blessing Music Is Evolve

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“With the bass it's another thing. I don't need to use alternate thumb-picking as much. Even though Jack says he loves it. My thought is that it might irritate him somewhat.”

Needs Use Might Music My Thoughts Bass Thumbs

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“I can only be me. I do what I do, I'm not a jazz player. ... I don't play jazz standards, at least not in any recognizable way. It's not my turf but I have plenty of respect for that style of playing.”

Way I Can Play Music Player Style Standards Jazz Plenty Turf

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“We were on a tour, and there were some chord formations that were tough for me to play when I was a kid...it had become apparent that there was some stuff I wanted to do that [would require me] to learn how to do that. So I wrote the song and used some of these chord formations so I would have to play them. I thought it would be a great teaching vehicle for a while, and it was, but it ended up as a performance song.”

Writing Play Would Be Kids Wanted Used Song Stuff Teaching Tough Performances Songwriting Vehicle Chords Formation Great Teaching

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“I started with the chorus of that song, kind of like a fun bouncy thing to play, and then one of the lines popped up: 'I got things to do today, people to see, things to say.' I wrote about a dozen verses for it, but no song needs to be that long unless you're Bob Dylan. So when we recorded it I started to tear it down to some of the lines I thought were the funniest.”

People Needs Writing Kind Long Play Today Song Fun Lines Tears Things To Do Songwriting Dozen Bob Verses Dylan Chorus

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“Some hit songs are really stupid, and who knows why they're hits. But a lot of hit songs are really good. I agree with Jim [Lauderdale] in that I think the really good ones are songs that when you hear it [sic]...there's just something about it that touches your heart, and you don't know why.”

Thinking Knows Writing Heart Song Stupid Agree Songwriting Really Stupid

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“I liken feedback to the effect of when you go surfing; you can get pummeled by a wave, but if you balance the forces right, you can have a dandy ride ... that's pretty much what feedback is.”

Ifs Force Music Effects Balance Wave Feedback Surfing Dandy

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“Just because a guitar is old doesn't make it good... I've seen guitars that were old but weren't as good as the reissue ... for me, it's not the age that makes it happen, it's the quality of the instrument.”

Happens Age Quality Music Instruments Guitar Make It Happen

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

“If you make the same mistake 3 times, that becomes ‘your arrangement’”

Ifs Mistake Guitar Arrangements Same Mistakes

Author:Jorma Kaukonen

About the Author

Born: December 23, 1940
Known for: Guitarist
Quotes: 16

Books & Sources

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