Jorma Kaukonen began his career as a backup to Janis Joplin in the
early 1960s but by 1965 he had founded Jefferson Airplane. Though his
songwriting skills were not much in evidence during the Airplane years,
his distinctive guitar skills played a major role in defining the sound
of the band.
While still playing in Airplane, Kaukonen founded Hot
Tuna, with fellow band member Jack Casady, as an outlet for their
acoustic leanings. Airplane split in 1973 and Tuna went electric, and
Kaukonen's songwriting skills began to predominate. He consolidated this
with a successful solo career; in 1974 he released the first of several
solo albums, Quah and when, in 1978, Tuna split, he released
his second, Jorma. It was during this time that he founded yet
another band, Vital Parts though the band failed to capture public
appreciation.
He continues to tour as a solo musician and with a
reunited Hot Tuna and participated in the 1989 reunion of Jefferson
Airplane. He also owns and operates the Fur Peace Ranch, which is a
guitar camp and studio based in the countryside of Ohio.
Source: Amazon.com