Born in Washington, D.C., the son of Beatrice Love (née Levine) and Jorma Ludwig Kaukonen, Jorma Kaukonen had Finnish paternal grandparents and Russian Jewish ancestry on his mother's side. Kaukonen was a founding member of the popular psychedelic San Francisco-based band Jefferson Airplane, which scored two Top 10 radio hits in 1967 with "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit."
Kaukonen learned to play guitar as a teenager in Washington, D.C. But before moving to the D.C. area, Jorma and family lived in the Philippines and other locales as he followed his father's career from assignment to assignment before returning to the place of his birth. As a teenager in Washington he and future Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady (who at the time played six-string guitar) formed a band named The Triumphs. Kaukonen departed Washington for studies at Antioch College where friend Ian Buchanan taught him fingerstyle guitar playing. Buchanan also introduced Kaukonen to the music of Reverend Gary Davis, whose songs have remained important parts of Kaukonen's repertoire throughout his career.
In 1962 Kaukonen moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and enrolled at Santa Clara University. During this time he taught guitar lessons at Benner Music Company in San Jose. As a self-described blues purist, Kaukonen never had any ambition to play in a rock band. He played as a solo act in coffee houses and can be heard accompanying a young Janis Joplin on acoustic guitar on an historic 1964 recording (known as "The Typewriter Tapes" because of the obtrusive sound of Kaukonen's first wife, Margareta, typing in the background). Invited to attend a Jefferson Airplane rehearsal by founding member Paul Kantner, Kaukonen found his imagination excited by the arsenal of effects available to electric guitar and later said, "I was sucked in by technology.
As a member of Jefferson Airplane, Kaukonen's primary guitar was a Gibson ES-345, noted for the visible Varitone dial on his guitar and the signature 345 logo on the headstock. Jorma presently endorses Martin Guitars. In 2010, Martin Guitars released the Martin M-30 Jorma Kaukonen Custom Artist Edition. This guitar was designed by Jorma using ideas from 2 Martin guitars that he had previously been playing - a David Bromberg Custom Artist Edition and an M-5 prototype.
Jorma also uses and endorses the Fishman Loudbox amp.
In 1984, Kaukonen appeared on Robert Hunter's Amagamalin Street. This was the third album released by Relix Records, a label, founded by Les Kippel, that specialized in bands from the San Francisco Bay Area. Relix also released Splashdown, featuring a rare performance by Hot Tuna on WQIV, a now-defunct radio station in New York. Kippel was instrumental in reuniting Kaukonen and Casady in 1985 for a Hot Tuna theater tour. Relix Records remained Hot Tuna's record label until 2000, and also released Classic Hot Tuna Acoustic, Classic Hot Tuna Electric, Live at Sweetwater, and Live at Sweetwater Two.
Two notable projects featuring Kaukonen were David Crosby's debut solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name, on Atlantic (1971) and Warren Zevon's Transverse City on Virgin in 1989. In 1993, he collaborated with ex-Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten in recording numerous arrangements of "Embryonic Journey". The resulting tracks were released as Embryonic Journey, the album, in 1994 on the Relix label. In 1999, he played several gigs with Phil Lesh and Friends. In 2000, he appeared with jam band Widespread Panic during their summer tour.
With his wife Vanessa, Kaukonen currently owns and operates the Fur Peace Ranch, a 119-acre (0.48 km2) music and guitar camp in the hills of southeast Ohio, north of Pomeroy; complete with a 32 track studio. He is currently under contract as a solo artist to Red House Records and still records and tours with Jack Casady and other friends such as Barry Mitterhoff as Hot Tuna. His 2002 album Blue Country Heart, also released as a 5.1 single layer SACD, was widely acclaimed by critics as one of the definitive examples of American "Depression Era " music and features Kaukonen backed by an all-star Nashville bluegrass band. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Recent solo albums include Stars in My Crown (2007) and River of Time (2009).
Candyman
Jorma Kaukonen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, candy man said been here and gone
Candy man said been here and gone
Wish I was in New Orleans sitting on a candy stand
Well, candy man said salty dog
Well, candy man said salty dog
Well, candy man said salty dog
Run to the corner, get the baby some beer
Run to the corner, get the baby some beer
Run to the corner, get the baby some beer
Wish I was in New Orleans sitting on a candy stand
Well, candy man said been here and gone
Well, candy man said been here and gone
Candy man said been here and gone
Wish I was in New Orleans sitting on a candy stand
The lyrics to Jorma Kaukonen's "Candyman" are a mix of nonsensical phrases and interesting cultural references. The repeated phrase "candy man said been here and gone" is likely a reference to the traditional blues song "Candy Man Blues," which was popularized by country blues musician Mississippi John Hurt in the 1920s. Kaukonen's version of the song seems to draw on some of the themes and imagery of the original, which is about a man who works as a candy salesman but is also involved in drug trafficking.
The lyrics also reference a "salty dog," which is a term that has been used in various contexts over the years, including as a type of cocktail, a type of folk song, and a type of nautical slang. In the context of this song, it's unclear exactly what the candy man means by calling himself a salty dog, but it could be interpreted as a reference to his wild or rebellious nature.
One of the most interesting lines in the song is "run to the corner, get the baby some beer." This phrase has been interpreted in various ways, but one possibility is that it's a reference to the practice of giving babies "tonic" or other alcoholic beverages as a form of medicine. This was a common practice in some parts of the world for many years, though it's now widely considered to be dangerous and inappropriate.
Overall, the lyrics to "Candyman" are a mix of surreal imagery, cultural references, and playful wordplay. The song seems to be about the pleasures and dangers of indulgence, whether that means enjoying sweets, alcohol, or other forms of temptation. The repeated refrain of "wish I was in New Orleans sitting on a candy stand" suggests that the singer is yearning for a simpler, more carefree way of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, candy man said been here and gone
The Candy Man has been here before but has already moved on.
Well, candy man said salty dog
The Candy Man is trying to avoid being someone's servant or pet.
Run to the corner, get the baby some beer
The person is in a dire situation where they have to resort to giving beer to a baby.
Wish I was in New Orleans sitting on a candy stand
The person longs to be in a more pleasant place instead of their current situation.
Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind