For Jorma Kaukonen, San Francisco is more than a city where he once lived. It’s where his musical career took shape.
The Jefferson Airplane guitarist moved across the country from his native Washington, D.C., to attend Santa Clara University in his early 20s. He eventually settled in San Francisco, where he co-founded the pioneering psychedelic rock band in 1965. Four years later, he and the band’s bassist, Jack Casady, formed Hot Tuna, an acoustic side project that endured long after Jefferson Airplane disbanded in 1972.
More Information
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass:
11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 2; 9 a.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 3-4. Free. Hellman Hollow, 800 John F. Kennedy Drive, S.F. hardlystrictlybluegrass.com
“My career basically took off in San Francisco,” Kaukonen told the Chronicle ahead of his Hardly Strictly Bluegrass appearance on Saturday, Oct. 3, with Hot Tuna. “Had it not been for the San Francisco scene, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation today.”
After living in San Francisco for more than two decades, he eventually settled in Ohio, where he still lives today. But the Northern California city remains woven into his musical identity.
“The sense of community that I’ve always felt in San Francisco, even though I’ve been gone for a long time, it still sort of maintains that feeling,” he said, adding that he sees it reflected every time he performs at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.
“That sort of joint camaraderie that the audiences in Golden Gate Park enjoy, regardless of the weather, is magical.”
Tiffany Tippens dancing at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival on Oct. 4, 2025, in San Francisco. (Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle)
That spirit extends beyond the festival grounds, too.
Before taking the stage at Golden Gate Park, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will join Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, among others, for the festival’s special concert, “An Evening Honoring Steve Earle,” at the Masonic on Thursday, Oct. 1.
“Steve and I have been friends for a very long time,” Kaunonen said. “I think he is such a significant American artist. To be part of this tribute to him, which he richly deserves, is a real honor.”
The Chronicle caught up with the rocker ahead of his San Francisco performances this week, before Kaukonen returns for back-to-back concerts at the Fillmore, Dec. 11-13, in celebration of the venue’s 60th anniversary.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Kaukonen will be performing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with Jack Casady in a Hot Tuna Acoustic Set. (Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle)
Q: What is your favorite part about performing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass?
A: Having lived in San Francisco half a century ago, seeing a festival in the park like that that repeats itself consistently is very exciting for an old San Franciscan like myself. … It’s always a good time. … And for the people of San Francisco, what a blessing to have a festival like that literally in your back or front yard.
Q: You first came to the city back in the ’60s. How have you seen it evolve over the years and in what ways has it remained the same?
A:
It was a big deal to come up toSan Francisco back in those days. And in those days, it looked like a small town. … I bet the tallest building back then couldn’t have been more than 10 stories.
It’s still kind of a small town in a way, because it can’t get any bigger – there’s no more land for it to grow into.
American rock group Jefferson Airplane on stage at the Central Park bandshell in New York City, August 1969. From left, guitarist Paul Kantner, drummer Spencer Dryden, singer Grace Slick, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, bassist Jack Casady and singer Marty Balin. (RCA Records/Getty Images)
Q: What are some of your fondest memories of San Francisco?
A:
I remember that I had an apartment on Divisadero Street between Turk and Eddie. It was like 80 bucks a month with a garage. … I remember, a lot of people moved to San Francisco because, at that time, it was a cheap place to live.
Q: Is there anything you’d noticed about performing for a San Francisco crowd that feels different than performing anywhere else in the world?
A:
I think it has to do more with the sense that I feel a sense of community, whether I know people in the audience or not.
You know, again, San Francisco being the quote-unquote small-ish town, physically, that it is, I’m sure that everybody that’s an artist here they probably know each other in some way. So that feeling of family is really strong, and I think that it invites people to come to visit to share in that feeling.
Q: You’ve been playing alongside Jack Casady for decades now. How has the relationship between you two developed over time as both friends and collaborators?
A:
He and I have been friends since 1958. That’s a long time. … We’ve been together for so long in a band context, even when it cost us money to play. We’ve never had a band meeting, we’ve never had an argument about anything. We’re really different people … but we just really get along.
When it comes down to doing what it is that we do, which is to play music and try to entertain people, we’re the luckiest people in the world.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jack Casady, left, and Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna onstage at Lobero Theatre on Sept. 30, 2024 in Santa Barbara. (Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Q: Is there anything in particular that you’re most proud of when looking back at your musical legacy over the decades?
A:
When I was first learning to play, one of the great inspirations to me was a gospel guitar player named Reverend Gary Davis. … Lots of people play the Reverend’s materials, and some of them much better than I do, but because I’ve had such visibility, I’ve been able to turn a lot of people on to his music and that Piedmont style also. That’s something I’m proud of.
Q: Can Hardly Strictly happen in any other city?
A: No, I really don’t think so. Not at all. … It goes back to that San Francisco mystique, which is really hard to define. There’s just something special about it. … It’s just different. It’s a magical place.
Subscribe
There’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at Why a Jefferson Airplane legend says Hardly Strictly only works in San Francisco.