John Hurlbut

Guitarist John Hurlbut belatedly found a new audience for his music when he happened to start making music with one of his heroes. A fan of vintage psychedelic rock and acoustic roots music, the Ohio-based picker had been playing for decades when his visibility took off, thanks to his work with former Jefferson Airplane guitarist and Hot Tuna founder Jorma Kaukonen. Playing rhythm to Kaukonen's leads, Hurlbut's style is straightforward but expressive, charting clean melodic lines for Kaukonen to embellish, and his warm, slightly weather-beaten vocals give life to the rock and folk standards that dominate their performances. Hurlbut had been regularly performing live and in streaming performances with Kaukonen before they released their first album together, 2021's The River Flows.