John Sebastian co-founded the Lovin’ Spoonful in early 1965, following brief (and sometimes simultaneous) tenures with the Even Dozen Jug Band,[5] the Mugwumps,[6] and as a session musician for Elektra Records.
[8] Signed to the MGM-distributed label Kama Sutra Records, the Lovin' Spoonful enjoyed considerable success during 1965–67, scoring consecutive "top 10" chart hits with its first eight singles.
By late 1967, however, the band's popularity had begun to wane, and in early 1968 Sebastian decided to leave the Spoonful to pursue a solo career.
He quickly began writing the songs that would comprise John B. Sebastian and making arrangements for recording sessions.
Ten new songs were ultimately included in the album, as well as a solo acoustic version of "You're a Big Boy Now," which Sebastian originally wrote and performed with the Lovin' Spoonful in 1966 in support of Francis Ford Coppola's film of the same name, and which also appears in the latter film's soundtrack album (Kama Sutra catalog no.
In selecting musicians to work with on the album, Sebastian likewise looked to friends from his pre-Lovin' Spoonful days as a New York City session man; he would later be quoted as saying "I wanted this opportunity to play with the same guys I'd been playing with when we were all broke ... Dallas Taylor, Steve Stills, Harvey Brooks, Paul Harris.
Other notable musicians of the period, including David Crosby, Graham Nash, Danny Weis and Buzzy Linhart, would also contribute to the sessions.
The single's release was accompanied by photo advertisements in the music industry trade papers Billboard and Cashbox that called "She's a Lady" the first of "an incredible new series of songs now being written by one of the most creative composers of contemporary rock.
The Lovin' Spoonful had struggled to maintain a presence on the pop charts after Sebastian left the band, and broke up after their last album Revelation: Revolution '69 (Kama Sutra catalog no.
Having left the Spoonful a year before, Sebastian felt no obligation to cover their contractual commitments, and declined, telling MGM that rebranding his album as a group effort would be "incredibly dishonest"[14] to potential record buyers.
Sebastian would later state: MGM was asking me for more Lovin' Spoonful albums, claiming that I owed them … At that point, Bob Cavallo went to Mo Ostin.
[On August 16, the second day of the festival, following a rainstorm] the stage had filled up with water and it was impossible to put electric instruments onstage.
At that time [festival master of ceremonies and co-organizer] Chip Monck said to me "Look, we need somebody who can go out there with an acoustic guitar and hold [the audience] while we go out and sweep the water off the stage and let it dry up and you're elected."
[10]A further cause of frustration – and potential public confusion – was MGM's releasing its own version of John B. Sebastian shortly after Reprise did (catalog no.
Warner/Reprise would quickly sue MGM for copyright infringement over their issuing a recording they no longer had contractual rights to;[4] MGM claimed in response that the Lovin' Spoonful's owing them an album, plus the marketing support they gave to the Kama Sutra single release of "She's a Lady," gave them the right to release John B. Sebastian despite the artist's no longer being associated with them.
"[18] Music critic Robert Christgau wrote "Sebastian is as on for this solo debut as he ever was for the Lovin' Spoonful, and when he's on, the hummability quotient of his songs is dizzying – a good half of these imprint themselves upon impact.
All songs written by John Sebastian, who also provides lead vocals (except on "Fa-Fana-Fa," which is an instrumental) and accompanies himself on guitar, piano and/or harmonium.