Papa John Creach
Creach withJefferson Starship in 1974
Background information
Born	John Henry Creach (1917-05-28)May 28, 1917 Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	February 22, 1994(1994-02-22) (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Blues,blues rock,psychedelic rock,classical,jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Violin
Years active	1935–1994
Formerly of	Jefferson Airplane (1970–1973) Hot Tuna (1970–1974) Jefferson Starship (1974–1976; 1978 [touring member]) Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation (1992–1994) San Francisco All-Stars (1979–1984) Dinosaurs (1982–1989) Steve Taylor

John Henry Creach (May 28, 1917 – February 22, 1994),^[1] better known asPapa John Creach, was an Americanblues violinist who also played classical, jazz, R&B, pop andacid rock music.^[2] Early in his career, he performed as a journeyman musician withLouis Armstrong,Fats Waller,Stuff Smith,Charlie Christian,Big Joe Turner,T-Bone Walker,Nat King Cole andRoy Milton.^[2]

Following his rediscovery by drummerJoey Covington in 1967, he fronted a variety of bands (including Zulu and Midnight Sun) in addition to playing withJefferson Airplane,Hot Tuna,Jefferson Starship, the San Francisco All-Stars (1979–1984),Dinosaurs (1982–1989) andSteve Taylor.

Creach recorded a number of solo albums and guested at severalGrateful Dead andCharlie Daniels Band concerts. He was a regular guest at the early annualVolunteer Jams, hosted by Charlie Daniels, which exposed him to a new audience that was receptive to fiddle players.^[3]

Creach was born inBeaver Falls, Pennsylvania.^[1] As a child, he was introduced to the violin by an uncle, and he received both tutoring in the instrument and conservatory training.^[2] Creach and his family moved to Chicago in 1935.

Once he relocated toChicago, the teenager began playing violin in bars. He performed some symphonic work when he was in his early 20s, which was unusual for a black musician at the time.^[2] At one point, he joined a local cabaret trio called the Chocolate Music Bars and toured the Midwest with them.^[1][4]

According to Creach, knowing how to play in a variety of styles was a necessity to survive as a musician in Chicago at the time:

[B]ecause of all the nationalities [there], I had to learn to play everything. At some jobs it was strictly German music, or Polish. Now, they used to dance and knock holes in the floor.^[2]

He had some difficulty in learning to play jazz violin, having to adjust his bowing technique, but was helped when he purchased an electric violin in 1943. Moving to Los Angeles in 1945, he played in the Chi Chi Club, worked on anocean liner for five years,^[2] appeared in several films,^{[5][better source needed]} including withNat King Cole inFritz Lang'sThe Blue Gardenia,^[2] and performed as a duo withNina Russell.

Creach initially met and befriended drummer Joey Covington at a unionhiring hall in Los Angeles in 1967. When Covington joinedJefferson Airplane in 1970, he introduced Creach to them. In autumn 1970, he was invited to join both Jefferson Airplane andHot Tuna,Jorma Kaukonen andJack Casady's side band. He remained with both groups while also recording and touring as a solo artist for Jefferson Airplane'sGrunt Records. During this period, his backing band Zulu included guitaristKeb' Mo'.

Creach left Hot Tuna in 1973, but remained on board when Jefferson Airplane was reorganized asJefferson Starship in 1974.^[6] He toured and recorded with Jefferson Starship from 1974 to 1975, a period that included platinum selling albumRed Octopus (1975).^[6] In August 1975, Creach left the band to focus on his solo career.^[7] Nevertheless, he remained on amicable terms with the group and briefly returned as a touring member for the band's spring 1978 engagements.

A year later, Creach renewed his working relationship with Covington as a member of the San Francisco All-Stars. He also performed with Covington's Airplane predecessorSpencer Dryden as a member ofDinosaurs. Creach continued to make occasional guest appearances with Hot Tuna. He was performing with them at theFillmore Auditorium in 1988 whenJack Casady andJorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna reunited withPaul Kantner andGrace Slick for the first time on stage since 1972.

In 1992, Creach joined Kantner as a member of the relaunched Jefferson Starship and performed with them until his death.

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Creach succumbed to congestive heart failure on February 22, 1994. Creach had been suffering from a heart condition that had been causing continual fluid build-up in his lungs, resulting in bouts ofpneumonia. He was 76 years old.^[8][9]

Jefferson Starship performed a benefit concert to raise money for his family after his death and released tracks from their performances as the albumDeep Space/Virgin Sky.

• First Pull Up, Then Pull Down –Hot Tuna (1971)
• Bark –Jefferson Airplane (1971)
• Sunfighter –Paul Kantner &Grace Slick (1971)
• Papa John Creach (1971)
• Burgers – Hot Tuna (1972)
• Long John Silver – Jefferson Airplane (1972)
• Filthy! (1972)
• Thirty Seconds Over Winterland – Jefferson Airplane (1973)
• Baron Von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun – Paul Kantner, Grace Slick &David Freiberg (1973)
• Playing My Fiddle for You (1974)
• Dragon Fly –Jefferson Starship (1974)
• Red Octopus – Jefferson Starship (1975)
• I'm The Fiddle Man (1975)
• Rock Father (1976)
• Michael Bolotin –Michael Bolton – "Every Day Of My Life" (1976)^[10]
• The Cat and the Fiddle (1977)
• Volunteer Jam III and IV –Charlie Daniels Band (1978)
• Inphasion (1978)
• Volunteer Jam VI – Charlie Daniels Band (1980)
• Historic Live Tuna – Hot Tuna (1985)
• I Predict 1990 –Steve Taylor (1987)
• Papa Blues (1992)
• Best of Papa John Creach (1994)
• Long Branch Park 1983 (2011)^[11]

• "Pittsburgh Music History: Papa John Creach"
• Papa John Creach discography atDiscogs

• 1917 births
• 1994 deaths
• People from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
• American rock violinists
• Jefferson Airplane members
• Jefferson Starship members
• Blues fiddlers
• 20th-century American fiddlers
• Hot Tuna members
• African-American rock musicians
• American jazz violinists
• American male classical violinists
• Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
• American male jazz musicians
• 20th-century American male musicians
• The Dinosaurs members
• 20th-century American classical violinists

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• Short description matches Wikidata
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