Papa John Creach
| Papa John Creach | |
|---|---|
Performing with Jefferson Starship in 1974
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Henry Creach |
| Born |
May 28, 1917 Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania United States |
| Died | February 22, 1994 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California United States |
| Genres |
Blues Blues rock Classical Jazz Polka/Ethnic Psychedelic rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Violin |
| Years active | 1935–94 |
| Associated acts |
Jefferson Airplane (1970–75) Hot Tuna Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation San Francisco All-Stars, (1979–84) The Dinosaurs (1982–89) Steve Taylor |
John Henry Creach (May 28, 1917 – February 22, 1994), better known as Papa John Creach, was an American blues violinist, who has also played "classical, jazz, be-bop, R&B, pop and acid rock" music. Early in his career he played with Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Stuff Smith, and Charlie Christian as well as Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker, Nat King Cole and Roy Milton. Later, he played for Jefferson Airplane (1970–1972), Hot Tuna, Jefferson Starship, Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation, the San Francisco All-Stars (1979–1984), The Dinosaurs (1982–1989) and Steve Taylor.
Creach recorded a number of solo albums, and was a frequent guest at Grateful Dead and Charlie Daniels Band concerts. He was a regular guest at the early annual Volunteer Jams, hosted by Charlie Daniels, which exposed him to a new audience that was receptive to fiddle players.
Creach was born at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. As a child, he was introduced to the violin by an uncle, and he received both tutoring in the instrument and conservatory training. He began playing violin in Chicago bars after his family moved there in 1935, and also did some symphonic work when he was in his early 20's, which was unusual for a black musician at the time. At one point, he joined a local cabaret trio called the Chocolate Music Bars, and toured the Midwest with them.
According to Creach, knowing how to play in a variety of style was a necessity to survive as a musician in Chicago at the time:
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