Папа Джон Крич: Көшбасшы скрипкашының өмірі мен музыкасы

John Henry Creach (May 28, 1917 – February 22, 1994), better known as Papa John Creach, was an American blues violinist who also played classical, jazz, R&B, pop and acid rock music.

Creach was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. including with Nat King Cole in Fritz Lang's The Blue Gardenia, and performed as a duo with Nina Russell. Creach initially met and befriended drummer Joey Covington at a union hiring hall in Los Angeles in 1967. When Covington joined Jefferson Airplane in 1970, he introduced Creach to them. In autumn 1970, he was invited to join both Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady's side band. He remained with both groups while also recording and touring as a solo artist for Jefferson Airplane's Grunt Records. During this period, his backing band Zulu included guitarist Keb' Mo'. Creach left Hot Tuna in 1973, but remained on board when Jefferson Airplane was reorganized as Jefferson Starship in 1974. He toured and recorded with Jefferson Starship from 1974 to 1975, a period that included platinum selling album Red Octopus (1975). 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 predecessor Spencer Dryden as a member of Dinosaurs. Creach continued to make occasional guest appearances with Hot Tuna. He was performing with them at the Fillmore Auditorium in 1988 when Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna reunited with Paul Kantner and Grace 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.

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 of pneumonia. He was 76 years old. Jefferson Starship performed a benefit concert to raise money for his family after his death and released tracks from their performances as the album Deep Space/Virgin Sky.