Few names carry as much weight in the American blues and roots scene as Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, the duo behind Hot Tuna. For over 60 years, their unmistakable blend of fingerstyle blues, folk roots, and rock ‘n’ roll edge has left an indelible mark on American music. In 2025, they’re not slowing down — in fact, they’re celebrating a banner year of milestones, rare recordings, and must-see shows across the country.
Jorma Kaukonen Turns 85 – On the Road and Still Picking Strong
Jorma Kaukonen is celebrating his 85th birthday the only way a bluesman should: live, on stage, with a guitar in hand. This fall, fans will have the rare opportunity to experience a living legend in iconic venues from coast to coast. These birthday shows are tributes to a lifelong journey through American music — from Jorma’s early days on the folk scene and psychedelic streets of San Francisco with Jefferson Airplane, to decades of acoustic mastery with Hot Tuna. His intricate fingerpicking, soulful phrasing, and deep connection to traditional blues have inspired generations of players.
Hot Tuna / Jorma Kaukonen – Fall 2025 Tour Dates:
- Sept 18 – Avalon Theatre, Grand Junction, CO — Acoustic Hot Tuna
- Sept 19 – Strings Music Pavilion, Steamboat Springs, CO — Acoustic Hot Tuna
- Sept 22–24 – Musical Instrument Museum (The MIM), Phoenix, AZ — Acoustic Hot Tuna
- Sept 28 – Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, OH — Jorma Kaukonen opens for Suzy Bogguss
- Oct 24 – Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip
- Oct 25 – Smith Center for the Arts, Geneva, NY — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip & Ross Garren
- Oct 27 – Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VT — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip & Ross Garren
- Oct 29 – Bardavon, Poughkeepsie, NY — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip & Ross Garren
- Oct 30 – The Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip & Ross Garren
- Nov 1 – The Warner Theatre, Washington, D.C. — Jorma Kaukonen with special guests
- Nov 4 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip & Ross Garren
- Nov 5 – North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL — Acoustic Hot Tuna with Justin Guip & Ross Garren
- Nov 29 – Carnegie Hall, New York, NY — Jorma Kaukonen with special guests
- Dec 5 – Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA — Jorma Kaukonen with special guests
- Dec 13 – Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO — Jorma Kaukonen with special guests
- Dec 18 – Natalie’s, Columbus, OH — Jorma Kaukonen & John Hurlbut
Each show will feature special guests, deep cuts, and stories from a lifetime in American blues and roots music.
New from Culture Factory USA, Reno Road is a previously unreleased collection of early 1960s recordings that capture a young Jorma Kaukonen at the dawn of his journey into fingerstyle blues — a sound that would come to define his career. Recorded by Jack Casady, these intimate sessions are essential listening for blues purists and Americana enthusiasts alike.
At the end of that summer, I stopped by my grandparent’s house in Chevy Chase to drop off some things and drove over to see my high school bandmate Jack Casady.
Jorma Kaukonen
We went down into the rec room at his house, he set up his Wollensak tape recorder and I started to play… to show him what I had been learning. Sixty years later Jack rediscovered these old recordings (He never throws anything away…) and had our friend Rick Sanchez, sound engineer extraordinaire, restore them, opening a forgotten window into my musical history!
