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 Highlights
September
- Sept 16 – The State Room, Salt Lake City, UT
- Sept 18 – Avalon Theatre, Grand Junction, CO
- Sept 19 – Strings Pavilion, Steamboat Springs, CO
- Sept 22-24 – The MIM, Phoenix, AZ
- Sept 28 – Stuart’s Opera House, Nelsonville, OH (Jorma opens for Suzy Bogguss)
October
- Oct 24 – Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
- Oct 25 – Smith Center for Arts, Geneva, NY
- Oct 27 – Paramount Theatre, Rutland, VT
- Oct 29 – Bardavon, Poughkeepsie, NY
- Oct 30 – Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE
November – December (including Jorma’s 85th Birthday Celebration Tour)
- Nov 1 – Warner Theatre, Washington, D.C. (Jorma with special guests)
- Nov 4 – The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI
- Nov 5 – North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL
- Nov 29 – Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (Jorma with special guests)
- Dec 5 – Masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA (Jorma with special guests)
- Dec 13 – Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO (Jorma 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.
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!
Jorma Kaukonen
