John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonicist, and autoharpist, who is best known as a founder of The Lovin\' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000; for his impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969; and for his No. 1 hit in 1976, "Welcome Back".\n', '

Sebastian was born in New York City and grew up in Greenwich Village. His father, John Sebastian (né Pugliese), was a noted classical harmonica player and his mother, Jane, was a radio script writer. His godmother was Vivian Vance ("Ethel Mertz" of I Love Lucy), who was a close friend of his mother. His godfather and first babysitter was children\'s book illustrator Garth Williams, a friend of his father.\n', '

Sebastian grew up surrounded by music and musicians, including Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie, and hearing such players as Lead Belly and Mississippi John Hurt in his own neighborhood. He graduated from Blair Academy, a private boarding school in Blairstown, New Jersey, in 1962. He next attended New York University for just over a year, but dropped out as he became more interested in musical pursuits.\n', '

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