Zal Yanovsky's Real Name: Zalman Yanovsky

Quick answer: Zal Yanovsky's real name was Zalman Yanovsky. He was born on December 19, 1944, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was widely known as Zal, lead guitarist of The Lovin' Spoonful.

[IMAGE: credited photo of Zal Yanovsky with The Lovin' Spoonful, with credit]

Yanovsky's real name

The Canadian Encyclopedia, The New York Times obituary, and music catalogs identify him as Zalman "Zal" Yanovsky (Canadian Encyclopedia; NYT; LOC). Zal is a short form of Zalman, not a separate invented surname.

He played in folk and rock circles in Toronto and New York before co-founding The Lovin' Spoonful with John Sebastian. The group scored mid-1960s hits including "Do You Believe in Magic," "Daydream," and "Summer in the City." Yanovsky left the band in 1967 after a drug-arrest controversy and later pursued solo and production work (NYT; Canadian Music Hall of Fame).

Later life

Returning to Canada, he became known in Kingston, Ontario, as a restaurateur (Chez Piggy and others) while remaining part of 1960s rock history. The Lovin' Spoonful was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Yanovsky died of a heart attack on December 13, 2002, in Kingston, at 57 (NYT).

[IMAGE: credited later-life or restaurant-related photo with credit, or band promo still]

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