Jerry Yester

In this photo, Yester can be seen playing a Gibson G-101 combo organ on the Ed Sullivan Show with the Lovin' Spoonful in 1967. The band played two songs on the show, "Only Pretty, What a Pity" and "She Is Still A Mystery". The performance was lip synced, however the G-101 was also featured on the studio recording of “Only Pretty, What a Pity.” Concert photos also show that the Lovin’ Spoonful toured with a Gibson G-101 in 1967.

This photo shows Jerry Yester playing an early RMI keyboard at a Lovin’ Spoonful concert. The model is either a Rock-Si-Chord or an Explorer, as both featured this three-tiered case design at various points in production. I believe it to be a Rock-Si-Chord, as one RMI ad from an October 1967 edition of Billboard reads, “Take a live group like THE LOVIN' SPOONFUL, they're turned-on with ROCK-SI-CHORD and have become a living legend.”

The photo was originally posted by Fordham University in an article about past on-campus concerts, including the Beach Boys & Lovin’ Spoonful concert at Fordham’s Rose Hill Gymnasium on March 18, 1966. This date raises some questions, as Yester didn’t join the group until May 1967. I believe it’s most likely that Fordham simply included an image that wasn’t from the actual 1966 concert at Fordham.