Editing Hot Tuna (section)

=== Self-titled debut and early acoustic period (1970–1971) ===

''[[Hot Tuna (album)|Hot Tuna]]'' (1970) was released on RCA Victor while Kaukonen and 
Casady were still active members of the Airplane. The record was a largely acoustic 
affair, featuring covers of blues standards by artists such as [[Reverend Gary Davis]], 
[[Jelly Roll Morton]], and [[Willy Dixon]], alongside a small number of Kaukonen originals. 
The album established the template of the band's acoustic incarnation: intricate fingerpicking, 
warm upright bass, and an unpretentious commitment to the source material.

Violinist '''Papa John Creach''' joined the band around this time, adding a further folk 
and country blues dimension to their sound. Creach, who was considerably older than his 
bandmates, became a beloved fixture of the San Francisco scene and simultaneously 
maintained a solo career with releases on Grunt Records.