John Till

John Till (December 28, 1945 – September 4, 2022) was a Canadian musician, best remembered as a member of two of Janis Joplin's bands - Kozmic Blues and Full Tilt Boogie.

Early life Till was born in Stratford, Ontario, on December 28, 1945. His parents were both musicians who had a Dixieland band. His father played guitar, tenor banjo, and double bass; his mother played both classical music and ragtime on the piano.

John Till attended Stratford Central High School, where he met his future bandmates Richard Manuel and Ken Kalmusky.

Career In 1957, when Till was around twelve years old, he was invited to join Richard Manuel's band, which at the time didn't have a name but would soon become known as The Revols, with Till, Manuel, Ken Kalmusky (bass) and Jim Winkler (drums) forming the core of the group. They were eventually taken under the wing of Ronnie Hawkins, although by then Till had left the band to return to school.

Till played in local Toronto bands on the Yonge Street Strip through the early 1960s until he was asked to join Hawkins's band The Hawks, that Hawkins had to rebuild after all the previous members of his band left to tour with Bob Dylan (see The Band). Full Tilt Boogie recorded their classic Pearl album, which reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts in February 1971, after Joplin's death.

After Joplin's death, Full Tilt Boogie attempted to regroup and relocated to Woodstock, New York, to write and record new material. While there, Till played and recorded with several other musicians, including Bobby Charles and Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul and Mary. When Full Tilt Boogie finally disbanded for good, Till moved back to Stratford, Ontario, retiring from the music industry and raising his family there.

In November 2020, Till and Kalmusky – the latter deceased by then – were awarded Bronze Stars from the city of Stratford for "significant contributions to the cultural or social fabric of Stratford on a national or international scale."

Personal life Till was married to Dorcas Till until his death. Together, they had two children: Michael and Shawn. He worked as a computer technician in his hometown during his later years.

Till died on September 4, 2022, at his home in Stratford, Ontario, of C.O.P.D. A biography of his life and career is scheduled for publication sometime in 2026.

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