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Ira Kaplan
Ira Kaplan in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Ira David Kaplan
Born	(1957-01-07) January 7, 1957 (age 68) Queens, New York, United States
Genres	Indie rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	1984–present

Ira David Kaplan (born January 7, 1957) is a co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in the American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. He is married to the band's co-founder Georgia Hubley.

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Kaplan formed Yo La Tengo in the early 1980s. Previously, he worked as a music critic for the SoHo Weekly News, New York Rocker, Village Voice and Matter, as well as serving as a soundman, roadie and backup musician for Mofungo and other New York-area bands. Kaplan's life, family, and musical development were chronicled in the book Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock, by Jesse Jarnow (Avery Books, 2012).

In 2012, Spin named Kaplan the 97th greatest guitarist of all time.

Kaplan's vocals were featured in Eluvium's 2013 album Nightmare Ending in the song "Happiness". He occasionally hosts a free-form radio program on WFMU under the name "Ira the K."

References

1. "ABOVE THE SOUND". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
2. Allmusic.com Entry for Ira Kaplan
3. Perfect Sound Forever: "From Gem Spa to the World"
4. "Matter magazine". The Rock Mag Archive. rockmagarchive.com. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
5. "An American Band: Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan Reminisces..." Baltimore City Paper, February 2, 2007 Archived April 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
6. Booth, Vachel (1988) "Yo, Dudes! - Home runs and headbutts with Yo La Tengo", Underground, February 1988 (Issue 11), p. 21
7. Big Day Coming review at Pitchfork.com
8. "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". 3 May 2012.
9. WFMU archives for Ira Kaplan

External links

• Official Yo La Tengo site
• Matador Records' official Yo La Tengo site

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