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Jefferson Airplane was [[Inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame#1996|inducted in the]] [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in [[1996]].
Jefferson Airplane was [[Inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame#1996|inducted in the]] [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in [[1996]].


The term ''Jefferson airplane'' is also slang for a used match bent to hold a [[marijuana]] cigarette that has been smoked too short to hold without burning the hands. (The customary name for a device used to do this is ''[[roach clip]]''). An [[urban legend]] claims this was the origin for the band's name, though according to band member [[Jorma Kaukonen]] the name was invented by his friend Steve Talbot as a satire of blues names such as [[Blind Lemon Jefferson|"Blind Lemon" Jefferson]] [http://www.jormakaukonen.com/bio.htm].
The term ''Jefferson airplane'' is also slang for a used match bent to hold a [[marijuana]] cigarette that has been smoked too short to hold without burning the hands, an improvised ''[[roach clip]]''. An [[urban legend]] claims this was the origin for the band's name, though according to band member [[Jorma Kaukonen]] the name was invented by his friend Steve Talbot as a parody of blues names such as [[Blind Lemon Jefferson|"Blind Lemon" Jefferson]] [http://www.jormakaukonen.com/bio.htm].


[[Image:JeffersonAirplaneSurrealisticPillow.jpg|right|thumb|The Jefferson Airplane, portrayed on the cover of the Surrealistic Pillow album.]]
[[Image:JeffersonAirplaneSurrealisticPillow.jpg|right|thumb|The Jefferson Airplane, portrayed on the cover of the Surrealistic Pillow album.]]
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== Jefferson Airplane ==
== Jefferson Airplane ==


This rock group formed on the West Coast of the [[United States|USA]] during the summer of [[1965]] in what was called the [[San Francisco Bay]] [[folk music|folk]] boom. Singer [[Marty Balin]] recruited another folk musician, Paul Kantner (born [[March 17]], [[1941]], [[San Francisco]]), [[blues music|blues]] guitarist [[Jorma Kaukonen]], jazz and folk [[singing|vocalist]] Signe Toly Anderson, drummer Jerry Peloquin, and acoustic bassist [[Bob Harvey]]. They drew inspiration from groups such as [[the Beatles]], [[the Byrds]], and [[The Lovin' Spoonful]], and built a local following at the Matrix Club.
The group formed on the West Coast of the [[United States|USA]] during the summer of [[1965]] in what was called the [[San Francisco Bay]] [[folk music|folk]] boom. Singer [[Marty Balin]] recruited another folk musician, [[Paul Kantner]] (born [[March 17]], [[1941]], [[San Francisco]]), [[blues music|blues]] guitarist [[Jorma Kaukonen]], jazz and folk [[singing|vocalist]] [[Signe Toly Anderson]], drummer Jerry Peloquin, and acoustic bassist [[Bob Harvey]]. They drew inspiration from groups such as [[the Beatles]], [[the Byrds]], and [[The Lovin' Spoonful]], and built a local following at the Matrix Club.


The group made its first public appearance August 13, 1965 at The Matrix club in San Francisco. Peloquin was a seasoned musician whose disdain for the others' drug use was a factor in his departure just a few weeks after the group began its career. [[Skip Spence]] then took the drum chair. The band gradually developed a more electric sound that led to Harvey's replacement by Kaukonen's childhood friend, [[Jack Casady]] in October 1965. Later in [[1965]], they signed to [[RCA]] and recorded an album for release the following year called ''[[Jefferson Airplane Takes Off]]''. Folk music very much influenced the group's debut album, which included staples such as [[John D. Loudermilk]]'s "Tobacco Road" and [[Dino Valente]]'s "Let's Get Together," as well as original group ballads like "It's No Secret" and "Come Up the Years." In [[1966]], Spence was replaced by [[jazz]] [[drum]]mer [[Spencer Dryden]] and Anderson by singer [[Grace Slick]], formerly of another San Francisco group, [[The Great Society]]. Amongst their fans, the group's name was often shortened to "the Airplane". Slick brought with her a powerful and supple [[contralto]] voice, well suited to the group's amplified psychedelic music, as well as a number of important compositions, including "[[White Rabbit (song)|White Rabbit]]" (which Grace wrote) and "[[Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane)|Somebody to Love]]" (written by Grace's brother-in-law, Great Society guitarist Darby Slick).
The group made its first public appearance August 13, 1965 at The Matrix club in San Francisco. Peloquin was a seasoned musician whose disdain for the others' drug use was a factor in his departure just a few weeks after the group began its career. [[Skip Spence]] then took the drum chair. The band gradually developed a more electric sound that led to Harvey's replacement by Kaukonen's childhood friend, [[Jack Casady]], in October 1965. Later in [[1965]], they signed to [[RCA]] and recorded an album for release the following year called ''[[Jefferson Airplane Takes Off]]''. Folk music very much influenced the group's debut album, which included staples such as [[John D. Loudermilk]]'s "Tobacco Road" and [[Dino Valente]]'s "Let's Get Together," as well as original group ballads like "It's No Secret" and "Come Up the Years." In [[1966]], Spence was replaced by [[jazz]] [[drum]]mer [[Spencer Dryden]] and Anderson by singer [[Grace Slick]], formerly of another San Francisco group, [[The Great Society]]. Amongst their fans, the group's name was often shortened to "the Airplane". Slick brought with her a powerful and supple [[contralto]] voice, well suited to the group's amplified psychedelic music, as well as a number of important compositions, including "[[White Rabbit (song)|White Rabbit]]" (which Grace wrote) and "[[Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane)|Somebody to Love]]" (written by Grace's brother-in-law, Great Society guitarist Darby Slick).


Their transition from local to national notoriety was made possible by their appearance at the epochal [[Monterey Pop Festival|Monterey International Pop Festival]] in June 1967. Monterey showcased leading bands from several major music 'scenes' including [[New York]], [[San Francisco]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[United Kingdom|England]] and the resulting TV and film coverage gave national (and international) exposure to groups that had previously only had regional fame. All these bands were also greatly assisted by appearances on nationally syndicated TV shows such [[The Ed Sullivan Show]], which were videotaped in color and augmented by recent developments in video techniques. The Airplane's famous appearance on the Sullivan show, performing "White Rabbit", has been frequently re-screened and is notable for its pioneering use of the [[Chroma key]] process to simulate the Airplane's customary psychedelic light show.
Their transition from local to national notoriety was engendered by their appearance at the epochal [[Monterey Pop Festival|Monterey International Pop Festival]] in June 1967. Monterey showcased leading bands from several major music 'scenes' including [[New York]], [[San Francisco]], [[Los Angeles]], and [[United Kingdom|England]] and the resulting TV and film coverage gave national (and international) exposure to groups that had previously had only regional fame. All these bands were also greatly assisted by appearances on nationally syndicated TV shows such [[The Ed Sullivan Show]], which were videotaped in color and augmented by recent developments in video techniques. The Airplane's famous appearance on the Sullivan show, performing "White Rabbit", has been frequently re-screened and is notable for its pioneering use of the [[Chroma key]] process to simulate the Airplane's customary psychedelic light show.


Membership remained stable until [[1970]], by then they had recorded five more albums. The first of these, ''[[Surrealistic Pillow]]'' (1967), included two classic tracks, "[[White Rabbit (song)|White Rabbit]]" (inspired by the [[psychedelic]] drug [[LSD]], then extremely popular in San Francisco, [[Maurice Ravel]]'s ''[[Bolero (Ravel)|Bolero]]'', and [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]''), and the rousing anthem "[[Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane)|Somebody to Love]]", as well as a reminder of their earlier folk incarnation, Kaukonen's solo acoustic guitar ''tour de force'', "Embryonic Journey", which referenced contemporary acoustic guitar masters such as [[John Fahey]] and helped to establish the popular genre exemplified by acoustic guitarist [[Leo Kottke]]. The album was extremely successful, reaching #3 in the US album charts, and alongside ''[[Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' and [[The Doors]]' debut album, it is widely regarded as one of the seminal albums of the so-called "[[Summer Of Love]]".
Membership remained stable until [[1970]], by which time they had recorded five more albums. The first of these, ''[[Surrealistic Pillow]]'' (1967), included two classic tracks, "[[White Rabbit (song)|White Rabbit]]" (inspired by the [[psychedelic]] drug [[LSD]], then extremely popular in San Francisco, [[Maurice Ravel]]'s ''[[Bolero (Ravel)|Bolero]]'', and [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]''), and the rousing anthem "[[Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane)|Somebody to Love]]", as well as a reminder of their earlier folk incarnation, Kaukonen's solo acoustic guitar ''tour de force'', "Embryonic Journey", which referenced contemporary acoustic guitar masters such as [[John Fahey]] and helped to establish the popular genre exemplified by acoustic guitarist [[Leo Kottke]]. The album was extremely successful, reaching #3 in the US album charts, and alongside ''[[Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' and [[The Doors]]' debut album, it is widely regarded as one of the seminal albums of the so-called "[[Summer Of Love]]".


The name [[Surrealistic Pillow]] was suggested by the "shadow producer of the album, [[Jerry Garcia]], when he mentioned that, as a whole, the album sounded "as Surrealistic as a pillow". The record company would not allow Garcia's considerable contributions to the album to garner him a "Producer" credit, so Garcia is listed in the album's credits as "spiritual advisor".
The name [[Surrealistic Pillow]] was suggested by the "shadow" producer of the album, [[Jerry Garcia]], when he mentioned that, as a whole, the album sounded "as Surrealistic as a pillow". The record company would not allow Garcia's considerable contributions to the album to garner him a "Producer" credit, so Garcia is listed in the album's credits as "spiritual advisor".


The band dived deeper into acid rock with 1967's ''[[After Bathing at Baxter's]]'', an album of long multi-part suites, which demonstrated the group's proficiency with [[psychedelic rock]]. Its famous cover features a whimsical re-imagining of the group's [[Haight-Ashbury]] house as a [[Heath Robinson]]-inspired flying machine, drawn by artist and cartoonist [[Ron Cobb]]. ''[[Crown Of Creation]]'' (1968) was a transitionary record, more structured than its predecessor. The album's notable tracks include Grace Slick's "Lather," said to be about drummer Spencer Dryden, with whom she was rumored to be having an affair, "Triad," a David Crosby song that had been rejected by his group, the Byrds, because they found its subject matter, a ''menage a trois'', to be objectionable, and the searing sex and drug anthem "Greasy Heart." In 1968 Jefferson Airplane unleashed ''[[Bless Its Pointed Little Head]]'', which captured their live concert sound at [[the Fillmore]] and the [[Fillmore East]]. In the aftermath of the demise of the San Francisco scene, the band released ''[[Volunteers (album)|Volunteers]]'' (1969), their most political venture. The title track, "We Can Be Together", "Good Shepherd", and the [[Post-apocalyptic science fiction|post-apocalyptic]] "Wooden Ships" were all highlights. ("Wooden Ships," which Paul Kantner co-wrote with [[David Crosby]] and [[Stephen Stills]], was recorded both by Jefferson Airplane and [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]]. As both groups released the song the same year and as it was co-written by members of both bands, both versions are considered to be an original version of the song.)
The band dived deeper into acid rock with 1967's ''[[After Bathing at Baxter's]]'', an album of long multi-part suites, which demonstrated the group's proficiency with [[psychedelic rock]]. Its famous cover features a whimsical re-imagining of the group's [[Haight-Ashbury]] house as a [[Heath Robinson]]-inspired flying machine, drawn by artist and cartoonist [[Ron Cobb]]. ''[[Crown Of Creation]]'' (1968) was a transitionary record, more structured than its predecessor. The album's notable tracks include Grace Slick's "Lather," said to be about drummer Spencer Dryden, with whom she was rumored to be having an affair, "Triad," a David Crosby song that had been rejected by his group, the Byrds, because they deemed its subject matter, a ''mènage á trois'', to be objectionable, and the searing sex and drug anthem "Greasy Heart." In 1968 Jefferson Airplane unleashed ''[[Bless Its Pointed Little Head]]'', which captured their live concert sound at [[the Fillmore]] and the [[Fillmore East]]. In the aftermath of the demise of the San Francisco scene, the band released ''[[Volunteers (album)|Volunteers]]'' (1969), their most political venture. The title track, "We Can Be Together", "Good Shepherd", and the [[Post-apocalyptic science fiction|post-apocalyptic]] "Wooden Ships" were all highlights. ("Wooden Ships," which Paul Kantner co-wrote with [[David Crosby]] and [[Stephen Stills]], was recorded both by Jefferson Airplane and [[Crosby, Stills & Nash]]. As both groups released the song the same year and as it was co-written by members of both bands, both versions are considered to be an original version of the song.)


The band performed in an early "morning maniac music" slot at the [[Woodstock festival]] in August 1969. In December that year, they played at the infamous free concert held at the [[Altamont]] speedway in California. The concert, which was headlined by [[The Rolling Stones]] and also featured [[The Grateful Dead]], was marred by crowd violence—Marty Balin was knocked out during a scuffle with [[Hells Angels]] members who had been hired to act as "security". The event became notorious for the now-famous "Gimme Shelter Incident" due to the death of black teenager [[Meredith Hunter]], who was fatally stabbed in front of the stage by Hells Angels "guards" after allegedly pulling out a revolver during the Stones' performance (this incident was the centerpiece of the documentary film ''[[Gimme Shelter]]'').
The band performed in an early "morning maniac music" slot at the [[Woodstock festival]] in August 1969. In December that year, they played at the infamous free concert held at the [[Altamont]] speedway in California. The concert, which was headlined by [[The Rolling Stones]] and also featured [[The Grateful Dead]], was marred by crowd violence—Marty Balin was knocked out during a scuffle with [[Hells Angels]] members who had been hired to act as "security". The event became notorious for the now-famous "Gimme Shelter Incident" due to the death of black teenager [[Meredith Hunter]], who was fatally stabbed in front of the stage by Hells Angels "guards" after allegedly pulling out a revolver during the Stones' performance (this incident was the centerpiece of the documentary film ''[[Gimme Shelter]]'').


Although the band released its first greatest hits album, ''The Worst of Jefferson Airplane,'' in 1970, the only new songs issued that year were two tracks available only on the single, "Mexico" b/w "Have You Seen the Saucers." The A-side was a staunch criticism of President [[Richard Nixon]]'s ''[[Operation Intercept]]'' which had been implemented to curtail the flow of marijuana into the United States, while the B-side marked the beginning of a science fiction obsession that Paul Kantner would explore with his music for the remainder of the decade. Balin and Dryden left the group shortly after the release of the single. The group continued on without Balin and Dryden, releasing ''Bark'' (whose cover featured a dead fish wrapped in an A&P-style grocery bag) in 1971 and ''Long John Silver'' (whose cover folded into a humidor, presumably for the storage of marijuana) in 1972. Both albums were releaesd on the band's own label, Grunt, which would continue to be distributed by RCA. To replace Dryden, the group added drummer Joey Covington (who also provided the vocals on the 1971 single, "Pretty as You Feel", from ''Bark''). The legendary Afro-American blues fiddler [["Papa John" Creach]] (1917-1994) also joined the group in the early seventies. During this time, Kaukonen and Casady began a side-project they named [[Hot Tuna]], in which the two of them, often joined by a fluid group of other musicians, began exploring traditional blues. They released the acoustic ''Hot Tuna'' in 1970 and the electric ''First Pull Up-Then Pull Down'' in 1971. As time went by, Kaukonen and Casady began devoting more of their attention to Hot Tuna and less of it to the Airplane. (In the song, "Third Week in the Chelsea," from ''Bark,'' Kaukonen details the thoughts he is having about leaving the band.) Jefferson Airplane's second live album ''Thirty Seconds Over Winterland'' (1973) is now best remembered for its cover art, featuring a squadron of flying toasters, which the band later alleged to have spawned the famous "[[After Dark]]" computer [[screensaver]] design. In 1974, a collection of leftovers (singles and B-sides, including "Mexico" and "Have You Seen the Saucers", as well as other non-album material) was released as ''Early Flight,'' the last official Jefferson Airplane album.
Although the band released its first greatest-hits album, ''The Worst of Jefferson Airplane,'' in 1970, its only new songs that year were two tracks available only on the single, "Mexico" b/w "Have You Seen the Saucers." The A-side was a staunch criticism of President [[Richard Nixon]]'s ''[[Operation Intercept]]'' which had been implemented to curtail the flow of marijuana into the United States, while the B-side marked the beginning of a science-fiction obsession that Paul Kantner would explore with his music over the rest of the decade.
Balin and Dryden left the group shortly after the release of the single. The group continued on without them, releasing ''Bark'' (whose cover featured a dead fish wrapped in an A&P-style grocery bag) in 1971 and ''Long John Silver'' (whose cover folded into a humidor, presumably for the storage of marijuana) in 1972. Both albums were releaesd on the band's own label, Grunt, which would continue to be distributed by RCA. The group replaced Dryden with drummer Joey Covington (who also provided the vocals on the 1971 single, "Pretty as You Feel", from ''Bark''). The legendary Afro-American blues fiddler [["Papa John" Creach]] (1917-1994) also joined the group in the early seventies.
During this time, Kaukonen and Casady began a side project they named [[Hot Tuna]], in which the two of them, often supported by a fluid group of other musicians, began exploring traditional blues. They released the acoustic ''Hot Tuna'' in 1970 and the electric ''First Pull Up-Then Pull Down'' in 1971. As time went by, Kaukonen and Casady began devoting more of their attention to Hot Tuna and less of it to the Airplane. (In the song, "Third Week in the Chelsea," from ''Bark,'' Kaukonen details the thoughts he is having about leaving the band.)
Jefferson Airplane's second live album ''Thirty Seconds Over Winterland'' (1973) is now best remembered for its cover art, featuring a squadron of flying toasters, which the band later alleged to have spawned the famous "[[After Dark]]" computer [[screensaver]] design. In 1974, a collection of leftovers (singles and B-sides, including "Mexico" and "Have You Seen the Saucers", as well as other non-album material) was released as ''Early Flight,'' the last official Jefferson Airplane album.


== Jefferson Starship ==
== Jefferson Starship ==

Revision as of 14:59, 11 March 2006

Jefferson Airplane
Years active1965 – 1972 (as Jefferson Airplane), 1974 - 1984 (as Jefferson Starship), 1984 - 1989 (as Starship), 1989 (reunited Jefferson Airplane for one album) 1991-Present (as Jefferson Starship TNG)

Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock movement. The band's August, 1969 performance at Woodstock is widely considered one of rock's most memorable moments.

Various successor incarnations of the band have performed under different names, reflecting changing times and performer lineups, known as Jefferson Starship, and later simply Starship before becoming Jefferson Starship The Next Generation in 1991.

Jefferson Airplane was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

The term Jefferson airplane is also slang for a used match bent to hold a marijuana cigarette that has been smoked too short to hold without burning the hands, an improvised roach clip. An urban legend claims this was the origin for the band's name, though according to band member Jorma Kaukonen the name was invented by his friend Steve Talbot as a parody of blues names such as "Blind Lemon" Jefferson [1].

File:JeffersonAirplaneSurrealisticPillow.jpg
The Jefferson Airplane, portrayed on the cover of the Surrealistic Pillow album.

Jefferson Airplane

The group formed on the West Coast of the USA during the summer of 1965 in what was called the San Francisco Bay folk boom. Singer Marty Balin recruited another folk musician, Paul Kantner (born March 17, 1941, San Francisco), blues guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, jazz and folk vocalist Signe Toly Anderson, drummer Jerry Peloquin, and acoustic bassist Bob Harvey. They drew inspiration from groups such as the Beatles, the Byrds, and The Lovin' Spoonful, and built a local following at the Matrix Club.

The group made its first public appearance August 13, 1965 at The Matrix club in San Francisco. Peloquin was a seasoned musician whose disdain for the others' drug use was a factor in his departure just a few weeks after the group began its career. Skip Spence then took the drum chair. The band gradually developed a more electric sound that led to Harvey's replacement by Kaukonen's childhood friend, Jack Casady, in October 1965. Later in 1965, they signed to RCA and recorded an album for release the following year called Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. Folk music very much influenced the group's debut album, which included staples such as John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road" and Dino Valente's "Let's Get Together," as well as original group ballads like "It's No Secret" and "Come Up the Years." In 1966, Spence was replaced by jazz drummer Spencer Dryden and Anderson by singer Grace Slick, formerly of another San Francisco group, The Great Society. Amongst their fans, the group's name was often shortened to "the Airplane". Slick brought with her a powerful and supple contralto voice, well suited to the group's amplified psychedelic music, as well as a number of important compositions, including "White Rabbit" (which Grace wrote) and "Somebody to Love" (written by Grace's brother-in-law, Great Society guitarist Darby Slick).

Their transition from local to national notoriety was engendered by their appearance at the epochal Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967. Monterey showcased leading bands from several major music 'scenes' including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and England and the resulting TV and film coverage gave national (and international) exposure to groups that had previously had only regional fame. All these bands were also greatly assisted by appearances on nationally syndicated TV shows such The Ed Sullivan Show, which were videotaped in color and augmented by recent developments in video techniques. The Airplane's famous appearance on the Sullivan show, performing "White Rabbit", has been frequently re-screened and is notable for its pioneering use of the Chroma key process to simulate the Airplane's customary psychedelic light show.

Membership remained stable until 1970, by which time they had recorded five more albums. The first of these, Surrealistic Pillow (1967), included two classic tracks, "White Rabbit" (inspired by the psychedelic drug LSD, then extremely popular in San Francisco, Maurice Ravel's Bolero, and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland), and the rousing anthem "Somebody to Love", as well as a reminder of their earlier folk incarnation, Kaukonen's solo acoustic guitar tour de force, "Embryonic Journey", which referenced contemporary acoustic guitar masters such as John Fahey and helped to establish the popular genre exemplified by acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke. The album was extremely successful, reaching #3 in the US album charts, and alongside Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Doors' debut album, it is widely regarded as one of the seminal albums of the so-called "Summer Of Love".

The name Surrealistic Pillow was suggested by the "shadow" producer of the album, Jerry Garcia, when he mentioned that, as a whole, the album sounded "as Surrealistic as a pillow". The record company would not allow Garcia's considerable contributions to the album to garner him a "Producer" credit, so Garcia is listed in the album's credits as "spiritual advisor".

The band dived deeper into acid rock with 1967's After Bathing at Baxter's, an album of long multi-part suites, which demonstrated the group's proficiency with psychedelic rock. Its famous cover features a whimsical re-imagining of the group's Haight-Ashbury house as a Heath Robinson-inspired flying machine, drawn by artist and cartoonist Ron Cobb. Crown Of Creation (1968) was a transitionary record, more structured than its predecessor. The album's notable tracks include Grace Slick's "Lather," said to be about drummer Spencer Dryden, with whom she was rumored to be having an affair, "Triad," a David Crosby song that had been rejected by his group, the Byrds, because they deemed its subject matter, a mènage á trois, to be objectionable, and the searing sex and drug anthem "Greasy Heart." In 1968 Jefferson Airplane unleashed Bless Its Pointed Little Head, which captured their live concert sound at the Fillmore and the Fillmore East. In the aftermath of the demise of the San Francisco scene, the band released Volunteers (1969), their most political venture. The title track, "We Can Be Together", "Good Shepherd", and the post-apocalyptic "Wooden Ships" were all highlights. ("Wooden Ships," which Paul Kantner co-wrote with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, was recorded both by Jefferson Airplane and Crosby, Stills & Nash. As both groups released the song the same year and as it was co-written by members of both bands, both versions are considered to be an original version of the song.)

The band performed in an early "morning maniac music" slot at the Woodstock festival in August 1969. In December that year, they played at the infamous free concert held at the Altamont speedway in California. The concert, which was headlined by The Rolling Stones and also featured The Grateful Dead, was marred by crowd violence—Marty Balin was knocked out during a scuffle with Hells Angels members who had been hired to act as "security". The event became notorious for the now-famous "Gimme Shelter Incident" due to the death of black teenager Meredith Hunter, who was fatally stabbed in front of the stage by Hells Angels "guards" after allegedly pulling out a revolver during the Stones' performance (this incident was the centerpiece of the documentary film Gimme Shelter).

Although the band released its first greatest-hits album, The Worst of Jefferson Airplane, in 1970, its only new songs that year were two tracks available only on the single, "Mexico" b/w "Have You Seen the Saucers." The A-side was a staunch criticism of President Richard Nixon's Operation Intercept which had been implemented to curtail the flow of marijuana into the United States, while the B-side marked the beginning of a science-fiction obsession that Paul Kantner would explore with his music over the rest of the decade.

Balin and Dryden left the group shortly after the release of the single. The group continued on without them, releasing Bark (whose cover featured a dead fish wrapped in an A&P-style grocery bag) in 1971 and Long John Silver (whose cover folded into a humidor, presumably for the storage of marijuana) in 1972. Both albums were releaesd on the band's own label, Grunt, which would continue to be distributed by RCA. The group replaced Dryden with drummer Joey Covington (who also provided the vocals on the 1971 single, "Pretty as You Feel", from Bark). The legendary Afro-American blues fiddler "Papa John" Creach (1917-1994) also joined the group in the early seventies.

During this time, Kaukonen and Casady began a side project they named Hot Tuna, in which the two of them, often supported by a fluid group of other musicians, began exploring traditional blues. They released the acoustic Hot Tuna in 1970 and the electric First Pull Up-Then Pull Down in 1971. As time went by, Kaukonen and Casady began devoting more of their attention to Hot Tuna and less of it to the Airplane. (In the song, "Third Week in the Chelsea," from Bark, Kaukonen details the thoughts he is having about leaving the band.)

Jefferson Airplane's second live album Thirty Seconds Over Winterland (1973) is now best remembered for its cover art, featuring a squadron of flying toasters, which the band later alleged to have spawned the famous "After Dark" computer screensaver design. In 1974, a collection of leftovers (singles and B-sides, including "Mexico" and "Have You Seen the Saucers", as well as other non-album material) was released as Early Flight, the last official Jefferson Airplane album.

Jefferson Starship

During the transitional period of the early 1970s, Paul Kantner recorded Blows Against The Empire, a concept album featuring an ad-hoc group of musicians whom he dubbed Jefferson Starship, marking the first-ever use of that name. This edition of Jefferson Starship (such as it was) included members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (David Crosby and Graham Nash) and members of the Grateful Dead (Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzman, and Mickey Hart), as well as some of the remaining members of Jefferson Airplane (Slick, Covington, and Casady). In Blows Against the Empire, Kantner (and Slick) sang about a group of people escaping earth in a hijacked starship. In 1971, the album was nominated for the prestigious science fiction prize, the Hugo Award, a rare honor for a musical recording. It was while that album was made that Kantner sealed his love affair with Grace Slick; their daughter China Kantner (who made a name for herself as an MTV veejay in the 1980s) was born shortly thereafter.

Kantner and Slick (with a similar group of musicians, but without a "Jefferson Starship" artist credit) released two follow-up albums: Sunfighter, an environmentalism-tinged album released in 1971 to celebrate China's birth, and 1973's Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun, titled after the nicknames David Crosby had given to the couple. The artist credit on Baron von Tollboth gave ex-Quicksilver Messenger Service bassist-keyboard player-vocalist David Freiberg equal billing with Kantner and Slick. (Freiberg, who had also appeared on Blows Against the Empire, had joined Jefferson Airplane in time to appear on Thirty Seconds over Winterland.) Also in 1973, Slick released Manhole, her first solo album.

Kantner is also credited with discovering teen-age guitarist Craig Chaquico during this time, who first appeared on Sunfighter and would play with Kantner, Slick and their bands and then with Starship through 1991. He later embarked on a successful solo career as a smooth jazz artist.

By 1973, with Kaukonen and Casady now devoting their full attention to Hot Tuna, the musicians on Baron von Tollbooth formed the core of a new Airplane lineup that was formally reborn as Jefferson Starship in 1974. Kantner, Slick, and Freiberg were charter members. The line-up also included late-Airplane holdovers drummer John Barbata, and fiddler Papa John Creach (who also played with Hot Tuna), along with Pete Sears (who, like Freiberg, played bass and keyboards) and twenty-year-old guitarist Craig Chaquico. Although Balin was originally not among the re-christened Jefferson Starship, he joined the band while their first album, Dragonfly, was still in the works. His only contribution to the new incarnation's first effort was the haunting ballad, "Caroline." Balin stayed with the group for nearly the remainder of the decade. This line-up proved to be the band's most commercially successful so far, although some Airplane fans were less than happy with its more mainstream direction. Balin's sophisticated ballad "Miracles" helped 1975's Red Octopus achieve multiple-platinum status. The follow-ups, Spitfire (1976), and Earth (1978), were both big sellers. However, Slick's alcoholism became a problem, which led to two nights of disastrous concerts in Germany in 1978. The first night, fans ransacked the stage after Slick failed to appear. The following night, Slick, in a drunken stupor, shocked the audience by using profanity and sexual references throughout most of her songs. She also reminded the audience that their country had lost during World War II, & implied that all residents of Germany were responsible for the atrocities of World War II (over three decades later) (her reference line was "Who won the war?....I have a hard (expletive)"). After the debacle, she left the band.

Towards the end of 1978, Jefferson Starship (now without Grace Slick) recorded Light The Sky On Fire for The Star Wars Holiday Special (under its original title Cigar-Shaped Object). The following year, the group released Gold, a compilation album highlighting their work from 1974's Dragonfly through 1978's Earth. "Light the Sky on Fire" (backed with "Hyperdrive" from Dragonfly) was included as a bonus single in the original packaging of album. (When Gold was issued on CD, both tracks were included on the album.) Shortly before the release of Gold, Balin too left the group, leaving Kantner and company to find a new lead singer in Mickey Thomas (who had sung lead on Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around And Fell In Love"). Thomas's soaring falsetto steered the band toward a harder rock sound, leading to comparisons to Journey. It didn't help that former Journey drummer Aynsley Dunbar had replaced Barbata, who had been injured in a car accident.

After the 1979 release of Freedom At Point Zero (which spawned the hit single "Jane"), Grace Slick suddenly returned to the band. She joined in time to contribute one song, "Stranger," on the group's next album, Modern Times (1981). Modern Times also included the notorious "Stairway to Cleveland," in which the band defended the numerous changes it had undergone in its musical style, personnel, and even name. Slick remained in the band for Jefferson Starship's final two albums, Winds Of Change (1982) and Nuclear Furniture (1984).

Starship

In 1984, Kantner (the last founding member of Jefferson Airplane remaining) left the group, but not before taking legal action against his former bandmates over the Jefferson name (the rest of the band wanted to continue as Jefferson Starship). Kantner won his suit, and the group name was reduced to simply Starship, marking the third incarnation of the band. Freiberg, who had been increasingly marginalized in the band, left as well.

In 1985, Starship released Knee Deep In The Hoopla and immediately scored two # 1 hits. The first was "We Built This City", written by Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf, and inspired by Bay Area power rock station KSAN-FM. This song was trashed at the time by Kantner, and was later declared to be the "worst song of all time" by Blender magazine. VH1 also named it the number one "Most Awesomely Bad Song" on a top-50 countdown co-sponsored with Blender. The second # 1 was "Sara"; these were the first time any incarnation of the Airplane had had a # 1 hit. The album went platinum.

In 1987 "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was featured in the film "Mannequin" and hit # 1, although only Slick and Thomas appeared on it. This song made Slick the oldest female vocalist to sing on a number one Billboard Hot 100 hit, at the age of 47. She held this record until Cher broke it at age 53 in 1999 when "Believe" hit #1. The following year, the band's song "Wild Again" was used in the movie "Cocktail."

By the time No Protection was released, bassist Pete Sears had left. The album went gold and featured the hits "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and "It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)". Grace Slick also left in 1988. The revamped lineup released Love Among The Cannibals in 1989. The lineup, however, had disbanded by 1990.

Reunion and remnants

Solo careers and the attractions of other bands beckoned throughout. In 1981, Marty Balin issued a self-titled solo album which featured the AM radio hit, "Hearts." In stark contrast to the revolutionary rock of his Jefferson Airplane days, "Hearts" proved to be a saccharine-laced pop ballad.

In 1985, following his departure from Jefferson Starship, Paul Kantner rejoined with Balin and Jack Casady to form the KBC Band, releasing their only album, KBC Band (which included Kantner's hit, "America"), in 1987 on Arista Records. The KBC Band also featured keyboardist Tim Gorman (who had played with the Who) and guitarist Slick Aguilar (who had played with David Crosby's band).

With Kantner reunited with Balin and Casady, the KBC Band opened the door to a full-blown Jefferson Airplane reunion. In 1989, during a solo San Francisco gig, Paul Kantner found himself joined by former bandmate (and lover) Grace Slick and two other ex-Airplane members for a cameo appearance. This led to a formal reunion of the original Jefferson Airplane (featuring nearly all the main members, including founder Marty Balin, but without Spencer Dryden, who had been kicked out of the band years earlier). A self-titled album was released by Columbia Records. The accompanying tour was a success, but their revival was short-lived, and thus Jefferson Airplane was officially disbanded for good.

Today, there are two versions of Jefferson Starship — one officially billed as Starship featuring Mickey Thomas (with Thomas at the forefront), and the revived Jefferson Starship (often called Jefferson Starship: The Next Generation or Jefferson Starship-TNG), with Kantner and Balin as leaders, and Diana Mangano replacing Grace Slick as female singer (although Slick did do guest vocals on Jefferson Starship's 1999 album Windows Of Heaven). This latter band plays frequent concerts, and on occasion Jack Casady joins them as well. In 2005 longtime bassist David Freiberg rejoined the group for their "Jefferson Family Galactic Reunion" Tour and continues to tour with the band in 2006. Mangano is an expressive and effective singer, and this revived Jefferson Starship can often capture a good deal of the feeling of the original Airplane.

Jorma Kaukonen still tours, often playing over 100 acoustic solo shows a year at small clubs throughout the country. Occasionally Jack Casady joins him, and the pair perform as Hot Tuna. Kaukonen also operates a guitar camp in southern Ohio, where he teaches would-be guitar virtousos his unique style of finger-picking blues.

In 2004, Marty Balin pointed, with well-deserved pride, to the fact that, unlike many of their contemporaries, all of the original members of Jefferson Airplane survived the 1960s. Immortality would not last forever, however, as Dryden, suffering from financial and health problems, succumbed to colon cancer on January 10, 2005 at the age of 67.

Influence

The original Jefferson Airplane, along with the Byrds, the Doors, the Grateful Dead, The Lovin' Spoonful, the Mamas and the Papas, Tommy James & the Shondells and to some degree Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will always be associated with the more melodic end of the north American rock spectrum and in due course other groups, such as Steely Dan and Eagles, continued to blend elements of folk, jazz and rock and bring the results to a global audience. Of all these bands, Jefferson Airplane excelled in the psychedelic domain and in their penchant for pretentious track titles, which came to characterize the 1965-75 era.

British bands apparently influenced by the mellow lyricism of the west coast sound included Barclay James Harvest, David Bowie, Curved Air, Family, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, the Moody Blues, the Small Faces, Pentangle and Yes. The Beatles have always stressed the influence that the Beach Boys had on their musical development (especially Pet Sounds) but it seems likely that other music from the west coast also spread eastwards and played a key part in making pop music more symphonic and less predictable than it had been before 1965. The era of trans-Atlantic jet travel ushered in a decade earlier and the ability to send TV broadcasts by satellite also facilitated a faster interplay of musical influences across the Atlantic. Donovan was evidently one of the first British pop musicians to become aware of them and was undoubtedly influenced by the group to some degree. He famously namechecked the band in his 1966 song "The Fat Angel" (included on his Sunshine Superman LP in 1967), written many months before the Airplane had become internationally known.

Record producers who worked with the original band included Greg Edward, Rick Jarrard, Matthew Katz, Ron Nevison, Tommy Oliver and Al Schmitt.

Samples

Albums discography

Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, and Jefferson Starship-TNG

Jefferson Airplane

Paul Kantner and the Jefferson Starship

Jefferson Starship

Starship

Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation

Compilation albums credited to "Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship"

  • Hits (1998)
  • VH1 Behind the Music (2000)
  • Love Songs (2000)

Selected solo, duo and trio efforts

Marty Balin

Hot Tuna

Hot Tuna comprised Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady with other musicians.

Paul Kantner/Grace Slick

Paul Kantner

The KBC Band

Includes Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, and Jack Casady.

Grace Slick

Singles discography

Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Starship

Starship

Jefferson Starship - The Next Generation

External links

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