Jefferson Airplane | Artist
Jefferson Airplane was a psychedelic rock band formed 1965 in San Francisco, California by Marty Balin (vocals), Paul Kantner (guitar, vocals), Signe Anderson (vocals), Jack Casady (bass), Jorma Kaukonen (guitar, vocals) and Alexander "Skip" Spence (drums). Spencer Dryden (drums) replaced Spence, and Grace Slick (vocals) replaced Anderson after the release of the band's folk-influenced debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. Grace Slick was previously singer for psych-folk outfit The Great Society who had a big hit with "Someone to Love" which featured Slick's powerful vocals. Slick's recruitment proved pivotal to the Airplane's commercial breakthrough—she possessed a powerful and supple contralto voice that complemented Balin's and was well-suited to the group's amplified psychedelic music. A former model, her good looks and stage presence greatly enhanced the group's live impact. "White Rabbit" was written by Slick while she was still with The Great Society and "Somebody to Love" was written by her brother-in-law Darby Slick. By the release of their second classic album Surrealistic Pillow, Jefferson Airplane became the first of the Bay Area bands to achieve success and they became one of the pioneering bands of the first Psych rock era, well illustrated by their famous performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. Over their nine year career the band released eight studio albums, plus one lack-lustre reunion album in 1989. Surrealistic Pillow (1967), After Bathing at Baxter's (1967), Crown of Creation (1968) and Volunteers (1969) are all classic albums. The live album Bless Its Pointed Little Head (1969) is also recommended. In parallel with band activities, Paul Kantner and Grace Slick released several excellent albums as the side-project Jefferson Starship, including Blows Against The Empire (1970), Sunfighter (1971) and Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun (1973). When the Airplane eventually splintered, Jefferson Starship became a permanent fixture, and old friends Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady formed the blues-rock outfit Hot Tuna. Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow remains one of the finest examples of psychedelic rock from the '60s period and two songs from that album, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" are both among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In their early years Jefferson Airplane were at the forefront of the Haight-Ashbury counter-culture movement, exemplified by radical political slogans and their anti-Vietnam war stance. The Airplane's appearance on mainstream American TV show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in October 1968 caused a minor stir when Slick appeared in blackface and raised her fist in the Black Panther Party's salute after singing "Crown of Creation."
Artist Website: jeffersonairplane.com
Featured Albums: Jefferson Airplane
Related Artists: Jefferson Starship, Paul Kantner & Grace Slick, The Great Society, Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen, Papa John Creach
