Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1965 that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. The group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to achieve international commercial success. They headlined the Monterey Pop Festival (1967), Woodstock (1969), Altamont Free Concert (1969), and the first Isle of Wight Festival (1968) in England. Their 1967 breakout album Surrealistic Pillow was one of the most significant recordings of the Summer of Love. Two songs from that album, "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit", are among Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
The October 1966 to February 1970 lineup of Jefferson Airplane, consisting of Marty Balin (vocals), Paul Kantner (guitar, vocals), Grace Slick (vocals, keyboards), Jorma Kaukonen (lead guitar, vocals), Jack Casady (bass), and Spencer Dryden (drums), was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Balin left the band in 1971.
After 1972, Jefferson Airplane effectively split into two groups. Kaukonen and Casady moved on full-time to their own band, Hot Tuna. Slick, Kantner, and the remaining members of Jefferson Airplane recruited new members and regrouped as Jefferson Starship in 1974, with Balin eventually joining them. Jefferson Airplane received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Members:
Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals (1965-1972, 1989, 1996; died 2016)
Jorma Kaukonen - lead guitar, vocals (1965-1972, 1989, 1996)
Marty Balin - vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion (1965-1971, 1989, 1996; died 2018)
Signe Toly Anderson - vocals (1965-1966; died 2016)
Bob Harvey - double bass (1965)
Jerry Peloquin - drums (1965)
Skip Spence - drums, percussion (1965-1966; died 1999)
Jack Casady - bass, rhythm guitar (1965-1972, 1989, 1996)
Grace Slick - vocals, piano, recorder, keyboards (1966-1972, 1989)
Spencer Dryden - drums, percussion (1966-1970, 1996; died 2005)
Joey Covington - drums, percussion (1970-1972; died 2013)
Papa John Creach - violin, vocals (1970-1972; died 1994)
John Barbata - drums, percussion (1972; died 2024)
David Freiberg - vocals, rhythm guitar (1972)
From: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Genre(s):
Psychedelic rock,
acid rock,
folk rock,
Classic Rock
Active From: 1965-1973, 1989, 1996
Associated Acts:
Jefferson Starship,
Hot Tuna,
Starship