Jefferson Starship—Band History

Evolution of Psychedelic Rockers into Mainstream MORers

Jul 23, 2009

Under a new name, remnants of Jefferson Airplane achieved greater commercial success in the 1970s.

By 1973, Jefferson Airplane existed in name only. San Francisco’s standard bearers of acid rock had become grounded due to diverging musical directions, drug abuse, and internal conflicts. Yet out of the demise of the Airplane emerged a new entity which embraced mainstream music, whereas the Airplane had openly disdained such commerciality.

Wooden Ships and Starships

As early as 1969, Jefferson Airplane guitarist Paul Kantner had introduced science fiction lyrics into the group’s repertoire through “Wooden Ships,” a song he co-wrote with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. In 1970, Kantner expanded his ideas on a solo concept album, Blows Against the Empire, on which he collaborated with an unofficial group called "Jefferson Starship," consisting of members of the Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and others.

Four years later, with Jefferson Airplane having flown its last, a new name was needed for the band Kantner would form with Airplane singer Grace Slick. Recalling Blows, they named the new group Jefferson Starship.

The name was more than just a cosmetic assocation with Jefferson Airplane and the earlier album. In addition to Kantner and Slick, three other members of the new band were also veterans of the Airplane, while the remaining two had played on Kantner and Slick's solo work. Thus, Jefferson Starship’s original lineup was drawn from prominent West Coast musicians:

Peter Kaukonen left after the first tour and was replaced by Pete Sears, a veteran British sessions musician, on bass and keyboards.

Marty Balin and “Miracles”

The new band released Dragon Fly (1974); the album went gold and yielded a minor hit, “Ride the Tiger.” But, for many fans, the highlight of the album was the band’s one-song reunion with Airplane founding vocalist Marty Balin.

Balin, who had left the Airplane in 1971, was coaxed back by Kantner. In 1975, Balin rejoined the band, boosting the lineup to eight. Fittingly, the second Jefferson Starship album was entitled Red Octopus.

Released in the summer of 1975, Red Octopus sold over two million copies and topped Billboard Magazine's U.S. music chart—the only Airplane or Starship album to do so. Much of its success was due to the hit single, "Miracles," a sultry love ballad written and sung by Balin.

The success of “Miracles” prompted the band to continue in the middle-of-the-road (MOR) vein for the next two albums, Spitfire (1976) and Earth (1978). Both albums sold over a million copies and contained further romantic hits: “With Your Love” (1976) and “Count on Me” and “Runaway” (both 1978).

Disaster and Defections

Yet not everyone in the group was happy with the MOR direction, and problems were exacerbated by Slick’s alcoholism and other internal conflicts. In June 1978, Slick's illness prevented her from performing in Hamburg, Germany. The cancelled concert resulted in a riot of 10,000 fans.

Slick quit the band the next day, and Balin followed suit a short time later. Barbata’s injury in an auto accident removed him from the lineup, as well. In the span of a few months, Jefferson Starship had shrunk from seven members to four (Creach had left after Red Octopus), and from headling status to a group with a doubtful future.

New Singer, New Direction

Undaunted, remaining members Kantner, Freiberg, Chaquico, and Sears recruited a new drummer, Aynsley Dunbar (formerly of Journey) and a new lead singer, Mickey Thomas (formerly of the Elvin Bishop Group). Abandoning the MOR direction, they recorded Freedom at Point Zero (1979), a hard rock album similar in style to those of Bad Company and Foreigner, but with Kantner’s science fiction lyrics returning to the fore. This was a risky move, as the band had just lost two star vocalists; to change their musical direction risked alienating their fans further.

Grace Slick Returns, 1980s, Starship

Slick, who had briefly launched a solo career, guested on the band’s next release, Modern Times (1981), and rejoined the band shortly before its release. But despite her return, both that album and the next, Winds of Change (1982), sold modestly. As the 1980s dawned, Jefferson Starship found itself struggling to compete with a new force in music, MTV, and against much younger bands such as Duran Duran and Def Leppard.

Most of the band members embraced the commercial possiblities of the new decade, but Kantner remained true to the counterculture spirit of the ‘60s. After one more album, Nuclear Furniture (1984), he left the band and sued over ownership of its name.

In 1985, five remaining members (Slick, Thomas, Chaquico, Sears, and drummer Donny Baldwin) reemerged as Starship and—both paradoxically and typically—went on to achieve the band’s greatest success with radio-tailored hits such as “We Built this City” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

Jefferson Starship emerged from the ashes of Jefferson Airplane and achieved greater commercial success than the original band. Yet their resilience and willingness to change musical directions ultimately caused them to evolve into completely different band with no original members.

The copyright of the article Jefferson Starship—Band History in Classic Rock Music 70s-90s is owned by Greg Gildersleeve. Permission to republish Jefferson Starship—Band History in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.