t***@iwvisp.com
2018-09-28 22:24:36 UTC
Marty Balin, one of the founding members of the legendary Bay Area band Jefferson Airplane, reportedly died on Sept. 27 at the age of 76.
The cause of death is not yet known.
The vocalist-guitarist, who was born in Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 1942, is remembered for popularizing the psychedelic “San Francisco Sound” with the Airplane in the ‘60s and then going on to even greater commercial heights with the Jefferson Starship in the ‘70s.
Jefferson Airplane’s origins date back to the mid-1960s, when Balin met fellow folk artist Marty Balin and began laying the groundwork for a rocking new project. They’d recruit some other talents – most notably, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen – and the Jefferson Airplane made its public debut on Aug. 13, 1965 at the soon-to-be-legendary The Matrix club in San Francisco.
The band quickly become one of the Bay Area’s hottest acts. The group signed with the mighty RCA Records label, resulting in the little-noticed debut, 1966’s “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.”
The group – which also featured vocalist Grace Slick, bassist Jack Casady and others – found success with its sophomore effort, “Surrealistic Pillow.” Boasting such classics as “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit,” “Pillow” became one of the de facto soundtracks to the Summer of Love in 1967. The band struck a chord with the youth of the day, offering up swirling psychedelic anthems that had a profound impact on the direction of popular music. Alongside the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and other select Bay Area bands, the Jefferson Airplane took the so-called San Francisco Sound and made it a phenomenon.
Balin also performed as a member of Jefferson Starship, which went on to reach platinum heights with the mid-‘70s albums “Red Octopus,” “Spitfire” and “Earth.”
Balin was inducted, as a member of Jefferson Airplane, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Ray Arthur
The cause of death is not yet known.
The vocalist-guitarist, who was born in Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 1942, is remembered for popularizing the psychedelic “San Francisco Sound” with the Airplane in the ‘60s and then going on to even greater commercial heights with the Jefferson Starship in the ‘70s.
Jefferson Airplane’s origins date back to the mid-1960s, when Balin met fellow folk artist Marty Balin and began laying the groundwork for a rocking new project. They’d recruit some other talents – most notably, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen – and the Jefferson Airplane made its public debut on Aug. 13, 1965 at the soon-to-be-legendary The Matrix club in San Francisco.
The band quickly become one of the Bay Area’s hottest acts. The group signed with the mighty RCA Records label, resulting in the little-noticed debut, 1966’s “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.”
The group – which also featured vocalist Grace Slick, bassist Jack Casady and others – found success with its sophomore effort, “Surrealistic Pillow.” Boasting such classics as “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit,” “Pillow” became one of the de facto soundtracks to the Summer of Love in 1967. The band struck a chord with the youth of the day, offering up swirling psychedelic anthems that had a profound impact on the direction of popular music. Alongside the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and other select Bay Area bands, the Jefferson Airplane took the so-called San Francisco Sound and made it a phenomenon.
Balin also performed as a member of Jefferson Starship, which went on to reach platinum heights with the mid-‘70s albums “Red Octopus,” “Spitfire” and “Earth.”
Balin was inducted, as a member of Jefferson Airplane, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
Ray Arthur