Jefferson Airplane is a band from the USA. The musicians managed to become a true legend of art rock. Fans associate the musicians' work with the hippie era, the time of free love and original experiments in art.
The musical compositions of the American band are still popular with music lovers. And this is despite the fact that the musicians presented their last album in 1989.
The history of the creation and composition of the Jefferson Airplane group
To feel the history of the group, you need to go back to 1965, in San Francisco. At the origins of the cult group is the young vocalist Marty Balin.
In the mid-1960s, Marty played popular "hybrid music" and dreamed of starting his own band. The concept of "hybrid music" should be understood as an organic combination of classical folk and elements of new rock motifs.
Marty Balin wanted to create a band, and the first thing he did was to announce the search for musicians. The young vocalist bought the diner, transformed it into a club and named the establishment The Matrix. After the equipped base, Marty started listening to musicians.
In this case, the old friend Paul Kantner, who plays folk, helped the young man. Signy Anderson was the first to join the new team. Later, the group included blues guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, drummer Jerry Peloquin and bassist Bob Harvey.
Music critics still cannot find the exact version of the origin of the name. Immediately there were several versions that the musicians themselves did not officially confirm.
The first version - a creative pseudonym comes from a slang concept. Jefferson Airplane refers to a match broken in half. Used to finish smoking a cigarette when it can no longer be held with fingers. The second version - the name that united the musicians, became a mockery of the common names of blues singers.
The Jefferson Airplane group contributed to the development of art rock. In addition, music critics call the musicians the "fathers" of psychedelic rock. In the 1960s, it was one of the highest paid groups in the US. They headlined the first Isle of Wight festival.
Music by Jefferson Airplane
In the mid-1960s, the group's debut performance took place. Interestingly, the musicians immediately felt the mood of the music lovers. They moved away from the folklore direction towards the electronic sound. The band members were inspired by the work of The Beatles. At the same time, the unique style of the Jefferson Airplane group was formed.
A few months later, several musicians left the group at once. Despite the losses, the rest of the band decided not to change direction. They continued to move in the same direction.
The band's profile was boosted by reviews written by music critic Ralph Gleason. The critic did not hesitate to praise the band, urging them to listen to the work of Jefferson Airplane.
Soon the musicians performed at the prestigious music festival Longshoremen's Hall. An important event took place at the festival - the band members were noticed by the producers of the RCA Victor recording studio. The producers offered the group to sign a contract. They gave the musicians a fee of $25.
Release of the debut album Jefferson Airplane
In 1966, the group's discography was replenished with the first studio album. 15 thousand copies were released, but it turned out that only in San Francisco music lovers bought 10 thousand copies.
After all copies were sold out, the producers launched another batch of the debut album with some changes.
At the same time, Signy Anderson was replaced by a new member, Grace Slick. The singer's vocals harmonized perfectly with Balin's voice. Grace had a magnetic appearance. This allowed the group to gain new "fans".
The following years became eventful for the musicians of the group. An article about the band was published in Newsweek. In the winter of 1967, the musicians presented their second studio album, Surrealistic Pillow.
Thanks to two tracks of the second studio album, the guys gained worldwide popularity. We are talking about the musical compositions White Rabbit and Somebody to Love. Then the musicians became special guests of the Monterey Festival as part of the Summer of Love project.
Starting with Baxter's third compilation After Bathingat, the members changed the concept. Music critics noted that the band's tracks "heavier". In the first two albums, the tracks were made in the classic rock composition format. And the new songs were longer in time, more difficult in relation to the genre.
Breakup of the Jefferson Airplane
In the early 1970s, the group ceased to exist. Although there was no official information about the breakup of the group from the musicians. In 1989, members of the Jefferson Airplane band got together to record a new album.
The discography of the group was replenished with the album Jefferson Airplane. In the mid-1990s, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The musicians received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
In 2020, Jefferson Airplane no longer performed. Some musicians were engaged in solo work. On the band's official website, you can find interesting articles about the history of the Jefferson Airplane band.
