Jefferson Airplane was the embodiment of the San Francisco music scene during the 1960s. They were revolutionaries of the hippie time period, as one of the earliest psychedelic bands to sign a record contract with a major label, play dance concerts, and tour in the U.S. and in Europe.

The band’s roots trace back to when Marty Balin, part owner of the San Francisco club The Matrix, was seeking a new band for the club. Balin had been playing with the Town Criers when he met guitarist Paul Kantner at the Drinking Gourd. The pair connected and started working on a lineup.

Jefferson Airplane took off in 1965. It consisted of Balin and Signe Toly Anderson on vocals, Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitar, Kantner on rhythm guitar, Bob Harvey on bass – who was quickly replaced by Jack Casady – and Skip Spence on drums. Their first major show was at the Matrix Club, which would later serve as a priority spot for bands in the area. Their debut album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, was released in 1966 and went gold.

After a short period of playing together, the band was shaken up with members leaving and new ones joining. Anderson left to have a family so Grace Slick joined as vocalist. It proved mutually beneficial, because Slick had a more powerful voice and was more expressive than Anderson. Slick had been a member of The Great Society and brought “White Rabbit,” which was banned in some areas as a pro-drug song, and “Somebody to Love” – both of which became classic songs with Jefferson Airplane. Spence also left the band to form Moby Grape and was replaced by Spencer Dryden.

The band had an eclectic sound pieced together from many backgrounds and styles. Balin sang pop, Slick had a literary approach, Kantner was well versed in folk, Kaukonen knew blues, Casady had a background in R&B, and Dryden was trained in jazz. Their style propelled rock music forward in the heady world of San Francisco music in the 1960s.

From 1967 to 1969 they released five albums – Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter’s, Crown of Creation, Bless Its Pointed Little Head, and Volunteers, which are considered to be some of the best of the decade.