Paul Kantner Jefferson Airplane Live at 1969 Festival, Signe Anderson

Paul Kantner died on January 28, 2016, just weeks later, Jefferson Airplane will receive its Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award next month. As a founding member of one of the definitive San Francisco psychedelic groups of the 1960s and the guiding spirit of its successor Jefferson Starship, Paul Kantner died in San Francisco at age 74 due to multiple organ failures brought on by septic shock. At the ill-fated Altamont Speedway Free Festival in December 1969, Jefferson Airplane performed “The Other Side Of This Life.“ Paul Kantner defends bandmate Marty Balin after he was smashed in the head by California Hell’s Angels. The northern California free concert also featured Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with the Rolling Stones taking the stage as the final act. “The Other Side Of This Life“ was released on their 1969 live album “Bless Its Pointed Little Head.“ Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996: “Their heady psychedelia, combustible group dynamic and adventuresome live shows made them one of the defining bands of the era.” Jefferson Airplane fans are also saddened by the death of Signe Toly Anderson, the group’s original vocalist. She sang on their debut 1966 album “Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.“ Signe Toly Anderson died on January 28, 2016, the same day as fellow Airplane member Paul Kantner. Her death was confirmed by Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen on his webpage, who said he was informed of her death by Grace Slick. “We were just checking into the hotel in Santa Monica this afternoon … I’ve got a solo gig at McCabe’s Music Shop tonight… I got a call from Grace who told me that Signe, the Airplane’s first female voice, passed on the same day as Paul.“ #jeffersonairplane