Marty Balin
PMP Network Presents
Marty Balin, a co-founder of the iconic psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane, shares insights into the band's origins. He recounts how the group came together and the vibrant music scene that surrounded their early career.
Singer / Songwriter
Marty Balin
About Marty Balin
Marty Balin was a singer-songwriter and co-founder of Jefferson Airplane, the pioneering psychedelic rock band he launched in 1965 from his San Francisco nightclub The Matrix. He served as co-lead vocalist alongside Grace Slick and contributed songs including "Today" and "Volunteers." He later joined Jefferson Starship from 1975 to 1978, writing and performing hits including "Miracles" and "Count on Me." His solo career yielded the 1981 top-ten hit "Hearts." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
In this interview
- Recalls opening The Matrix nightclub and hiring blues legends like John Lee Hooker
- Describes forming Jefferson Airplane as part of his deal to open the club
- Talks about watching musicians sign up at folk club hoots to find bandmates
“I would open a club for these guys who had the money to invest in it and I'd start a band and I'd keep the band.”— Marty Balin, in this interview
Since this interview
Balin released the album "The Greatest Love" in early 2016 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award with Jefferson Airplane later that year. He died on September 27, 2018, at age 76 in Tampa, Florida.
