A New Starship Takes Flight
Jefferson Starship has a major rock hit with the song “Miracles” in 1978, eleven years after Jefferson Airplane made the big time with “White Rabbit.” "Count on Me" goes to #3 on the pop charts. Their sound alternates between late 70s arena rock and mellow rock. The band starts big and goes along with diminishing returns until 1984. Band members like Paul Kantner are leaving. There are lawsuits about the name and the song rights. In the end, Grace Slick owns 51% of the band name. She will continue with the band but under the new name Starship.
This band will feature Grace Slick, Mickey Thomas, Craig Chaquico, Peter Sears and Donny Baldwin.
Their first album is the monster hit album, Knee Deep in the Hoopla. It contains the songs, We Built this City and Sara. We Built This City was a #1 song. Sara was an instant top 10 song. Both were Mtv favorites. They had another number one song with “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”
Three big songs in two years. Grace Slick is interviewed all the time. China Kantner, the daughter of Grace Slick and Paul Kanter is on Mtv. The band came back big. The follow up album came out a few years later ...and the band lost momentum.
Grace Slick retired from music in 1988. She would appear at reunited Jefferson Airplane shows. She would do interviews and documentaries. Her days as a touring musician are over. She left on her terms so she is a success.
The thing is, you can still see Starship on tour. After that initial rush, they still released four albums. The link is below.
There are bands that continue for years with only one or two original members and the rest are session players. Rather than do that, Jefferson Airplane didn't continue past its time. They changed the name, changed their style and created a new band with a bridge to the past.
Each time, each change brought success and an interesting story. Decades later, Somebody To Love is a live band staple, transcending genre and time. Miracles is a beautiful song you can sway to. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now will be played at a wedding reception later tonight somewhere in America.
Thank you for the music and the story.