Marty Balin January 30, 1942 – September 27, 2018

A key figure in the San Francisco f lower-power era, Marty Balin was a founder of and a singer and songwriter with Jefferson Airplane, and also a lynchpin of that band’s successor, Jefferson Starship.

With roots in Eastern Europe, Balin was born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati. After moving with his family to California when he was four, and eventually changing his name, he began a solo career. However, it was with Jefferson Airplane, whose frontline he shared with lead vocalist Grace Slick and rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner, that Balin really made waves, including spots at the Monterey Pop Festival, Altamont and Woodstock.

He quit Airplane in 1971, explaining that “the chemicals made [some] people [in the band] crazy and very selfish”, then joined Slick and Kantner in Jefferson Starship in 1975 and left them seven years later after Slick’s exit. In 1993 he worked again with Kantner in a band named Jefferson Starship: The Next Generation, and remained with them until 2003.

Prolific in his own right, Balin recorded 13 albums between 1981 and 2016. In the mid-80s he was also in the KBC Band with Kantner and Airplane bassist Jack Casady.

In 1996 Balin was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as part of Jefferson Airplane, and in 2016 received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Casady said his former bandmate was “a great songwriter and singer who loved life and music. We shared some wonderful times together. We will all miss you.”

A statement from Jefferson Starship said: “Marty Balin was a true talent and inspiration to many. We send his family and friends our deepest condolences. Your love songs will live forever. RIP.”

Balin was 76 at the time of his death. Cause of death has yet to be revealed. DL