Paul Kantner Biography
Birth Name: Paul Lorin Kantner
Born: 1941/03/17
Birth Place: San Francisco, United States
Died: NULL
Years Active: 1965–present
Genres: Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, Acid Rock
Born: 1941/03/17
Birth Place: San Francisco, United States
Died: NULL
Years Active: 1965–present
Genres: Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, Acid Rock
Paul Lorin Kantner was born March 17, 1941 in San Francisco and is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship. Although the band was originally formed by Marty Balin, Kantner eventually became the spokesman for Jefferson Airplane and captained the group through various successions or incarnations of Jefferson Starship. Kantner is known as a political anarchist, and once advocated the use of psychedelic drugs such as LSD for mind expansion and spiritual growth, and is a prominent advocate of the legalization of marijuana. Kantner's mother died when he was just eight years old and his father, a traveling sales man, sent him to jesuit military school. By the time he was a teenager Kantner revolted against all forms of authority and took to music as his escape.
In the sumer of 1965 Kantner meet Balin while performing a a folk club and Balin recruited him to join Jefferson Airplane, the band became an over sensation which secured them at spot at Woodstock. However, ten years on, despite all of their commercial success the band were plagued with in-house fighting, which ultimately lead to the demise of their success – and the band. As the band began to fall apart, Kanter salvaged what he could and reformed the band as Jefferson Starship with additional new members.
A number of albums were released under the new formation: “Sunfighter” (1971), “Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Num” (1973) and “Earth” (1978) to name but a few, meanwhile the band continued to struggle with keeping it's members as line-up changes began to happen more frequently. A decade of name changing and legal battles ensued with the original members of Jefferson Airplane, until Kantner formed a new band in 1985 called KBC Band, signed to Arista Records.
Jefferson Airplane were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and their performance at the induction ceremony was the first time original members Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Spencer Dryden and Kantner had played together since 1970. In 1991 Kantner and Balin reformed Jefferson Starship and released their first studio album in a decade, “Jefferson's Tree of Liberty” in September 2008. Currently Kantner continues to tour and record with the band.
In the sumer of 1965 Kantner meet Balin while performing a a folk club and Balin recruited him to join Jefferson Airplane, the band became an over sensation which secured them at spot at Woodstock. However, ten years on, despite all of their commercial success the band were plagued with in-house fighting, which ultimately lead to the demise of their success – and the band. As the band began to fall apart, Kanter salvaged what he could and reformed the band as Jefferson Starship with additional new members.
A number of albums were released under the new formation: “Sunfighter” (1971), “Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Num” (1973) and “Earth” (1978) to name but a few, meanwhile the band continued to struggle with keeping it's members as line-up changes began to happen more frequently. A decade of name changing and legal battles ensued with the original members of Jefferson Airplane, until Kantner formed a new band in 1985 called KBC Band, signed to Arista Records.
Jefferson Airplane were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and their performance at the induction ceremony was the first time original members Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Spencer Dryden and Kantner had played together since 1970. In 1991 Kantner and Balin reformed Jefferson Starship and released their first studio album in a decade, “Jefferson's Tree of Liberty” in September 2008. Currently Kantner continues to tour and record with the band.
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