Paul Kantner, Third Rock & Roll Hall of Famer to Die This Month

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It seems that the Grim Reaper has it in for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Usually the monthly obituary list I post at Persona Paper has plenty of "obscure" or "minor" celebrities with the occasional "big name" act. January 2016, however, has been brutal, with three Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members passing away since January 11. David Bowie died that day, and Glenn Frey died January 18. The third Hall of Famer, Paul Kantner, died today (January 28). Paul Kantner and Marty Balin co-founded the band Jefferson Airplane in San Francisco in 1965. Their "acid rock" fit in perfectly with the experimental new music during so-called "summer of love." With songs like "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love," Jefferson Airplane became the first band in the San Francisco Haight-Ashbury music scene to gain "top 40" success. The band's history was tumultuous, to say the very least. The band underwent three name changes (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship). Various members came and went (including lead singer Balin, who left in the early 70's but returned when the band changed from Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship). Kantner was the last original member to depart, leaving in the early 80's when the band, in his opinion, lost its anti-establishment edge (despite the fact that they had enjoyed significant commercial success with songs like "Miracles," "Count on Me," "With Your Love," and "Runaway") and turned into a mainstream, lame, shell of its former self. He even sued the band over use of the name Jefferson Starship, forcing the band to change its name to just Starship. (The legal technicalities basically boiled down to this: Jefferson Airplane could only be used if Grace Slick was in the band, and Jefferson Starship could only be used if Kantner was in the band. Otherwise, the band had to be called Starship.) Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. The band is scheduled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Grammy at the Grammy Awards ceremony next week as well. Kantner had a long history of health problems. In 1980 he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Last year he suffered a heart attack but recovered and resumed touring. According to reports, Kantner suffered another heart attack last week. His cause of death was reported to be from complications related to the recent heart attack. Paul Kantner was 74.