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Friday, January 29, 2016

PAUL KANTNER R.I.P. 1941-2016

Paul Kantner at his corner coffee shop in his beloved San Francisco

Paul Kantner, one of the giants of the San Francisco music scene, has died on January 28, 2016 of multiple organ failure. He was 74 and had suffered a heart attack earlier this week. Kantner is known for co-founding the counterculture era psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship. His death was confirmed by longtime publicist and friend, Cynthia Bowman, who said he died of multiple organ failure and septic shock. Kantner suffered from a string of health problems in recent years, including a heart attack in March 2015. With Jefferson Airplane, Kantner pioneered what became known as the San Francisco sound in the mid-1960s, with such hits as “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” The Airplane was renowned for thrilling vocal gymnastics by singers Marty Balin, Grace Slick and Kantner, the psychedelic blues-rock sound developed by guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bass player Jack Casady and the LSD-spiked, ’60s-era revolutionary fervor of its lyrics. - sfgate.com

Jerry and Paul

I guess I have to understand that I have got to the age where I am going to be losing more and more of my heroes.
Sad to read Paul Kantner is gone, another musician lost, airplane Captain, free thinking stoner and explorer of inner spaces, guitarist, science fiction freak and artist, unique, sharp, prickly and funny and he will be greatly missed. "Have You Seen The Stars Tonight?"
Blows Against The Empire!

I learned the news from The Doors Facebook page who reported:

Our condolences go out to the friends, family and fans of Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane on the news of his passing. Music would not be the same without the sounds of The Doors and Jefferson Airplane, which both contributed so heavily to the signature sound of the 60s and 70s. They often shared the same bill. Celebrate them with this article of the bands’ shows together in England in 1968

There have been some great things filtering through not least from Rolling Stone as we should have expected . . . . Paul Kantner - Rolling Stone
Doors and Airplane hit Middle Earth

Paul Kantner was born in 1941, the musical and nonconforming son of a traveling salesman. He dropped out of college to pursue a career in folk music and became friendly with Crosby and future Starship member David Freiberg, spending days and nights on the beach, strumming guitars and indulging in Crosby’s premium stash of marijuana.

He spent much of his life in his native city, San Francisco and would look back years later and remember a golden age of art, free love and joyous possibility. He joked that it was a privileged haven, “49 square miles surrounded by reality”. He believed deeply in the 60s dream, often citing an anecdote that for a few days in 1966 the stars were so aligned that you could expect any wish to be granted.

“Which, needless to say, it was,” he liked to add.