Grace Slick biography

By this time, the group had a recording contract, and had already released their first album: Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.

For the group's second album Surrealistic Pillow (1967), Slick wrote the ballad "White Rabbit", which proved to be one of Jefferson Airplane's biggest hits. She later revealed to journalist James M. Clash that she wrote the Spanish ballad on a second-hand upright piano filled with broken keys. In addition to "White Rabbit",

the album also featured the hit "Somebody to Love", which Slick helped write with Darby.

With Slick as their frontwoman, Jefferson Airplane appeared at many of the music festivals that defined the late 1960s, including Monterey in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. Slick's vibrant persona was admired by fans, and she quickly emerged as one of the most well-known personalities in rock during the 60s.

Off stage, Slick lived in the spirit of the era, engaging in drug experimentation and in romantic dalliances even before she and her husband officially split in 1971. She eventually got involved with Jefferson Airplane's rhythm guitarist and singer, Paul Kantner. The couple welcomed a child, daughter China, in December of 1971. That same year, Slick released the album Sunfighter (1971), which she worked on with Kantner.

Slick struck out on her own with 1974's Manhole, but neither effort matched the success of Jefferson Airplane. Around this time, Slick and Kantner formed the group Jefferson Starship, which featured some of members of the Jefferson Airplane. The new entity enjoyed some success with 1975's Red Octopus, 1976's Spitfire, and 1978's Earth.

In 1976, Slick married Skip Johnson, a lighting director who had worked with the group. She quit Jefferson Starship two years later, after their tour in Germany. After a brief stint in recovery from alcohol addiction, Slick returned to music with two solo efforts: Dreams (1980) and Welcome to the Wrecking Ball! (1981).

Within a few years, Slick rejoined Jefferson Starship, which had taken on a more mainstream rock sound. The group changed its name to Starship after Kantner's departure, and it enjoyed such popular hits as "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Going to Stop Us Now." Slick briefly retired from performing in 1988 before reuniting with the original members of Jefferson Airplane the following year. The group went on tour and produced one album together.

By the 1990s, Slick had given up performing. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and she wrote about her rock 'n' roll experiences in her 1998 autobiography Somebody to Love?. Finding another outlet for her creativity, Slick also began showing and selling her artwork.

In 2010, Slick released a new song, "The Edge of Madness", to benefit the fishermen affected by the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The charity single was co-written by Slick and Michelle Mangione and includes performances by more than 20 musicians and singers.

Divorced from Skip Johnson in 1994, Slick now lives in Malibu, California.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.