Before “White Rabbit“ became an anthem of the psychedelic era, Grace Slick was a model in San Francisco, looking for something noisier and freer than the podium. On October 30, 1939, Grace Barnett Wing was born in Chicago - the woman whose low and powerful voice would become one of the symbols of American rock.
In 1965, she created The Great Society with her husband Jerry Slick and his brother Darby Slick. The group moved in the same musical environment of San Francisco, from which Jefferson Airplane emerged. When vocalist Signy Anderson left Jefferson Airplane, Slick took her place in 1966 and joined the band at a crucial moment in its development.
The Two Songs That Changed Everything
Jefferson Airplane's first album with Grace Slick was “Surrealistic Pillow“, released in 1967. It reached number three on the Billboard 200 and made the band one of the faces of psychedelic rock. It contains the two songs with which Slick's name will forever be associated.
“Somebody to Love“ was written by Darby Slick, and Grace brought it from The Great Society repertoire to Jefferson Airplane. The song reached number five on the US singles chart. “White Rabbit“ was a composition by Grace Slick – short, tense and built on images from Lewis Carroll's “Alice in Wonderland“. The single reached number eight and became a million-selling hit.
In an interview with “The Guardian“ Slick said of the song: “That song still pays my bills. It's a good song.“
From Woodstock to Jefferson Starship
With Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick performed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at Woodstock in 1969. The group also recorded “After Bathing at Baxter’s“, “Crown of Creation“, “Volunteers“, “Bark“ and “Long John Silver“, and its lineup became one of the most recognizable in the American rock scene of the 1960s.
After the breakup of Jefferson Airplane, Slick and guitarist Paul Kantner continued their collaboration. In 1974, they created Jefferson Starship. The album “Red Octopus“ from 1975 topped the Billboard 200, and the group established itself as one of the leading rock bands of the next decade.
Later, Slick also participated in Starship - the band that recorded “We Built This City“. Thus, her career moved from the raw psychedelic rock of San Francisco to the more radio-friendly sound of the 1980s.
A Voice That Remains
Grace Slick stopped performing in the late 1980s and turned her attention to painting. In 1996, Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2016, the group received a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Slick's influence is not limited to two songs or one band. She is among the women who changed the perception of the role of the vocalist in rock music – not as a background or decoration, but as a leading force with an authorial voice, stage presence and own position.
Sources: biography.com, latimes.com, theguardian.com