Top Ten Hits by the Jefferson Airplane

It has often been said that Jefferson Airplane provided the soundtrack to the 1960’s summer of love in southern California. It can even be said they invented the era’s throbbing, psychedelic sounds that pervaded the entire decade and beyond. The very sound of their hit songs Somebody to Love and White Rabbit are directly related to the era of peace and love. They were the first band from the area to achieve nation recognition.

Matrix nightclub in San Francisco housed the first performance of the band in 1965. Jefferson Airplane has performed at such notable venues as the Berkeley Folk Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock, Altamont the legendary Fillmore Auditorium. They were on the cover of Life Magazine in 1968 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. They have headlined with greats such as The Doors, Grateful Dead, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Janis Joplin, Steve Miller, and many others. They are known as the only rock band to play all of the 60’s era music fetivals. They released seven studio albums, five of which went gold, plus two live LPs and eight chart singles.

In 1965 the band line up of Balin, Kantner, Anderson, Kaukonen, Spence, and Casady signed to RCA Victor Records. The cut a single that went uncharted.Their debut LP, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off came out in 1966. When Grace Slick took the helm as lead singer, even more national attention circled the band. They made a first in music history, cutting an album called The Worst of Jefferson Airplane. The nature of the bands commercial breakthrough in the first place was it’s sheer honesty in it’s drug filled existence and lifestyle. In turn, it was also it’s downfall. AM Top 40 radio was, at the time, the only real radio and refused to play such ribald rivalry. Jefferson Airplane had gained popularity for its songs about drug use and that was therefore it’s downfall also.

After completing their recording commitment to RCA, Jefferson Airplane began looking for a new record deal but RCA again gained their business by offering them their own label as GRUNT records. This was where they had their last placing in the Hot 100 at number 60 early in 1972 with “Pretty As You Feel.”.The label issued songs by band members in other groups like Creach and Hot Tuna but Jefferson Air Plane remained their most successful act.

The band was not without its media frenzied reports. In May of 1971 Grace Slick crashed her Mercedes into a wall right off the Golden Gate Bridge near the city of San Francisco. She was briefly hospitalized and caused recording sessions to be cancelled for Jefferson Airplane.

They became known throughout the years for their inner turmoil among group members. The coming and going of group members and leaders often made national entertainment magazines over the years. They pulled unusual stunts because of the inner troubles like morphing into other band configurations like Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship, and went on to other successes in the 1970s and ’80s, before reuniting for an album and tour in 1989.

The band remains a fan favorite among all age groups. Whether it’s the new age punks or the old rock in rollers the Jefferson Airplane continues to rock the house. Below is a list of the top ten highest grossing hits from the band, it’s members and morphing bands.

Top Ten From Jefferson Airplane

1. Somebody To Love

2.White Rabbit

3. It’s No Secret

4. Come Up the Years

5. Bringing Me Down

6. High Flying Bird

7. Today

8. The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil

9.Watch Her Ride

10.Mexico