Jefferson Airplane Photography

Few bands from the psychedelic era are as captivating or enduring as San Francisco’s Jefferson Airplane. Led by Grace Slick and Marty Balin, Jefferson Airplane earned the unique distinction of appearing at all three legendary American festivals—Monterey, Woodstock, and Altamont—along with headlining at the inaugural Isle of Wight Festival.

The group’s 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow is one of the most seminal works from the “Summer of Love,” while their smash singles “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit” later landed on Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” All the while, Jefferson Airplane also became a key voice of political awareness and social awakening, stacking plenty of lyrical substance within their hypnotic sounds.

Though they disbanded in 1972, members splintered off into several successful offshoots, including Jefferson Starship (eventually truncated to just Starship) and Hot Tuna. They reunited briefly for a self-titled album in 1989, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.