Marty Balin 1942-2018

Marty Balin, the singer-songwriter who helped found Jefferson Airplane and later joined Jefferson Starship, died yesterday from causes which have not been publicly released.  He had undergone open heart surgery in 2016.

Martyn Jerel Buchwald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Joseph Buchwald and the former Catherine Eugenia Talbot.  He attended Washington High School in San Francisco.  In 1962, he changed his name to Marty Balin and recorded some solo music.  In 1964, he was in a folk quartet called The Town Criers.  In 1965, Balin founded Jefferson Airplane, along with guitarist-singer Paul Kantner, lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, bassist Jack Casady, singer Signe Anderson, and guitarist Skip Spence, whom Balin persuaded to play drums.  After the release of their first album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, Anderson and Spence left the band and were replaced by Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden.  (Spence later switched back to guitar and helped found Moby Grape.)  Balin continued in the band, sharing the lead vocals with Slick, and occasionally with Kantner and Kaukonen, until he left in April 1971.  His stay in the band included an episode during the Altamont Free Concert, in which he was beaten unconscious by some Hell's Angels.  In 1973, Balin joined the short-lived group Bodacious DF as their lead singer on their only album.  A year later, he sang lead as a guest musician on the song Caroline on Jefferson Starship's first album Dragon Fly.  In 1975, he joined the band, which had been founded by Kantner, Slick, and some other musicians.  He sang lead on four hit singles, starting with his own composition Miracles, before leaving in 1978.  During the 1980s, Balin released solo material, joined Kantner and Casady to form the KBC band, and participated in a Jefferson Airplane reunion with Kantner, Slick, Casady and Kaukonen.  He also contributed vocals to some later incarnations of Jefferson Starship.

Besides his musical pursuits, Balin also painted for most of his life.  He was married to Victoria Martin, with whom he had a daughter named Jennifer, to Karen Deal, with whom he had a daughter named Delaney, and most recently to Susan Joy Finkelstein, by whom he is survived.  He is also survived by his daughters and his stepdaughters Rebecca and Moriah Geier.

Read more at the Rolling Stone, Variety, The Mercury News, Ultimate Classic Rock and Billboard.

Balin sang lead most of the lead vocals on Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, including Come Up The Years, which he wrote with Kantner.


Jefferson Airplane's second album Surrealistic Pillow starts off with She Has Funny Cars, which Balin wrote with Kaukonen.  Grace Slick provides some counterpoint vocals.


In 1975, Balin's song Miracles gave Jefferson Starship a no. 3 hit.  The song was on their Red Octopus album.  Besides Balin on lead vocals, the track includes Kantner on rhythm guitar and vocals, Slick on vocals, Craig Chaquico on lead guitar, David Freiberg on organ, John Barbata on drums, Papa John Creach on violin, and Pete Sears on bass and piano.  Freiberg, Chaquico and Barbata may each have contributed some backing vocals.  All were original members of Jefferson Starship before Balin joined them.


In 1981, the song Hearts, from the album Balin and written by Jesse Barish, reached no. 8 on the Billboard charts.