The first of the San Francisco psychedelic rock groups of the 1960s to achieve national recognition. Although the Grateful Dead ultimately proved more long-lived and popular, Jefferson Airplane defined the San Francisco sound in the 1960s, with the acid rock guitar playing of Jorma Kaukonen and the soaring twin vocals of Grace Slick and Marty Balin. They epitomised the drug-taking hippie ethos as well as the left-wing, antiwar political movement of their time, and their history was one of controversy along with hit records.

But for all the turmoil, Jefferson Airplane was remarkably productive between 1965 and 1972. They toured regularly, being the only band to play at all the major 1960s rock festivals - Monterey, Woodstock and even Altamont - and they released 7 studio albums, 5 of which went gold, plus two live albums. Rather than formally breaking up, they mutated into other configurations, Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship, and went on to further success in the 1970s and 1980s, before reuniting for an album and tour in 1989.

The initial idea for the group that became Jefferson Airplane came from 23-year-old Marty Balin, a San Francisco-raised singer who had recorded unsuccessfully and been a member of a folk group called the Town Criers during the early 1960s. With the Beatles-led British Invasion of 1964, Balin saw the merging of folk with rock in early 1965 and decided to form a group to play the hybrid style as well as open a club for the group to play in. He interested investors in converting a pizza restaurant on Fillmore Street into a 100-seat venue called the Matrix and began picking potential bandmembers from among the musicians at a local folk club.

His first recruit was rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Kantner, who in turn recommended lead guitarist/singer Jorma Kaukonen. Balin, who possessed a keening tenor, wanted a complementary powerful female voice for the group and found it in Signe Toly. The 6-piece band was completed by bass player Bob Harvey and drummer Jerry Peloquin. The group's unusual name was suggested by Kaukonen, who had once jokingly been dubbed 'Blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane' by a friend in reference to the blues singer Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Jefferson Airplane made its debut at the Matrix on 13th August 1965 and began performing at the club regularly, attracting favourable press attention. At a time when folk-rock performers such as Bob Dylan, the Byrds and the Turtles were all over the charts, that led to record company interest.

By September, Jefferson Airplane was being wooed by several labels but was was already undergoing changes. Peloquin was fired and replaced by Skip Spence who considered himself a guitarist, not a drummer, but had some drumming experience. In September, Signe Toly married and became Signe Anderson. In October, Harvey was replaced by Jack Casady, a friend of Kaukonen's. On 15th November 1965, this lineup signed to RCA Victor Records and released their debut single, Balin's composition It's No Secret, in February 1966.

Meanwhile, Jefferson Airplane began to appear at more prestigious venues in San Francisco and even to tour outside the Bay Area. In May 1966, Anderson gave birth to a daughter and caring for the child while performing with the band became a challenge. Meanwhile, Spence became increasingly unreliable as his appetite for drugs increased and he was replaced in June by session drummer Spencer Dryden. Spence went on to form Moby Grape.

In August 1966, Jefferson Airplane released its debut LP, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, but had modest sales.

At this point, Anderson's commitment to her family caused her departure from the group. Jefferson Airplane was able to find a strong replacement for her in Grace Slick, the lead singer for the San Francisco rock band the Great Society which happened to be in the process of breaking up at that time, who joined Jefferson Airplane in mid-October 1966. She brought with her two songs from the Great Society repertoire: Somebody to Love, written by her brother-in-law Darby Slick, the Great Society's guitarist, and her own composition, White Rabbit. Both songs were recorded for Jefferson Airplane's second album, Surrealistic Pillow, which did well as a result of the release of Somebody to Love as a single.

Meanwhile, the band began recording a new album and continued to tour. On 17th June 1967, they performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival, which was celebrated for introducing many of the new San Francisco rock bands (as well as the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and launching the 'Summer of Love' that the season was touted to be in 1967. Jefferson Airplane's performance was filmed and recorded. Two songs from their show, High Flying Bird and Today, were featured in the documentary film Monterey Pop, released in 1968.

The band's wider commercial appeal was blighted by its history of drug references and its the third album, After Bathing at Baxter's, was not as successful as Surrealistic Pillow. Also notable was the diminished participation of Balin, who co-wrote only one song, but now was being marginalised in the group he had founded.

In August 1969, the group appeared at the Woodstock festival and was featured on the soundtrack album to the resulting film in 1970, although it did not appear onscreen in the version initially released.

On 6th December 1969, the band played at the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont free concert in California, its performance (complete with Balin's beating at the hands of Hell's Angels) captured in the 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter.

The turn of the 1970s brought great changes in the group. Already, Kaukonen and Casady, with assorted sidemen, had begun to play separately as Hot Tuna while maintaining their membership in Jefferson Airplane. Dryden was replaced by drummer Joey Covington. Balin left the band at the end of the fall tour in November.

In the early 1970s, the members of Jefferson Airplane became increasingly preoccupied by their side projects. The concert at the Winterland ballroom in San Francisco on 22nd September 1972 in effect marked the end of Jefferson Airplane, although no formal announcement was ever made.

The various members of Jefferson Airplane went through various solo efforts and group affiliations in the 1970s and 1980s, plus considerable litigation with an old manager and each other. This was all cleared up by the late 1980s, however, and in 1989 Kantner, Slick, Kaukonen and Casady (who, with manager Bill Thompson, still owned the rights to use the name Jefferson Airplane) brought in Balin (who had sold out his share in the group in 1971) and reunited as Jefferson Airplane for a tour and album.

After that, the band again became inactive. Slick retired. Kaukonen and Casady resumed performing as Hot Tuna. Kantner eventually resurrected the Jefferson Starship name, sometimes including Balin, and even occasionally Slick, and playing Jefferson Airplane songs.