Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Jefferson Starship

Shortly after launching the blog I received an email from Lauren at Joey Covington's website asking if I had any photos of him when he played drums with Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane. I pulled out my Jefferson Starship negs and scanned them just in case. Unfortunately, Joey wasn't on that tour but here are a few of the photos from the Starship show. These have never been published before. Enjoy.
Craig Chiquico and Grace Slick onstage.

Grace Slick backstage.
I was shooting to catch the "star" in her right eye.
You can see it if you click on the photo
and view
the large size.

Grace Slick doing my job.

Marty Balin and Pete Sears trying to figure out what Pete's holding.
If you know who Flag Boy is, do-tell.

Pete Sears

Paul Kantner backstage.

Marty Balin

Johny Barbata

This is another email I received from Joey Covington:

After a sold out show in Santa Monica on February 25th (a recommended GO in
the L.A Weekly)......we're going out again!!!

Jefferson Airplane's
JOEY COVINGTON and friends
featuring Andy Walo (Jr. Wells), Tony Sales (Iggy Pop/David Bowie), Burke Wallace & introducing LAuren
Saturday night April 22, 2006
11pm - 1am

Molly Malones
575 S. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

$10.00 at the door
For more info contact Molly Malones 323-935-1577
or email Bandinusa@aol.com

11 comments:

Ted said...

Thanks for sharing, Deborah. Man, Marty sure has some tight pants!

Chesher Cat said...

You just gave me an idea for my next contest. Identify the male rock star by his crotch shot and the female by a chest shot. I'll make it multiple choice.

Sound like fun?

Ted said...

Sure! What's more fun than crotches and boobies?

Harry Funk said...

Great work on one of my favorite bands (that is, if you changed "Starship" to "Airplane").

These shots aren't dated, so I'm guessing around '77 or '78, toward the end of the Grace/Marty incarnation. Grace looks like she's nearing 40 -- not that there's anything wrong with that!

Then again, I remember that the cover for "Spitfire" (1976) shows her with very long hair, and it looks somewhere shorter here, so maybe the date is earlier. At any rate, these are wonderful images and I'm glad that these subjects, at least, are still alive.

(I talked with Paul in February and he said Grace had been seriously ill and hospitalized, but was doing better.)

Chesher Cat said...

Thanks, Harry.

I certainly hope Grace and all the other musicians I shot stay in good health. I get really sad when I have to add someone to the list.

The pics were '75.

Harry Funk said...

Oops, I was off by a few years. I was getting warm with the length of Grace's hair. Come to think of it, Craig Chaquico looks awfully young here.

Until Spencer Dryden died last year, the Airplane had a phenomenal survival rate compared with its San Francisco-type brethren. The only previous deceased alumnus was Papa John Creach, and he was in his late 70s when he died.

Come to think of it, was Papa John still with Jefferson Starship when you shot these? He played on "Red Octopus," which came out in '75, but I don't know if he made it as far as touring that year.

Chesher Cat said...

Papa John wasn't on this tour. I shot him at his own show. I haven't scanned his negs yet but I'm looking forward to seeing what I have. Since I haven't found my contact sheets yet, everytime I put the negs in the scanner, it's like opening a Christmas present.

So far, the Jefferson Starship incarnation that I shot has dodged the bullet. Hopefully, it will stay that way.

Bruce said...

Nice J Starship photos!

Everybody I Shot Is Dead said...

Thank you, Bruce! You can check out more of my rock photography and pick up a copy of my book, Everybody I Shot Is Dead on my website: http://www.cheshercat.com

:)

Anonymous said...

I think these are from '76, judging by the outfits (and Grace Slick's fingernails). Are there any more from this show?

Everybody I Shot Is Dead said...

Yes, there are more. If you are interested in prints from my photographs please contact me through my website - http://www.cheshercat.com

:)