2 Quotes & Sayings By Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner was born in San Francisco, the youngest of three sons of an interior designer mother and a department store manager father. He attended San Francisco State University, where he met future Jefferson Airplane drummer Jerry Peloquin. "We were both pursuing our major in psychology," says Peloquin, who was also a student at SFSU. "Paul told me he was writing songs
I said, 'Good for you.' I didn't think much about it." When the band went to Los Angeles to record its first album in 1966, Paul moved with them. The name Jefferson Airplane came from Paul's idea of the founders of the United States of America: Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and Jesus Christ. After the release of "Jefferson Airplane Takes Off" in 1967, the group took off at last with the help of its new label, Columbia Records.
The Airplane's next album, "Surrealistic Pillow," was released in March 1968. With Jefferson Airplane's music filling the airwaves with lyrics full of social commentary and cultural symbolism, particularly during the Vietnam War era, it became one of the most acclaimed bands of its time. As Paul Kantner's writing brought his own vision of rock to life on stage and on record, he also began to explore other forms of expression through visual art. As with his musical success and artistic success, however, both his personal life and career suffered setbacks over time; his marriage broke up; he had a series of debilitating injuries which left him unable to perform onstage for years; and he lost control of his business interests when they were absorbed by other corporations. But make no mistake: Paul Kantner has never stopped creating and delivering music for all who love it and want to follow its path to enlightenment through their ears and eyes.