Can't find any "official" confirmation, but this is what I have heard from someone with close ties to the San Francisco music scene...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-31 03:11 by tatters.

From The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge's Facebook page:


As we all know, Jefferson Airplane founding member Paul Kantner passed away on Jan. 28. Now we learn this.
When the Jefferson Airplane first got together, their lead singer was a young Lady by the name of Signe Toly Anderson. (Before Grace Slick).
Signe, also a founding member of Jefferson Airplane, also passed away on Jan. 28th. She was 74 years old as was Kantner.
Anderson was a locally known and well-respected jazz and folk singer in Portland before joining Jefferson Airplane after a trip to San Francisco. Soon after joining the Airplane, she married one of the Merry Pranksters, Jerry Anderson, a marriage that lasted from 1965 to 1974. She sang on the first Jefferson Airplane album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, most notably on the song "Chauffeur Blues". Anderson distrusted the Airplane's original manager, Matthew Katz, and refused to sign a contract with him until he inserted a special escape clause freeing her from him if she left the band for any reason.
In July of 1966, Signe informed Bill Graham that she was quitting the band after a series of shows they were playing in Chicago, realizing that bringing her newborn child, with then-husband Jerry Anderson, on the road wasn't feasible. Graham, however, asked her to stay with the band through the October shows at Winterland in San Francisco, which she agreed to. This gave the band time to search for her replacement, eventually choosing Grace Slick.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-31 02:19 by tatters.

This has now been confirmed by Marty Balin.

SIGNE

"One sweet Lady has passed on. I imagine that she and Paul woke up in heaven and said "Hey what are you doing here? Let's start a band" and no sooner then said Spencer was there joining in!" Heartfelt thoughts to all their family and loved ones.

Marty Balin

RIP Signe


Signe Anderson, the original female singer in Jefferson Airplane, has died at age 74.

Anderson, who sang with bands in Oregon over the years, had suffered from longtime health problems. Her death came Jan. 28, the same day as the passing of Airplane leader Paul Kantner.

“One sweet Lady has passed on,” Jefferson Airplane cofounder Marty Balin posted as the news broke. “I imagine that she and Paul woke up in heaven and said ‘Hey what are you doing here? Let’s start a band.'”

Anderson sang on the first Jefferson Airplane album, “Takes Off.” The album included her best-known song, “Chauffeur Blues.”

The singer, a new mother, decided to leave Jefferson Airplane in late 1966, with her final performances at the Fillmore on Oct. 15 of that year. Grace Slick took over as female singer the following night. Anderson’s farewell gig was released to CD in 2010.

Anderson returned to Oregon, where she sang in a 10-piece band. The cancer survivor later worked in a department store. She made occasional guest appearances with a version of the Jefferson Starship.

Airplane lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen wrote on his blog: “Signe was one of the strongest people I have ever met. She was our den mother in the early days of the Airplane … a voice of reason on more occasions than one … an important member of our dysfunctional little family."

[psychedelicsight.com]

The song "It's No Secret" was the best-known Signe-era song, at least in the Bay Area. Her voice sounded similar to Grace Slick, but less strident. There's a good clip of the JA performing the song with Signe at the Matrix, including a psychedelic light show. She was less glamorous than Grace, but good.
[m.youtube.com]

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off is a favorite of mine, it is so folksy, they also do "Get Together", the song the Youngbloods made famous. JA version is good too.
[en.wikipedia.org]

It's just such a bizarre coincidence, isn't it? Two original members of the same band dying of natural causes on the same day? I'm sure that's never happened before, though interestingly, two members of the New Barbarians, Bobby Keys and Ian McLagan, died with 24 hours of one another in 2013.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-31 17:58 by tatters.

High Flying Bird (1965) was great. You`ll find it on the Early Flight LP, issued in 1974.

yes

[abcnewsradioonline.com]

I was fishing around for info on Marty Balin when I saw this. In an eerie coincidence, she apparently died the same day as Paul Kantner. 2016 is now easily the year the music really died.
l
Edit- my apologies- I did not see the other thread on this. Please feel free to merge or delete.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-31 16:53 by Long John Stoner.

I love that first album, "Jefferson Airplane takes off", I was just looking at her wikipedia entry on Friday, it did not show she had died.

But now it does.

[en.wikipedia.org]

[www.iorr.org]