Grace Slick

Synopsis

Grace Slick is an American singer-songwriter renowned for her solo career and her role as a lead singer of the band Jefferson Starship. In 1965, she founded her own musical group, which became an integral part of the San Francisco rock scene, allowing her to forge connections with prominent figures such as members of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. Following the dissolution of her band in 1966, Slick joined Jefferson Airplane as one of their lead vocalists. She is credited with writing one of the band’s most iconic hits, “White Rabbit,” and co-writing “Somebody to Love” with her brother-in-law, Darby Slick.

Early Life and Education

Grace Slick was born Grace Barnett Wing on October 30, 1939, in Chicago, Illinois. As the eldest child of Ivan and Virginia Wing—an investment banker and a former singer and actress, respectively—Slick was exposed to the performing arts from an early age. She admired entertainers like actress Betty Grable and was captivated by fictional characters such as Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White, often engaging in imaginative play and dress-up.

At the age of three, Slick’s family relocated to Los Angeles, California, due to her father’s career, before eventually settling in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they welcomed her younger brother, Chris, in 1949.

Throughout her schooling, Slick displayed a talent for art and English, but she gained more recognition for her vibrant personality and sharp wit than for her academic achievements. In her teenage years, she developed a reputation for her sarcastic sense of humor. After graduating from high school, Slick attended Finch College in New York for one year before transferring to the University of Miami in Florida. However, her focus was primarily on enjoying life rather than academic pursuits. Inspired by a friend’s article about the emerging hippie culture in San Francisco, she ultimately chose to leave college and return to the city.

With Slick as their frontwoman, Jefferson Airplane appeared at many of the music festivals that defined the late 1960s, including Monterey in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. Slick’s vibrant persona was admired by fans, and she quickly emerged as one of the most well-known personalities in rock during the 1960s.

Solo Career and Jefferson Starship

Offstage, Slick lived in the spirit of the era, engaging in drug experimentation and in romantic dalliances even before she and her husband officially split in 1971. She eventually got involved with Jefferson Airplane’s rhythm guitarist and singer, Paul Kantner. The couple welcomed a child, daughter China, in December 1971. That same year, Slick released the album Sunfighter (1971), which she worked on with Kantner.

Slick struck out on her own with 1974’s Manhole, but neither effort matched the success of Jefferson Airplane. Around this time, Slick and Kantner formed the group Jefferson Starship, which featured some of members of the Jefferson Airplane. The new entity enjoyed some success with 1975’s Red Octopus, 1976’s Spitfire and 1978’s Earth.

In 1976, Slick married Skip Johnson, a lighting director who had worked with the group. She quit Jefferson Starship two years later, after their tour in Germany. After a brief stint in rehab from alcohol addiction, Slick returned to music with two solo efforts: Dreams (1980) and Welcome to the Wrecking Ball! (1981).

Within a few years, Slick rejoined Jefferson Starship, which had taken on a more mainstream rock sound. The group changed its name to Starship after Kantner’s departure, and it enjoyed such popular hits as “We Built This City” and “Nothing’s Going to Stop Us Now.” Slick briefly retired from performing in 1988 before reuniting with the original members of Jefferson Airplane the following year. The group went on tour and produced one album together.

Later Years

By the 1990s, Slick had given up performing. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and she wrote about her rock ‘n’ roll experiences in her 1998 autobiography Somebody to Love? Finding another outlet for her creativity, Slick also began showing and selling her artwork.

In 2010, Slick released a new song, “The Edge of Madness,” to benefit the fishermen affected by the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The charity single was co-written by Slick and Michelle Mangione and includes performances by more than 20 musicians and singers.

Divorced from Skip Johnson in 1994, Slick now lives in Malibu, California.