Biography
Marty Balin earned his primary renown through work with the groundbreaking San Francisco psychedelic outfit Jefferson Airplane, yet he also forged a notable solo path that produced a Top Ten single called "Hearts" in 1981. Born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 30, 1942, he grew up in the Bay Area and studied at San Francisco State University. After initially training as a painter, he shifted toward music upon performing in a staging of West Side Story and released the solo singles "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love" on Challenge in 1962. He next entered the folk group the Town Criers, then spent a brief period with the Gateway Singers. In 1965 he encountered singer/guitarist Paul Kantner at the Drinking Gourd club and, with him, established Jefferson Airplane. What began as a folk-rock project soon defined the emerging psychedelic movement, earning gold certification for the 1967 follow-up album Surrealistic Pillow. Although vocalist Grace Slick anchored the spotlight on hits such as "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," Balin’s soulful tenor formed an essential component of the group’s texture, and he supplied major songs including "Today," "Share a Little Joke," and "Volunteers."
Persistent tensions with Kantner and Slick prompted his departure from Jefferson Airplane in 1971; he promptly assembled the short-lived Bodacious D.F., which delivered its sole self-titled album two years afterward. Early in 1975 he returned to the newly renamed Jefferson Starship, where he contributed one of his signature performances on the hit single "Miracles." He also took lead vocals on the chart successes "With Your Love" and "Count on Me," yet exited once more in 1978, writing the rock opera Rock Justice before launching a solo career with the 1981 album Balin that yielded both "Hearts" and its successor "Atlanta Lady." Following the 1983 release Lucky, he united with Kantner and original Airplane bassist Jack Casady in the K.B.C. Band; in 1989 the three reunited as Jefferson Airplane for a fresh studio album and tour that soon dissolved. Balin issued Better Generation in 1991 and, two years later, joined Kantner’s Jefferson Starship: The Next Generation endeavor while continuing solo work with 1997’s Freedom Flight. Marty Balin’s Greatest Hits appeared in 1999, compiling re-recordings of earlier material.
Balin returned in 2003 with the self-titled CD Marty Balin, inaugurating a series of independent releases on his Balince Music label that extended through the decade. These included the country-oriented Nashville Sessions in 2008 along with the two 2009 albums Nothin’ 2 Lose and Time for Every Season. His Blue Highway project, first offered via his website in 2003, received wider distribution in 2010. After 2011’s The Witcher, he completed Good Memories, a 24-song retrospective honoring his Jefferson Airplane tenure that aligned with the band’s 50th anniversary in 2015. He issued the new-material collection The Greatest Love in early 2016. Marty Balin died in Tampa, Florida, in September 2018 at age 76.
Persistent tensions with Kantner and Slick prompted his departure from Jefferson Airplane in 1971; he promptly assembled the short-lived Bodacious D.F., which delivered its sole self-titled album two years afterward. Early in 1975 he returned to the newly renamed Jefferson Starship, where he contributed one of his signature performances on the hit single "Miracles." He also took lead vocals on the chart successes "With Your Love" and "Count on Me," yet exited once more in 1978, writing the rock opera Rock Justice before launching a solo career with the 1981 album Balin that yielded both "Hearts" and its successor "Atlanta Lady." Following the 1983 release Lucky, he united with Kantner and original Airplane bassist Jack Casady in the K.B.C. Band; in 1989 the three reunited as Jefferson Airplane for a fresh studio album and tour that soon dissolved. Balin issued Better Generation in 1991 and, two years later, joined Kantner’s Jefferson Starship: The Next Generation endeavor while continuing solo work with 1997’s Freedom Flight. Marty Balin’s Greatest Hits appeared in 1999, compiling re-recordings of earlier material.
Balin returned in 2003 with the self-titled CD Marty Balin, inaugurating a series of independent releases on his Balince Music label that extended through the decade. These included the country-oriented Nashville Sessions in 2008 along with the two 2009 albums Nothin’ 2 Lose and Time for Every Season. His Blue Highway project, first offered via his website in 2003, received wider distribution in 2010. After 2011’s The Witcher, he completed Good Memories, a 24-song retrospective honoring his Jefferson Airplane tenure that aligned with the band’s 50th anniversary in 2015. He issued the new-material collection The Greatest Love in early 2016. Marty Balin died in Tampa, Florida, in September 2018 at age 76.
Albums
Live
