Martyn Jerel Buchwald (January 30, 1942 – September 27, 2018), known as Marty Balin (), was an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the founder/leader and one of the lead singers and songwriters of

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

and

Jefferson Starship Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1974 by a group of musicians including former members of Jefferson Airplane. Between 1974 and 1984, they released eight gold or platinum-selling studio albu ...

Early life

Balin was born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Catherine Eugenia "Jean" (née Talbot) and Joseph Buchwald. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Eastern Europe. His father was Jewish and his mother was

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

. Buchwald attended Washington High School in San Francisco, California. As a child, Balin was diagnosed with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Career

Early musical work

In 1962, Buchwald changed his name to Marty Balin, and began recording with Challenge Records, releasing the singles "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love". By 1964, Balin was leading a folk music quartet called The Town Criers.

Jefferson Airplane

Balin was the primary founder of Jefferson Airplane, which he "launched" from a restaurant-turned-club he created and named The Matrix, and was also one of its lead vocalists and songwriters from 1965 to 1971. Balin was one of three Jewish members of the band, including guitarists Paul Kantner and Jorma Kaukonen. In the group's 1966–1971 iteration, Balin served as co-lead vocalist alongside Grace Slick. Balin's songwriting output diminished after ''

Surrealistic Pillow ''Surrealistic Pillow'' is the second album by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane, released by RCA Victor on February 1, 1967. It is the first album by the band with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden. The album peaked at numbe ...

'' (1967) as Slick, Kantner and Kaukonen matured as songwriters, a process compounded by personality clashes. Balin's most enduring songwriting contributions were often imbued with a romantic, pop-oriented lilt that was atypical of the band's characteristic forays into

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

. Among Balin's most notable songs were "

Comin' Back to Me "Comin' Back to Me" is a psychedelic folk song by the American rock band Jefferson Airplane. It was written by Marty Balin. The song appeared on Jefferson Airplane's second album, '' Surrealistic Pillow''. Marty Balin recalls that "the song wa ...

" (a folk rock ballad later covered by

Ritchie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style ...

and Rickie Lee Jones), " Today" (a collaboration with Kantner initially written on spec for Tony Bennett that was prominently covered by Tom Scott), and, again with Kantner, the topical 1969 top-100 hit "

Volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

". Although uncharacteristic of his oeuvre, the uptempo "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" (both written for ''Surrealistic Pillow'') remained integral components of the Airplane's live set throughout the late 1960s. Balin played with Jefferson Airplane at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. In December 1969, Balin was knocked unconscious by members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club while performing during the infamous Altamont Free Concert, as seen in the 1970 documentary film '' Gimme Shelter''. In April 1971, he formally departed Jefferson Airplane after breaking off all communication with his bandmates following the completion of their autumn 1970 American tour. He elaborated upon this decision in a 1993 interview with Jeff Tamarkin of '' Relix:'' Balin remained active in the San Francisco Bay Area rock scene, managing and producing an album for the

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

-based sextet Grootna before briefly joining

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

-inflected

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

ensemble Bodacious DF as lead vocalist on their eponymous 1973 debut album. The following year, Kantner asked Balin to write a song for his new Airplane offshoot group,

. Together, they wrote the early power ballad "Caroline", which appeared on the album ''

Dragon Fly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threaten ...

'' with Balin as guest lead vocalist.

Jefferson Starship

Rejoining the team he had helped to establish, Balin became a permanent member of Jefferson Starship in 1975; over the next three years, he contributed to and sang lead on four top-20 hits, including " Miracles" (No. 3, a Balin original), "

With Your Love "With Your Love" is a song written by Marty Balin, Joey Covington and Vic Smith. The song was first recorded by Jefferson Starship and was the lead single of their 1976 album ''Spitfire''. In the US, the single peaked at number 12 on the ''Bill ...

" (No. 12, a collaboration between Balin, former Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington, and former Grootna/Bodacious DF lead guitarist Vic Smith), Jesse Barish's " Count on Me" (No. 8), and N. Q. Dewey's "

Runaway Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to: Engineering * Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable * Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...

" (No. 12). Ultimately, Balin's relationship with the band was beleaguered by interpersonal problems and his own reluctance toward live performances. He abruptly left the group in October 1978 shortly after Slick's departure from the band.

Solo work, and reunion projects

In 1979, Balin produced a rock opera titled ''Rock Justice'', about a rock star who was put in jail for failing to produce a hit for his record company, based on his experiences with the lawsuits fought for years with former Jefferson Airplane manager

Matthew Katz Matthew Katz (born 1929) is an American music manager and producer, most notably as the former manager of Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and It's a Beautiful Day. He is the owner of the record label San Francisco Sound, and the owner of Matthew Ka ...

. The cast recording was produced by Balin, but it did not feature him in performance. Balin continued with EMI as a solo artist and in 1981 he released his first solo album, '' Balin'', featuring two Jesse Barish songs that became top-40 hits, " Hearts" (#8) and "

Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love) "Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love)" is a song written by Jesse Barish and performed by Marty Balin Martyn Jerel Buchwald (January 30, 1942 – September 27, 2018), known as Marty Balin (), was an American singer, songwriter, and musici ...

" (#27). There was in 1983 a second solo album, '' Lucky'', along with a Japan-only EP produced by EMI called ''There's No Shoulder''. Balin's contract with EMI ended shortly thereafter. In 1985, he teamed with former Jefferson Airplane members Paul Kantner and Jack Casady to form the KBC Band. After the breakup of the KBC band, a 1989 reunion album and tour with Jefferson Airplane followed. Balin continued recording solo albums in the years following the reunion, and reunited with Kantner in the latest incarnation of Jefferson Starship. Balin had intended to record lead vocals for two tracks for Jefferson Starship's album ''

Jefferson's Tree of Liberty ''Jefferson's Tree of Liberty'' is the tenth album by Jefferson Starship, released on September 2, 2008.[] It is the band's first studio album since 1999's ''Windows of Heaven''. The new album includes cover songs from Irish, American, English, ...

''. However, his art touring schedule conflicted with studio sessions, and instead, the track "Maybe for You", from the German release of '' Windows of Heaven'', was included. On July 2, 2007, the music-publishing firm Bicycle Music, Inc. announced that it had acquired an interest in songs written or performed by Balin, including hits from his days with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.

Honors

Balin, along with the other members of the 1966–1970 line-up of Jefferson Airplane, was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

in 1996. As a member of Jefferson Airplane, he was honored with a

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is a special Grammy Award that is awarded by The Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording." ...

in 2016.

Personal life

Balin enjoyed painting all his life. He painted many of the most influential musicians of the last half of the 20th century. Marty Balin's Atelier was located at 130 King Fine Art in Saint Augustine, Florida, Balin's permanent signature collection gallery. Balin resided in Florida and San Francisco with his wife, Susan Joy Balin, formerly Susan Joy Finkelstein. Balin and Finkelstein had daughters Jennifer Edwards and Delaney Balin. Susan's other daughters were Rebekah Geier and Moriah Geier. Jennifer was born later in the year of his 1963 marriage to Victoria Martin. Balin married

Karen Deal Karen Deal (died 2010) was a musician from Tampa, Florida and a member of bands such as Johnny Charrow Review as the keyboard player. She was also a member of a local psychedelic rock band called The Mod Squad. She was married to Marty Balin, a f ...

, Delaney's mother, in 1989. Karen died in 2010. While on tour in March 2016, Balin was taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City after complaining of

chest pain Chest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with n ...

s. After undergoing

open-heart surgery Cardiac surgery, or cardiovascular surgery, is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. It is often used to treat complications of ischemic heart disease (for example, with coronary artery bypass grafting); to corr ...

, he was transferred to an intensive-care unit to spend time recovering. In a subsequent lawsuit, Balin alleged that neglect and inadequate care facilities on the hospital's part had resulted in a paralyzed vocal cord, loss of his left thumb and half of his tongue, bedsores, and kidney damage.

Death

Balin died at his home in Tampa on September 27, 2018, at the age of 76.

Discography

*'' Balin'' (1981) *'' Lucky'' (1983) *'' There's No Shoulder'' (1983) ( EP, Japan only) *''

Better Generation ''Better Generation'' is Marty Balin's 1991 album and his first solo album since 1983. The album was produced shortly after Jefferson Airplane's reunion album and tour, without any other members of Jefferson Airplane involved. Balin's wife, Kar ...

'' (1991) *'' Freedom Flight'' (1997) *'' Marty Balin Greatest Hits'' (1999) (new recordings) *''Marty Balin'' (2003) *''Nashville Sessions'' (2008) *''Time For Every Season'' (2009) *''Blue Highway'' (2010) *''The Witcher'' (2011) *''Good Memories'' (2015) *''The Greatest Love'' (2016) ;with Bodacious DF *'' Bodacious DF'' (1973) ;with KBC Band *'' KBC Band'' (1986) ;compilations *''

Balince ''Balince'' is a compilation album of Marty Balin's work, including work from his solo albums and also including tracks from Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and KBC Band. The album also includes unreleased tracks from the KBC Band sessio ...

'' (1990) *''Wish I Were'' (1995) (Europe only) *''Mercy of the Moon: The Best of Marty Balin'' (2009) *''Nothin' 2 Lose: The Lost Studio Recordings'' (2009) *''415 Music: Rare Studio & Live Recordings 1980–82'' (2011)

Solo singles

;Other appearances

References

External links

* *
Marty Balin
- JeffersonAirplane.com

Marty Balin
(

Oral History Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

), Mill Valley Public Library, 2017 *Tamarkin, Jeff
Jefferson Airplane biography
*Fenton, Craig
Jefferson Airplane biography
!-- https://www.pr.com/press-release/26969 --> *A.D. Amorosi
''Marty Balin: 5 Songs''
Variety (September 29, 2018) {{DEFAULTSORT:Balin, Marty 1942 births 2018 deaths American male singers American rock singers Hot Tuna members Jefferson Airplane members Jefferson Starship members Jewish American musicians Jewish rock musicians Musicians from Cincinnati Psychedelic rock musicians Songwriters from Ohio Challenge Records (1950s) artists People on the autism spectrum