# List of Jefferson Starship members

Jefferson Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California that developed in January 1974 as a successor to Jefferson Airplane.

## History

The group initially featured the five remaining members of Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick (vocals, piano), Paul Kantner (rhythm guitar, vocals), David Freiberg (bass, keyboards, vocals), Papa John Creach (violin), and John Barbata (drums, vocals); in addition to new members Craig Chaquico on lead guitar and Peter Kaukonen (brother of Jorma Kaukonen) on bass. The name "Jefferson Starship" was originally used on the co-billing of the 1970 Paul Kantner album, Blows Against the Empire, and was selected as the name for the revised band. After the band's first tour, Kaukonen was replaced by Pete Sears (bass, keyboards) in June 1974. Former Airplane vocalist Marty Balin joined the band in January 1975, having co-written and performed on the song "Caroline". Creach left in August 1975 to start a solo career. The band's lineup remained stable until June 1978, when Slick left the band after being asked to resign by Kantner, following a show in Germany in which she drank excessively and abused the crowd. Balin also departed the band after the end of the touring cycle for Earth. Additionally, Barbata dropped out after he was seriously injured in a car accident which left him unable to perform.
The remaining members of Jefferson Starship rebuilt the band in early 1979, adding drummer Aynsley Dunbar in January and vocalist Mickey Thomas in April. Slick returned to the band in 1981, after performing guest backing vocals on Modern Times. Dunbar was asked by Kantner to leave in 1982, with Donny Baldwin taking his place in September. Shortly after the band released Nuclear Furniture, Kantner left Jefferson Starship and later sued the remaining members of the band in October 1984 over ownership of the name; the lawsuit was settled in March 1985, with the name Jefferson Starship retired and the remaining band members continuing as simply Starship.
In January 1992, Kantner reformed Jefferson Starship with former KBC Band bandmates Mark "Slick" Aguilar (lead guitar) and Tim Gorman (keyboards, vocals), former Jefferson Airplane bandmate Jack Casady (bass) and Jefferson Starship bandmate Creach, and new members Darby Gould (vocals) and Prairie Prince (drums). Diana Mangano joined the following October and initially shared vocal duties, before becoming an official member of the band when Gould departed in 1995. Balin also rejoined the band in 1993. Creach died on February 22, 1994. Kaukonen returned briefly in 1994, and Gorman left around the same time; he was replaced first by Barry Flast, then by Gary Cambra, and finally by Terry "T" Lavitz. Chris Smith took over on keyboards in 1998. Casady left in 2000 and was replaced until 2004 by Tom Lilly.
Jefferson Starship returned with new studio album Jefferson's Tree of Liberty in 2008, which was the first by the band to feature vocalist Cathy Richardson, who had recently replaced Mangano, and the first since 1984's Nuclear Furniture to feature returning frontman Freiberg, who replaced Balin. Baldwin returned to the band after the album's release, replacing the departing Prince. In September 2012, Jude Gold took over from Aguilar who was forced to cease activity with the band after being diagnosed with hepatitis C. Richardson briefly left in November 2015, with Rachel Rose taking her place, before returning in March the following year. On January 28, 2016, Kantner, the only constant member of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, died of multiple organ failure and septic shock following a heart attack a few days earlier. Since 2016, the lineup consists of Freiberg (vocals and acoustic guitar), Donny Baldwin (drums and backing vocals), Chris Smith (keyboards and bass), Cathy Richardson (vocals and rhythm guitar), and Jude Gold (lead guitar and backing vocals).

## Members
### Current

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| David Freiberg | 1974–19842005–present | lead and backing vocalsacoustic guitar (since 2005)keyboards and bass (1974–1984) | all Jefferson Starship releases from Dragon Fly (1974) to Nuclear Furniture (1984)Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008)Mother of the Sun (2020) |
| Donny Baldwin | 1982–19842008–present | drumspercussionbacking vocals | Nuclear Furniture (1984)Mother of the Sun (2020) |
| Chris Smith | 1998–present | keyboardssynthesizerspianobass (since 2000) | Greatest Hits: Live at the Fillmore (1999)Across the Sea of Suns (2001)Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008)Mother of the Sun (2020) |
| Cathy Richardson | 2008–20152016–present | lead and backing vocalsrhythm guitarharmonica | Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008)Mother of the Sun (2020) |
| Jude Gold | 2012–present | lead and rhythm guitarsbacking vocals | Mother of the Sun (2020) |

### Former

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
| Paul Kantner | 1974–19841992–2016 (until his death) | rhythm guitarbanjoharmonicasynthesizerslead and backing vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases through Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) |
| Craig Chaquico | 1974–1984 | lead and rhythm guitarsbacking vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases from Dragon Fly (1974) to Nuclear Furniture (1984) |
| Grace Slick | 1974–19781981–1984 | lead and backing vocalspianokeyboards | all Jefferson Starship releases from Dragon Fly (1974) to Nuclear Furniture (1984), except Freedom at Point Zero (1979) |
| John Barbata | 1974–1979 (died 2024) | drumspercussionbacking and occasional lead vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases from Dragon Fly (1974) to Earth (1978) |
| Papa John Creach | 1974–19751992–1994 (until his death) (guest in 1978) | violin | Dragon Fly (1974)Red Octopus (1975) |
| Peter Kaukonen | 1974 1994–1995 (touring 2006) | bass | none |
| Pete Sears | 1974–1984 (touring 2005, guest in 2009 and 2016, session guest 2020) | basskeyboardsbacking vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases from Dragon Fly (1974) to Nuclear Furniture (1984), guest appearance on Mother of the Sun (2020) - three tracks only |
| Marty Balin | 1975–19781993–2008 (died 2018) | lead and backing vocalspercussionacoustic guitar (1993–2008)lead and backing vocals (1975–1978) | all Jefferson Starship releases from Dragon Fly (1974) to Earth (1978), and from Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995) to Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) |
| Mickey Thomas | 1979–1984 | lead and backing vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases from Freedom at Point Zero (1979) to Nuclear Furniture (1984) |
| Aynsley Dunbar | 1979–1982 | drumspercussion | Freedom at Point Zero (1979)Modern Times (1981)Winds of Change (1982) |
| Mark "Slick" Aguilar | 1992–2012 | lead and rhythm guitarsbacking vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases from Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995) to Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) |
| Prairie Prince | 1992–2008 (guest 2008–16) | drumspercussion | all Jefferson Starship releases from Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995) to Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) |
| Jack Casady | 1992–2000 | bass | all Jefferson Starship releases from Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995) to Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008), except Across the Sea of Suns (2001) |
| Darby Gould | 1992–1995 (guest since 2000) | lead and backing vocals | Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995)Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) – three tracks only |
| Tim Gorman | 1992–1994 (guest in 2005) | keyboardsbacking vocals | Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995) |
| Diana Mangano | 1993–2008 (guest 2008–15) | lead and backing vocals | all Jefferson Starship releases from Windows of Heaven (1998) to Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) |
| Barry Flast | 1994–1995 (died 2013) | keyboardssynthesizers | none |
| Gary Cambra | 1995–1996 | keyboardssynthesizers | none |
| Terry "T" Lavitz | 1996–1998 (died 2010) | keyboardssynthesizers | Windows of Heaven (1998) |
| Rachel Rose | 2015–2016 (guest since 2016) | lead and backing vocals | none |

### Touring

| Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
| Steve Schuster | 1978–1980 | saxophone | Schuster was a regular member of the Jefferson Starship touring lineup between 1978 and 1980. |
| David Farey | 1978 | horn instruments | Farey toured alongside Schuster with Jefferson Starship after the release of Earth in 1978. |
| Signe Toly Anderson | 1993–1994 (died 2016) | backing and lead vocals | Anderson, a former member of Jefferson Airplane, made occasional guest appearances in the 1990s. |
| Trey Sabatelli | 1994–19952004 | drumspercussion | Sabatelli occasionally substituted for and performed alongside regular drummer Prairie Prince. |
| Bobby Vega | 1998–2000 | bass | Vega and Huff each spent spells substituting for Jack Casady between 1998 and his 2000 departure. |
| Chico Huff | 1998–2000 | bass | Vega and Huff each spent spells substituting for Jack Casady between 1998 and his 2000 departure. |
| Tom Lilly | 2000–20032007 | bass | After Casady's departure, Lilly regularly appeared on live bass at Jefferson Starship concerts. |
| John Ferenzik | 200220062008–2015 | basskeyboardslead guitar | Ferenzik occasionally performed keyboards, as well as lead guitar and bass alongside regular member Chris Smith. |
| Michael Eisenstein | 2002200920112012 | 12-string acoustic guitarbacking vocals | Eisenstein substituted for Paul Kantner regularly between 2002 and 2012, when he was unable to perform. |
| Prof. Louie | 2003 | keyboards | Prof. Louie, Falzarano, Kearney and Alexander Kantner made occasional substitute and guest appearances. |
| Mike Falzarano | 2003 | rhythm guitar | Prof. Louie, Falzarano, Kearney and Alexander Kantner made occasional substitute and guest appearances. |
| Kerry Kearney | 2003 | rhythm guitar | Prof. Louie, Falzarano, Kearney and Alexander Kantner made occasional substitute and guest appearances. |
| Alexander Kantner | 2003 | rhythm guitarbass | Prof. Louie, Falzarano, Kearney and Alexander Kantner made occasional substitute and guest appearances. |
| China Wing Kantner | 1992-present | backing vocals and occasional tambourine | Kantner has made occasional guest appearances. |
| Linda Imperial | 2005–2007 | backing vocals | Imperial, Traylor and Morley each performed with Jefferson Starship at select shows during the 2000s. |
| Jack Traylor | 2005 | rhythm guitarbacking vocals | Imperial, Traylor and Morley each performed with Jefferson Starship at select shows during the 2000s. |
| Tony Morley | 2006–2016 | drums | Imperial, Traylor and Morley each performed with Jefferson Starship at select shows during the 2000s. |
| Anne Harris | 2008–2016 | violin | Harris has made regular live appearances with Jefferson Starship on violin since 2008. |
Source: Fenton 2008, p. 104

## Lineups

| Period | Members | Releases |
| January – June 1974 | Grace Slick – vocals, piano Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Peter Kaukonen – bass John Barbata – drums, backing vocals Papa John Creach – violin, vocals | none – live performances only |
| June 1974 – January 1975 | Grace Slick – vocals, piano Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals John Barbata – drums, backing vocals Papa John Creach – violin, backing vocals | Dragon Fly (1974) |
| January – August 1975 | Marty Balin – vocals Grace Slick – vocals, piano Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals John Barbata – drums, backing vocals Papa John Creach – violin, backing vocals | Red Octopus (1975) |
| August 1975 – June 1978 | Marty Balin – vocals Grace Slick – vocals, piano Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals John Barbata – drums, backing vocals | Spitfire (1976) Earth (1978) |
| June – October 1978 | Marty Balin – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals John Barbata – drums, backing vocals | none – live performances and single "Light the Sky on Fire" only |
| October 1978 - January 1979 | Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals John Barbata – drums, backing vocals | none |
| January – April 1979 | Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Aynsley Dunbar – drums, percussion | none – studio rehearsals only |
| April 1979 – early 1981 | Mickey Thomas – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Aynsley Dunbar – drums, percussion | Freedom at Point Zero (1979) Modern Times (1981) – five tracks |
| Early 1981 – September 1982 | Mickey Thomas – vocals Grace Slick – vocals, piano Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Aynsley Dunbar – drums, percussion | Modern Times (1981) – four tracks Winds of Change (1982) |
| September 1982 – June 1984 | Mickey Thomas – vocals Grace Slick – vocals, piano Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – keyboards, bass, vocals Craig Chaquico – lead guitar, backing vocals Pete Sears – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Donny Baldwin – drums, backing vocals | Nuclear Furniture (1984) |
| Band inactive June 1984 – January 1992 |||
| January 1992 – 1993 | Darby Gould – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar Tim Gorman – keyboards, backing vocals Prairie Prince – drums, percussion Papa John Creach – violin, backing vocals | none – live performances only |
| 1993 – February 1994 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Darby Gould – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar Tim Gorman – keyboards, backing vocals Prairie Prince – drums, percussion Papa John Creach – violin, backing vocals | none – live performances only |
| February 1994 – mid-1995 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Darby Gould – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar Tim Gorman – keyboards, backing vocals Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | Deep Space/Virgin Sky (1995) |
| 1995 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Diana Mangano – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar Barry Flast – keyboards, synthesizers Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | none – live performances only |
| 1995–1996 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Diana Mangano – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar Gary Cambra – keyboards, synthesizers Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | none – live performances only |
| 1996–1998 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Diana Mangano – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar T Lavitz – keyboards, synthesizers Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | Windows of Heaven (1998) |
| 1998–2000 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Diana Mangano – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Jack Casady – bass, guitar Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | Greatest Hits: Live at the Fillmore (1999) |
| 2000–2005 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Diana Mangano – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | Across the Sea of Suns (2001) |
| 2005–2008 | Marty Balin – vocals, acoustic guitar Diana Mangano – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals David Freiberg – acoustic guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Prairie Prince – drums, percussion | Jefferson's Tree of Liberty (2008) |
| 2008–2012 | David Freiberg – vocals, acoustic guitar Cathy Richardson – vocals, acoustic guitar Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Slick Aguilar – lead guitar, backing vocals Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Donny Baldwin – drums, backing vocals | none – live performances only |
| September 2012 – November 2015 | David Freiberg – vocals, acoustic guitar Cathy Richardson – vocals, acoustic guitar Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Jude Gold – lead guitar Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Donny Baldwin – drums, backing vocals | none – live performances only |
| November 2015 – January 2016 | David Freiberg – vocals, acoustic guitar Rachel Rose – vocals Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals Jude Gold – lead guitar Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Donny Baldwin – drums, backing vocals | none – live performances only |
| January – March 2016 | David Freiberg – vocals, acoustic guitar Rachel Rose – vocals Jude Gold – lead guitar Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Donny Baldwin – drums, backing vocals | none – live performances only |
| March 2016 – present | David Freiberg – vocals, acoustic guitar Cathy Richardson – vocals, acoustic guitar Jude Gold – lead guitar Chris Smith – keyboards, synthesizers, bass Donny Baldwin – drums, backing vocals | Mother of the Sun (2020) |