Jefferson Airplane and the Jaywalkers

Super-early and rare first printing poster for the Jefferson Airplane and the Jaywalkers. [The Airplane’s first album. “Takes Off” would not be released for another 3 months]

Airplane drummer Skip Spence had taken an abrupt trip to Mexico without telling the band. He supposedly told manager Mathew Katz, who did not tell the band members. The Airplane wanted to replace him, but after they could not find a drummer in San Francisco--as everyone was already forming a group--Katz found a replacement in Los Angeles in Spencer Dryden . Dryden had played with jazz groups in strip clubs, so he was well-prepared. Dryden had been in an LA band called The Ashes (who later became Peanut Butter Conspiracy). Revealingly, Dryden had heard of the Airplane, but never actually heard them play.

Spence, in the spirit of the times, agreed to teach Dryden all his drum parts. These shows appear to be the first where Dryden was ‘around,’ and Spence seems to have drummed throughout May. On one hand, it was a cheery admission from Spence that he was never really a drummer anyway. In any case, Mathew Katz was trying to form a new band with Spence as a singing guitar player, (and he did….Moby Grape!)  so it was easy for the Airplane and the likable Spence to remain friends.