Signe Anderson - Once A Queen, Always A Queen
Signe Anderson - Once A Queen, Always A Queen
She rose from humble beginnings as a noted jazz singer to international famefor a few fleeting moments in the pantheons of musical notoriety and fame. Signe Anderson was an original member of Jefferson Airplane, the archetypal "psychedelic"vessel that would become pivotal in establishing "acid rock" as a viable addition to the genre. From those embryonic days, one consistent trait has always mirrored the visual allure of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship and that is the charm and elegance that exudes from all who have ascended the stage to front this Hall of Fame contingent. From Signe, to Grace Slick, Darby Gould, Diana Mangano and now to whomever the future holds, genetics have always been a key component while sauntering in front of burgeoning crowds of adoring fans and belting out classic tunes by the band. Signe left the complexities of musical survival and pre-2400 Fulton Street prior to their emergence as an international band of significant impact during the most storied epoch of time known to man, but she is far more than fodder for trivial pursuit. She left during their early ascent to Rock n' Roll Royalty to become a nurturing Mother, a priority that separates her from most everyone in pursuit of fame and glory and will ultimately define her for perpetuity. Her career would never flourish during the follwing years but would continue after her departure as she sang with a ten piece band in Oregon until circa, 1974 when she decided to abandon the thoughts of a lyrical ingenue and digress to the mainstream. She married again in 1977 after a brief and successful experience with Cancer. Sporadic appearances with Jefferson Starship and KBC kept her memory alive amidst the denizens of Haight Ashbury and Golden Gate Park but other medicinal maladies, i.e., atrophy in her legs, which could ultimately lead to Pulmonary Adema soon became a juxtaposing nightmare. These medical problems are now on the brink of an overwhelming monetary problem that could soon be addressed by a three-day benefit in Oregon.
The spirit of The Counter Culture and those who defined it are now ready to embark on a sojourn to the rolling hills and grassy knolls of Oregon to garner the money needed to save the life of a pillar of The Golden Age, Signe Anderson. Although not confirmed but in the process, David & Linda LaFlamme of It"s A Beautiful Day, featuring Rob Espinosa on guitar, Jerry Miller of Moby Grape fame with his arsenal of northern California musicians, Country Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, Marty Balin, Nick Gravenities, perhaps Terry Haggerty from Sons of Champlin, Nancy Nevins of Sweetwater, David Freiberg and Gary Duncan of legendary bay band Quicksilver Messenger Service and others of that ilk are still being perused and pondered. These are the minstrels of a more carefree time, flaxen haired mavens of "flower power" skipping through the streets adjacent to Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, rollicking amidst the music and mayhem that resonated from the romanticized venues like The Fillmore Auditorium, The Matrix and The Avalon Ballroom. To be remembered is a great honor in one"s life, to be revered is a gift. So as we approach another summer, The Woodstock Nation, a clandestine empire, will gather again to save and restore the life of Signe Anderson, a key element of those known as The Vanishing Tribe. Many thoughts come to mind while digrssing to those glory days when San Francisco was at the apex of it's glory but an adage of a well known classic comes to mind, parphrased for the moment, Fear not the ringing of the bell, diva of angelic voice, "It tolls for thee".
Cheers
Don Aters - Haight Street Music News - April, 2008
Cheers Don
She rose from humble beginnings as a noted jazz singer to international famefor a few fleeting moments in the pantheons of musical notoriety and fame. Signe Anderson was an original member of Jefferson Airplane, the archetypal "psychedelic"vessel that would become pivotal in establishing "acid rock" as a viable addition to the genre. From those embryonic days, one consistent trait has always mirrored the visual allure of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship and that is the charm and elegance that exudes from all who have ascended the stage to front this Hall of Fame contingent. From Signe, to Grace Slick, Darby Gould, Diana Mangano and now to whomever the future holds, genetics have always been a key component while sauntering in front of burgeoning crowds of adoring fans and belting out classic tunes by the band. Signe left the complexities of musical survival and pre-2400 Fulton Street prior to their emergence as an international band of significant impact during the most storied epoch of time known to man, but she is far more than fodder for trivial pursuit. She left during their early ascent to Rock n' Roll Royalty to become a nurturing Mother, a priority that separates her from most everyone in pursuit of fame and glory and will ultimately define her for perpetuity. Her career would never flourish during the follwing years but would continue after her departure as she sang with a ten piece band in Oregon until circa, 1974 when she decided to abandon the thoughts of a lyrical ingenue and digress to the mainstream. She married again in 1977 after a brief and successful experience with Cancer. Sporadic appearances with Jefferson Starship and KBC kept her memory alive amidst the denizens of Haight Ashbury and Golden Gate Park but other medicinal maladies, i.e., atrophy in her legs, which could ultimately lead to Pulmonary Adema soon became a juxtaposing nightmare. These medical problems are now on the brink of an overwhelming monetary problem that could soon be addressed by a three-day benefit in Oregon.
The spirit of The Counter Culture and those who defined it are now ready to embark on a sojourn to the rolling hills and grassy knolls of Oregon to garner the money needed to save the life of a pillar of The Golden Age, Signe Anderson. Although not confirmed but in the process, David & Linda LaFlamme of It"s A Beautiful Day, featuring Rob Espinosa on guitar, Jerry Miller of Moby Grape fame with his arsenal of northern California musicians, Country Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, Marty Balin, Nick Gravenities, perhaps Terry Haggerty from Sons of Champlin, Nancy Nevins of Sweetwater, David Freiberg and Gary Duncan of legendary bay band Quicksilver Messenger Service and others of that ilk are still being perused and pondered. These are the minstrels of a more carefree time, flaxen haired mavens of "flower power" skipping through the streets adjacent to Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park, rollicking amidst the music and mayhem that resonated from the romanticized venues like The Fillmore Auditorium, The Matrix and The Avalon Ballroom. To be remembered is a great honor in one"s life, to be revered is a gift. So as we approach another summer, The Woodstock Nation, a clandestine empire, will gather again to save and restore the life of Signe Anderson, a key element of those known as The Vanishing Tribe. Many thoughts come to mind while digrssing to those glory days when San Francisco was at the apex of it's glory but an adage of a well known classic comes to mind, parphrased for the moment, Fear not the ringing of the bell, diva of angelic voice, "It tolls for thee".
Cheers
Don Aters - Haight Street Music News - April, 2008
Cheers Don
