Alexander "Skip" Spence, a founding member of '60s groups Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape, died Friday of complications from lung cancer in a Santa Cruz, Calif., hospital. He was 53.
Spence was the drummer for Jefferson Airplane and a guitarist for Moby Grape, both seminal San Francisco bands. In late 1968, following severe substance-abuse problems and an incarceration in New York's Bellevue Hospital after an apparent breakdown, he recorded the eccentric and influential solo album "Oar" in Nashville; it was released by Columbia in 1969.
In later years, Spence was troubled by schizophrenia and lived on government assistance in Northern California. Before his death, L.A. indie label Birdman Records organized a benefit tribute album, "More Oar," featuring such stars as Beck and Robert Plant covering songs from Spence's solo set. The tribute is scheduled for release in June.
Spence was the drummer for Jefferson Airplane and a guitarist for Moby Grape, both seminal San Francisco bands. In late 1968, following severe substance-abuse problems and an incarceration in New York's Bellevue Hospital after an apparent breakdown, he recorded the eccentric and influential solo album "Oar" in Nashville; it was released by Columbia in 1969.
In later years, Spence was troubled by schizophrenia and lived on government assistance in Northern California. Before his death, L.A. indie label Birdman Records organized a benefit tribute album, "More Oar," featuring such stars as Beck and Robert Plant covering songs from Spence's solo set. The tribute is scheduled for release in June.
Comments