LITTLE DRUMMER BOY...Spencer Dryden
Drummers have often been regarded as lowly figures on the r'n'r totem pole,but Spencer Dryden exerted a powerful influence on the Jefferson Airplane after he joined the band in 1966.Forming an alliance,both personal and professional,with singer Grace Slick,Dryden was able to shape the Airplane's musical direction and business decisions.
Although his abrasive personality regularly caused problems,Dryden proved to be a shrewd choice musically.The Airplane's music incorporated elements of folk,rock and free-form experimentation,and Dryden's background as a jazz drummer meant he had acquired the appropriate skills,even if joining an amplified rock band meant him developing a more muscular approach.
Dryden stayed with the Airplane during their most successful and creative period.He appeared with them at booth the Woodstock and Altamont festivals,and finally left after they had recorded the politically outspoken Volunteers album in 1969.
He went on to play with New Riders Of The Purple Sage,an offshot of the Grateful Dead,with whom he stayed until 1978,becoming their manager in the process.His profile was never so high again,though he put in stints behind the drumkit with the Dinosaurs,an ensemble of Bay Area veterans.He retired from drumming in 1995.
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Surrealistic Pillow (RCA,1967)
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