“Marty was the one who started the San Francisco scene”, says Bill Thompson, Balin’s roommate back in the mid-’60s and former manager of both the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. “Back in those days Marty was quite the businessman” said Paul Kantner. “He was the leader of the band on that level. He was the one who pushed us to do all the business stuff, orchestrating, thinking ahead, looking for managers and club opportunities. He was very good at it”. The Jefferson Airplane, initially a folk-rock venture, came to epitomize the psychedelic scene, scoring a gold record with their 1967 second album, Surrealistic Pillow. Balin’s soulful tenor proved a pivotal element of their sound. He also wrote key compositions including “It’s No Secret” “Today,” “Comin’ Back To Me” “Plastic Fantastic Lover” “Share a Little Joke,” and “Volunteers.”

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