Signe Anderson Passes Away, Aged 74

Members of American rock band Jefferson Airplane have paid tribute to their original female vocalist Signe Anderson, who passed away on Thursday, the same day as former bandmate Paul Kantner.

The band’s surviving members bassist Jack Casady and original guitarist Jorma Kaukonen have both since taken to social media to pay their respects. Kaukonen honoured Anderson on his blog where he called her one of the strongest people he had ever met.

“She was…an important member of our dysfunctional little family,” Kaukonen said.

Casady said he had spoken with Anderson in the week before her death as she moved into hospice care. “She was a real sweetheart with a terrific contralto voice coming from a solid folk background. Listen to how she made the three part harmonies of ‘JA Takes Off’ sound so thick…her wonderful tone between Paul’s and Marty’s,” Casady said.

Anderson left the band in 1966 to raise her newborn child with her husband. In the same year the live recording of her last show with Jefferson Airplane was released as an album titled ‘Live At The Fillmore Auditorium 10/15/66 (Late Show – Signe’s Farewell)’.