Spencer Dryden took over the drum slot in Bay Area psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane from Skip Spence, who left to form
Moby Grape before the Airplane took off with the arrival of sultry vocalist Grace Slick.
Dryden was born April 7, 1943, in New York. As a youth, he drummed in jazz bands. Once settled in Airplane, Dryden — along with Slick — helped in the recording of Surrealistic Pillow (1967), the LP that defined the group's psychedelic rock and spawned two Slick-fronted hits: "White Rabbit" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Somebody to Love." Crown of Creation was a big seller, as was the last album Dryden cut with the band, Volunteers (1969).
He went on to join the Grateful Dead offshoot New Riders of the Purple Sage, which released albums such as Powerglide and Adventures of Panama Red.
Other birthdays Friday: Mick Abrahams (Jethro Tull), 57; Bill Kreutzmann (Grateful Dead), 54; Florian Schneider (Kraftwerk), 53; John Oates (Hall & Oates), 51; Bruce Gary (the Knack), 48; Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven), 35.
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