Grace Slick

An iconic figure in the rock scene of the late 1960s, Grace Slick was a singer and songwriter for the San Francisco band Jefferson Airplane, as well as its offshoot groups Jefferson Starship and Starship. Slick's striking visual presence and powerful voice minted her as a bona fide star in the largely male-dominated world of rock-n-roll. Though she recorded four well-regarded solo albums between 1970 and 1984, Slick largely collaborated with members of Airplane throughout her four-decade career. She also participated in the more radio-friendly Starship, which recorded the wildly successful "We Built This City" in 1986. After a lifetime of memorable artistic and personal experiences, Slick retired from performing in 1988 to begin a second career as an artist. Her impact upon rock music was immeasurable; Slick, alongside her friend and contemporary Janis Joplin, proved that women could equal men as rock musicians, which in turn paved the way for such performers as Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, Deborah Harry and a generation of female-led rock bands.