Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence (born April 18, 1946 in Windsor , Ontario , Canada , † April 16, 1999 in Santa Cruz , California ) was an American rock musician . Skip Spence was a member of the bands Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape . His drug, alcohol, and schizophrenic résumé is often compared to that of Syd Barrett .
Skip Spence played in a prepress for Quicksilver Messenger Service before becoming the drummer for Jefferson Airplane in 1965 . After the first album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off he left the group to play the guitar with Moby Grape . In 1968 there were wild scenes in the studio - allegedly Spence is said to have threatened colleagues with an ax. He was sent to an institution where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia .
After his release, he recorded the solo album Oar in 1969 , which became a commercial failure. He increasingly fell victim to his illness, aided by excessive drug and alcohol consumption. Most recently he lived in a home near San José , California .
Skip Spence died of lung cancer in 1999 , days before the release of the tribute album More Oar, with contributions from Robert Plant , Beck , Tom Waits and others. "Oar" was included in The Wire's legendary wirelist "100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening)" .
Web links
- Skip Spence at Discogs (English)
- Skip Spence at Allmusic (English)
- Skip Spence in the nndb (English)
- Find a grave
- Alexander "Skip" Spence: Blues For an Airplane
Single receipts
- ^ Jon Pareles: Skip Spence, Psychedelic Musician, Dies at 52 in: The New York Times, April 18, 1999.
- ↑ Pierre Perrone: Obituary: SKIP SPENCE in: The Independent of April 20, 1999.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Spence, Skip |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Spence, Alexander Lee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American rock musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 18, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Windsor , Ontario , Canada |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 16, 1999 |
| Place of death | Santa Cruz , California |