Starship

Starship originated in San Francisco, California, as a continuation of Jefferson Starship. In June 1984, Paul Kantner, the last remaining founding member of Jefferson Airplane, departed from Jefferson Starship. This led to legal action by Kantner in October 1984 concerning the use of the band’s name. By March 1985, an out-of-court settlement was reached, stipulating that neither party could use “Jefferson” or “Airplane” unless all members of Jefferson Airplane Inc. agreed. Consequently, the band briefly performed as “Starship Jefferson” before officially adopting the name “Starship.” David Freiberg, who had stayed with the band, left in 1985 due to the studio’s reliance on session keyboardists rather than his own playing. The act of shedding members of Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane coincided with the band’s shift towards a more polished, pop-rock sound.

In September 1985, Starship released “Knee Deep in the Hoopla,” which featured Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick as co-lead vocalists, alongside guitarist Craig Chaquico, bassist Pete Sears, and drummer Donny Baldwin. This album marked a commercial high point for the band, earning platinum certification from the RIAA. It included two singles that reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart: “We Built This City” and “Sara.” The band followed this up with “No Protection,” released in 1987. This album was certified gold and contained their third number-one single, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” which was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1988. Following these successes, Grace Slick left the band in February 1988, expressing her view that “old people don’t belong on a rock and roll stage.”

With Mickey Thomas as the sole lead vocalist, Starship released “Love Among the Cannibals” in August 1989. The album’s single “It’s Not Enough” reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. During a tour to support this album, an altercation between drummer Donny Baldwin and Thomas led to Baldwin’s departure and Thomas requiring facial surgery. After Thomas recovered, the band continued to tour with a new drummer, Kenny Stavropoulos. Following the tour’s conclusion in 1990, several members, including Chaquico, Bloomfield, Morgan, and Stavropoulos, left the band. RCA subsequently ended their contract, leading to a period of inactivity for Starship. In 1992, Thomas revived the group under the name “Starship featuring Mickey Thomas,” and the band has continued to tour and release new material, including “Loveless Fascination” in 2013.