Signe Toly Anderson

Signe Toly Anderson (September 15, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American singer best known as a founding member and original female vocalist of Jefferson Airplane. Though her tenure with the band lasted little over a year, her voice helped define its early sound, and she appeared on its debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off (1966). After leaving the Airplane she returned to Oregon, where she continued to perform for decades as a jazz and folk singer.

Early life

Anderson was born Signe Toly in Seattle, Washington on September 15, 1941. Her parents divorced when she was three, and her mother raised her in Portland, Oregon. She developed an early interest in singing, performing in a band with three male musicians she had known in high school, under the name Three Guys and a Gal.

She moved to San Francisco in her 20s and began appearing at a popular folk club, the Drinking Gourd. It was there that she came to the attention of Marty Balin, who asked her to join the band he was forming following a San Francisco performance. Soon after joining the Airplane, she married one of the Merry Pranksters, Jerry Anderson, a marriage that lasted from 1965 to 1974.

Jefferson Airplane

Anderson joined Jefferson Airplane in the summer of 1965 as the band was taking shape in San Francisco. The band signed with RCA Victor Records and released its first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, in 1966. Anderson sang on the album most notably on the song "Chauffeur Blues". Bassist Jack Casady later recalled her vocal contribution to the record warmly, praising her contralto voice and the way she thickened the three-part harmonies between herself, Balin, and Paul Kantner.

Anderson distrusted the Airplane's original manager Matthew Katz and refused to sign a contract with him until he inserted a special escape clause that would free her from him if she left the band for any reason.

Departure

Just as Jefferson Airplane was ascending, Anderson gave birth to her first child. In July 1966, Anderson informed Bill Graham that she was quitting the band after a series of shows they were playing in Chicago; she had given birth to her and Jerry's first child and realized that taking a newborn on the road was not feasible. However, Graham asked her to stay with the band through the October shows at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, to which she agreed. This gave the band time to search for her successor, eventually choosing Grace Slick after Sherry Snow declined their offer.

Final performances

Anderson's last live performances with Jefferson Airplane were two sets on October 15, 1966, at The Fillmore. Given a standing ovation after Balin announced from the stage that she was leaving, Anderson told the audience, "I want you all to wear smiles and daisies and box balloons. I love you all. Thank you and goodbye." At the audience's request, the band performed her signature song "Chauffeur Blues" before closing the night with "High Flying Bird".

Anderson's final Jefferson Airplane performance was officially released as a live album in 2010 under the title Jefferson Airplane: Live at The Fillmore Auditorium 10/15/66 — Signe's Farewell. The following night, on October 16th, Slick made her Jefferson Airplane debut.

The transition from Anderson to Slick proved transformative for the band. Slick brought with her two songs — "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" — that would appear on the landmark 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow and make Jefferson Airplane one of the defining acts of the San Francisco Sound.

Later life

After leaving the Airplane, Anderson returned to Oregon, where she sang for nine years with Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company. In the mid-1970s, she recovered from cancer. In 1977, she married local building contractor Michael Alois Ettlin, and continued to sing with Carl Smith.

In the mid-1990s, Anderson suffered more health problems, including a broken neck and bypass surgery, which led to serious financial problems for her family. She made guest appearances with the KBC Band and Jefferson Starship. She also remained in contact with former bandmates, attending shows when Jefferson Airplane alumni passed through Portland.

On October 4, 2014, Anderson was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

Death

Anderson's husband Michael Alois Ettlin died at 62 on February 21, 2011. Anderson died at her home in Beaverton, Oregon, at the age of 74 on January 28, 2016, from the effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Her passing coincided with that of founding Jefferson Airplane singer-guitarist Paul Kantner, who also died that day at age 74.

She is survived by two children and three grandchildren.

Former bandmate Jorma Kaukonen paid tribute on his blog, writing that Anderson had been "our den mother in the early days of the Airplane… a voice of reason on more occasions than one… an important member of our dysfunctional little family."

Discography

Year	Title	Artist	Notes
1966	Jefferson Airplane Takes Off	Jefferson Airplane	Debut studio album
2010	Live at The Fillmore Auditorium 10/15/66 — Signe's Farewell	Jefferson Airplane	Live album; Anderson's final performances with the band