Jefferson Starship

The Jefferson Starship, or simply Jefferson Starship, performed the song "Light the Sky on Fire" for a musical sequence in The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Originally known as "Jefferson Airplane", the band was one of the most influential groups in the psychedelic rock movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In 1969, they played at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival. Later that year, they were also one of the bands performing at the infamous Altamont Speedway concert. The Altamont concert was the subject of the documentary Gimmie Shelter, for which George Lucas was a camera operator.

In the early 1970s, the band changed direction. For the release of a 1970 science-fiction themed album, Blows Against the Empire, guitarist Paul Kantner and an ad-hoc group of musicians called themselves "Jefferson Starship". This became Jefferson Airplane's new name in 1974. By 1978, a series of changes to the lineup included the loss of their iconic lead vocalist Grace Slick. During their performance in The Star Wars Holiday Special, their lineup included:


 * Marty Balin - Singer
 * Paul Kantner - Guitarist
 * Craig Chaquico - Lead Guitarist
 * John Barbata - Drummer
 * Pete Sears - Bassist
 * David Freiberg - Keyboardist
 * Steven Schuster - Bass Clarinettist

Marty Balin left the group soon afterwards, replaced by Mickey Thomas. Paul Kantner, the last remaining founding member of Jefferson Airplane, left the band in 1984. As a result of legal action from Kantner, the band was renamed "Starship". Lineup changes continued until the group disbanded in 1989. However, two separate reunion lineups appeared in later years: one billed as "Starship featuring Mickey Thomas", and another led by Kantner and Balin called simply "Jefferson Starship".