Jennie Cataldo

Originally aired on NPR’s 1A on April 23, 2024. Featuring original interviews with Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, and Ben Fong-Torres.

The Sounds of America radio series celebrates audio recordings that have been chosen for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Today’s installment: Jefferson Airplane’s album Surrealistic Pillow.

Released in early 1967, this album is the first to feature singer Grace Slick. Slick joined after her first band, the Great Society, had just dissolved. Jefferson Airplane was looking for another singer after one of their founding members, Signe Anderson, left the group to start a family. Slick brought two songs with her from her Great Society days. They would become two of the band’s biggest hits: “Somebody to Love,” and “White Rabbit.”  

The album’s title Surrealistic Pillow was inspired by another San Francisco music icon: Jerry Garcia. The album’s liner notes list Garcia as “spiritual advisor.” But it’s rumored he also helped with arrangements and played guitar on a few of the tracks. When Garcia remarked that the music sounded “as surrealistic as a pillow is soft,” the title of the album was born.  

We hear from the original members of Jefferson Airplane. 

The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.