Band that Defined Counter-Culture Era of Psychedelic Rock Preps for 50th Anniversary
LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Growing its roster of top music artists and brands, Epic Rights, a full-service global branding, licensing, and rights management company, has been named global licensing agent for Jefferson Airplane, the band whose unique San Francisco sound defined psychedelic rock and encouraged a generation to "feed your head." The announcement was made today by Dell Furano, CEO of Epic Rights and Bill Thompson, Manager of Jefferson Airplane.
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"Jefferson Airplane's music set the tone for the social revolution that occurred throughout the 1960s," said Furano. "Their lyrics were provocative, challenging, political and the music they delivered was hypnotic. Grace Slick, the band's lead singer, defined the new role of women in rock as equal in talent and intellect. The band's album covers–Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing At Baxter's, Crown of Creation–were amazing works of art that continue to inspire artists, musicians and designers today, and we plan to capture the essence of the band to deliver a unique licensing program reminiscent of that era yet relevant for today's consumers."
"Jefferson Airplane's music continues to reach, impact and influence different generations of fans as the band approaches its 50th Anniversary celebration in 2015," comments Thompson. "We are very excited to embark on a top quality merchandising program with Dell and his team at Epic Rights, and we know we will reach new highs in this next venture."
In representing the Jefferson Airplane brand, Epic Rights will expand on the colorful look and feel of the tie-dye, psychedelic 60s rock brand, incorporating both the band's album art and its rich photographic imagery into a broad range of consumer products and services to be released in conjunction with the bands 50th Anniversary celebration in 2015. The imagery and fantastical array of colors tap into apparel, accessories, home decor, stationery/paper goods, collectibles, gifts and novelty and publishing.
Formed in 1965 by Marty Balin (vocals), Paul Kantner (vocals/rhythm guitar), and Jorma Kaukonen (lead guitar), Jefferson Airplane was the first band to appear in concert at Bill Graham's legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco in February of 1966 and released its first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, later that same year. Jack Casady (bass) and Spencer Dryden (drummer) joined in June of 1966, and Grace Slick joined as vocalist in October of 1966. Slick wrote what would become the band's anthem "White Rabbit" for its 1967 album, Surrealistic Pillow, which also featured the hit single, "Somebody to Love." The Surrealistic Pillow album is regarded as one of the key recordings from the era known as the Summer of Love, and both "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" are listed in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
As pioneers of counter-culture psychedelic rock and the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve international mainstream success, Jefferson Airplane is the only band to hold the distinction of performing at the three most famous American rock festivals of the 1960s–Monterey (1967), Woodstock (1969) and Altamont (1969); they also headlined at the inaugural Isle of Wight Festival (1968).
Among its many achievements, Jefferson Airplane were featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1968 and co-headlined with The Doors for a European tour in the summer of 1968. Among the many legendary bands that opened for Jefferson Airplane were Grateful Dead, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Janis Joplin, Steve Miller, and many others. Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
About Epic Rights:
Epic Rights is a full service global branding, licensing and rights management company dedicated to building celebrities and entertainment brands via its broad global network of retailers, licensees and agents. Working with a roster of top clients and brands, Epic Rights' services includes licensing/branding, music merchandising, social media management, VIP ticketing and fan clubs. Epic Rights also oversees sponsorships and endorsements, digital archiving of all creative/photos/media assets and manages worldwide e-commerce for its clients in addition to providing in-house legal resources for trademark registration and audit management. Epic Rights is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information, visit: www.epicrights.com.
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