Why Did Paul Kantner Leave Jefferson Starship? The Untold Story

Paul Kantner left Jefferson Starship in 1985. He left because he wanted to pursue different creative directions. After his departure, the remaining members continued to make music as Starship and they achieved significant success.

The band Jefferson Starship had been through a lot of changes in the years leading up to Kantner’s departure. The band’s original lineup, which included Grace Slick, Marty Balin, and Kantner, had broken up in the early 1970s. The band then went through a series of lineup changes, with Balin eventually leaving the band. By the mid-1980s, the band was essentially a new entity, with only Slick and Kantner remaining from the original lineup.

The band’s musical direction had also changed over time. The early Jefferson Starship sound was very psychedelic and space-rock influenced. However, the band’s later albums became more commercial and pop-oriented. Kantner was not happy with this direction, and he felt that the band was losing its identity.

In the end, Kantner’s departure from the band was amicable. He left the band on good terms with the other members, and he continued to make music on his own. The other members of Jefferson Starship continued to make music as Starship, and they achieved significant success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.