Spencer Dryden
Background information
Born	April 7, 1938 New York, New York, USA
Died	January 11, 2005 (aged 66) Penngrove, California, USA
Genre(s)	Psychedelic rock, Acid rock, Country rock, Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Drums
Years active	1966 - 1995
Label(s)	RCA, BMG, Columbia
Associated acts	Jefferson Airplane New Riders of the Purple Sage The Dinosaurs

Spencer Dryden (April 7, 1938 – January 11, 2005) was an American musician who was best known as the drummer for Jefferson Airplane, New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Dinosaurs. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the state. ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Penngrove, California (ZIP 94951) is a small, unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, between Petaluma and Santa Rosa at the intersection of Old Redwood Highway and Petaluma Hill Road, and nestled in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs; especially LSD.[1] by using lyrics that describe dreams and refer to drug use using bizarre sounds created by altering the instruments and vocals with electronic effects such as heavy distortion... Acid rock is a form of psychedelic music and was the first form of it to achieve popular acclaim. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenience playing by a single drummer. ... // January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out. January 8 - Shindig! airs for the last time on ABC, with musical guests the Kinks and the Who January 14 - Young singer David Jones changes his last name to Bowie to avoid... See also: 1995 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1995 Record labels established in 1995 // January 18 - Jerry Garcia wrecks his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group) is one of the six divisions of Bertelsmann. ... Jefferson Airplane is an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement. ... New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage was a 1970s country rock band from Marin County, California. ... The Dinosaurs, formed in 1982, was the only Bay-Area supergroup to emerge from the psychedelic music era of San Francisco. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... For the comic book character, see Drummer (comics). ... Jefferson Airplane is an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement. ... New Riders of the Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage was a 1970s country rock band from Marin County, California. ... The Dinosaurs, formed in 1982, was the only Bay-Area supergroup to emerge from the psychedelic music era of San Francisco. ...

Biography

Early life

Dryden was born in New York City to Alice Chapel and Wheeler Dryden, a half-brother of Charlie Chaplin. He moved to Los Angeles as an infant, when his father went to work as an assistant director for Chaplin. Spencer fondly recalled playing at his famous uncle's Hollywood studio as a child. His father was a jazz fan, and took him to LA jazz clubs in the 1950's, which inspired his musical ambitions. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A half-brother is a male sibling with one shared parent. ... “Charles Chaplin” redirects here. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ...

Jefferson Airplane

In mid-1966 to 1970, Dryden was recruited to replace Skip Spence as the drummer in leading San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane. The former jazzer, together with bassist Jack Casady, created an exceptional rhythm section. A feature of live Airplane sets at the time were free-form improvisational jams, with Dryden's licks complementing Casady's fluid style. During this time also, he had an affair with Grace Slick. // January 3 - Hullabaloo shows promotional videos of The Beatles songs Day Tripper and We Can Work It Out. January 8 - Shindig! airs for the last time on ABC, with musical guests the Kinks and the Who January 14 - Young singer David Jones changes his last name to Bowie to avoid... // Charles Wuorinen, aged 32, becomes the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. ... Alexander Lee Skip Spence (April 18, 1946 – April 16, 1999) was a musician and singer-songwriter. ... Jefferson Airplane is an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The song Lather, appearing on Jefferson Airplane's Crown of Creation (1968), is said to have been written by Grace Slick on the occasion of Dryden's 30th birthday. Its lyrics tell of a boy who stays as young as possible until one day when he is shattered by having to finally grow up. The instrumental sections are wild and purposefully discordant. Jefferson Airplane is an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Dryden quit Jefferson Airplane in February 1970, motivated in part by the group's unpleasant experiences at the notorious Altamont Festival, during which lead singer Marty Balin was knocked unconscious by Hells Angels bikers and a festival patron, Meredith Hunter, was fatally stabbed. For other uses, see Altamont. ... Marty Balin (born Martyn Jerel Buchwald, January 30, 1942, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American musician. ... This article is about the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. ... Meredith Hunter Meredith Hunter (October 24, 1951 – December 6, 1969) was stabbed to death directly in front of the stage at the Altamont Speedway rock festival during the Rolling Stones performance. ...

New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs

Dryden left the music for a short period, and returned to drumming as a member of the Grateful Dead offshoot The New Riders of the Purple Sage. He performed and recorded with them from 1972 until 1977, at which point he became the manager of the band. After leaving the New Riders, Dryden went on to play a lengthy stint with The Dinosaurs and Barry Melton's band before retiring from drumming in 1995. This article is about the band. ... New Riders of the Purple Sage was a 1970s Country rock band from Marin County, California. ... See also: 1970s in music. ... The Dinosaurs, formed in 1982, was the only Bay-Area supergroup to emerge from the psychedelic music era of San Francisco. ... Barry The Fish Melton (born June 14, 1947 in New York City) was the co-founder (1965) and original lead guitarist of Country Joe and The Fish. ... Retirement is the point where a person stops employment. ... See also: 1995 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1995 Record labels established in 1995 // January 18 - Jerry Garcia wrecks his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California. ...

Later life

Spencer did not participate in the Jefferson Airplane's 1989 reunion. In 1996, Dryden was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of Jefferson Airplane. See also: 1996 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1996 Record labels established in 1996 // January 8 - Madonnas stalker, Robert Hoskins is found guilty and convicted on five charges of assault, stalking, and threatening to kill the singer. ... The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at sunset. ...

He had been suffering from a hip replacement and heart surgery in the past few years before his death. In 2004, several musicians, led by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and Warren Haynes (Gov't Mule and the Allman Brothers Band), raised US$36,000 to help pay Dryden's medical bills. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Robert Hall Weir (October 16, 1947–) is an American guitar player, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. ... This article is about the band. ... Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American rock and blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter and long time member of The Allman Brothers Band. ... Govt Mule is a southern rock/jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project, but has taken on a life of its own. ... The Allman Brothers Band is a band from Macon, Georgia, labeled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the principal architects of Southern rock. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

Spencer died from colon cancer in relative obscurity, reportedly living in a shack at the back of a rented property in Petaluma, California or Penngrove, California. Diagram of the stomach, colon, and rectum Colorectal cancer includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. ... Penngrove, California (ZIP 94951) is a small, unincorporated community in Sonoma County, California, between Petaluma and Santa Rosa at the intersection of Old Redwood Highway and Petaluma Hill Road, and nestled in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain. ...

He was survived by three sons Jeffrey, Jesse and Jackson Dryden.

References

External links

• Spencer Dryden memorial page