(from Wall Of Sound www site)
April 16, 1999
Moby Grape's Skip Spence Dies at 52
Alexander "Skip" Spence, the musician whose heralded but troubled
career included stints as the original drummer in the Jefferson Airplane and
as founding rhythm guitarist for the acclaimed '60s band Moby Grape, died
today in a hospital in Northern California. He entered the facility on April
5 with pneumonia, and his condition quickly grew worse.
One of the many gifted musicians to emerge from the San Francisco scene in
the late '60s, Spence was also an influential songwriter who, in addition to
penning several songs for the aforementioned bands, released a solo album in
1969, Oar, which is regarded as an underground classic today. Sadly, not long
after the album appeared, Spence was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic,
and subsequent years saw him spending a large portion of his life in
residential-care facilities. At the time of his death, he was residing in a
mobile home near Santa Cruz, where he lived on a subsistence income.
Ironically, Spence's death comes at a time when a resurgence of interest in
his work is occurring. In May, Birdman Records will release a tribute album
featuring a number of Spence devotees — among them Robert Plant, Beck, Tom
Waits, and Robyn Hitchcock — performing their versions of songs from Oar.
Titled More Oar: A Tribute to Alexander "Skip" Spence, the CD is the
brainchild of Reprise VP of Media Relations Bill Bentley, who was motivated
by the desire to both raise money for Spence and to bring attention to what
he considers a visionary work.
Asked to comment on Spence's death, Bentley told Wall of Sound: "Skip Spence
has always been a free spirit, and now his spirit is free. With all his
medical problems, I don't think he would have wanted to be a prisoner of the
medical profession. No one rocked and rolled more than Spence. His solo
album, Oar, defined all the possibilities of what one man and his imagination
could do. And with everything he did — the Jefferson Airplane's first album,
the Moby Grape, Oar, and beyond — he leaves a legacy that will live forever."
In June, following Birdman's release of the tribute CD, Sundazed Records will
issue The Complete Oar Sessions, an expanded version of Spence's solo album,
which adds five bonus tracks to the original set.
A trust fund has been established to assist Spence's family with the late
musician's medical bills. Anyone wishing to contribute may send a
(non-deductible) donation to: Comerica Bank, CA, Attn: Marilyn Guzman, 1960
41st Avenue, Capitola, CA 95010. Checks should be made payable to: I.T.F.
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence. — Russell Hall
