Classic Rock Icon Is Sick of Being Treated Like a Replacement: ‘I Belong There'
Cathy Richardson has been the vocalist and guitarist of 70s and 80s rock band Jefferson Starship for 17 years, and she's sick of fans still comparing her to founder Grace Slick. "It always makes me roll my eyes when people are like, 'You're no Grace Slick and you never will be!' " she told Ulitmate Classic Rock in a June 6 interview.
"It's like, well, okay, of course, but it doesn't mean I don't belong here," she responded to the criticism. "I mean she thinks I belong here. [Other band members] Paul Kantner, Donny Baldwin, David Freiberg, I mean, everybody in the band thinks I belong there."
Slick founded the "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" band with Paul Kantner in 1974, and remained with the band until his death in 2016, besides a break from 1984 to 1992. Slick left the project in 1984, but continued to have a relationship with band members including Richardson, who joined the band in 2008 and is still performing with them today.
Slick and Richardson even wrote a song together in 2017 called "It's About Time" inspired by the political climate around that time. The two share a lot of mutual respect for each other, and aren't fazed by comparisons.
"Grace Slick is an icon, and I understand what an honor it is to be in the band singing her songs and everything," Richardson told UCR. "I've been a fan for a long time. I mean, it's like: Janis [Joplin], Grace and Nancy Wilson, for me. She's just like the queen of rock and roll, and so of course, I don't take it lightly, but I also, as a fan, I knew she never took herself that seriously to begin with."
Now celebrating the 50th anniversary since its original inception, Jefferson Starship is still touring and trying to uphold the legacy started by Slick and Kantner. "We've just built it and built it and built it," said Richardson. "I think, by turning in great shows and playing the songs people want to hear. … Our goal has been to get Jefferson Starship back to its former glory, and we've been doing it."
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