Cathy Richardson and David Freiberg are currently the lead singers for Jefferson Starship, who will be performing March 14 at Pechanga Resort Casino. Richardson first played with Jefferson Starship in St. Louis on March 13, 2008.
“This is my anniversary weekend,” Richardson said.
Freiberg, who is now 87, is the last remaining original member of Jefferson Starship (Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane are considered two separate bands although most of the original Jefferson Starship members had been in Jefferson Airplane; Freiberg joined Jefferson Airplane in 1972 and Jefferson Starship was formed in 1974). Paul Kantner was the band’s original male lead singer, and after Kantner passed away in January 2016 Freiberg added that lead singer role to his guitar activity. Original female lead singer Grace Slick retired after a 1989 reunion tour and was initially replaced by Darby Gould. Diana Mangano succeeded Gould in that role, and Richardson is the band’s fourth female lead singer.
“Darby really replaced Grace, and I replaced Diana,” Richardson said.
Even though Richardson isn’t the immediate successor to Slick the current Jefferson Starship singer acknowledges the role she has. “Grace is the queen of rock and roll along with Janis Joplin,” Richardson said.
Richardson had previously portrayed Joplin in the musical “Love, Janis” which is based on letters Joplin wrote to her sister. Richardson was also in Big Brother and the Holding Company, which was Joplin’s band before Joplin embarked on a solo career. Ironically Gould replaced Richardson as the Big Brother and the Holding Company singer.
Slick and Joplin were pioneers as female rock singers before Heart with lead singer Ann Wilson released the Dreamboat Annie album in 1975 which included “Crazy on You” and “Magic Man”. “Ann Wilson is my absolute idol, and that’s why I think I’ve been able to successfully cover both of those women,” Richardson said. “There are some Janis songs that sound so much like Ann Wilson.”
Richardson noted that many of Joplin’s songs don’t have the gravelly voice Joplin used for some of her biggest hits. “Janis could do a lot of different things with her voice,” Richardson said.
Joplin recorded two albums, including one released posthumously, as a solo artist. “She was moving forward and going different places,” Richardson said.
Richardson started out her musical career with The Cathy Richardson Band and is still involved with that when she is not participating in another band’s activities. That band plays folk and Americana music among other genres. “It’s a little bit eclectic,” Richardson said.
The 57-year-old Richardson was raised in the Chicago area where radio station WLUP, known as The Loop, played rock music. “The Loop was one of the first stations to play my music. We used to be regular guests,” she said.
Chicago’s FM stations also included Magic 104, which was an oldies station when Richardson was in high school, and her father listened to that music. “That’s where I heard White Rabbit for the first time,” Richardson said.
The artist of the song Richardson immediately liked was known as Jefferson Airplane when White Rabbit was recorded. Richardson was familiar what the band called Starship at the time which had previously been Jefferson Starship. She took interest in the predecessor versions of Starship. “I really just started going down the rabbit hole,” Richardson said.
The WLUP exposure helped promote The Cathy Richardson Band in the Chicago area. “My band was very popular around town,” Richardson said.
“Love, Janis” was initially performed in 1994. The musical was later brought to the Chicago area. “I was actually excited to see it,” Richardson said.
Richardson had previously read the “Love, Janis” book. Her plans to attend the Chicago production as a spectator were changed after she received a phone call. The theater was on her caller ID. The producer needed someone to play Joplin and had been informed about Richardson.
Although Richardson didn’t believe she would be prepared for acting as well as singing, Big Brother and the Holding Company founding member and guitarist Sam Andrews was the musical’s director. Richardson’s thought was that at worst she would meet Andrews.
“Much to my surprise they offered it to me on the spot,” Richardson said.
The production was significantly different than what Richardson had been doing, but Richardson was willing to try that transition. “I said yes, and I’m so glad that I did,” she said. “It changed my life.”
The production of Love, Janis eventually brought Richardson to San Francisco. Kantner was aware of Richardson and sought her to be Mangano’s replacement. “The gig just came my way,” Richardson said.
Kantner and Richardson met at her residence to discuss the possibility of her joining Jefferson Starship. “He said it was just a formality, but I got all my albums out,” Richardson said.
“This is one of my favorite bands. I had the whole Airplane and Jefferson Starship/Starship collection on vinyl,” Richardson said. “I was a huge Jefferson Starship Fan.”
Richardson was chosen to be the new Jefferson Starship female lead singer. “For me this was beyond the wildest dream,” she said. “This was more my music than Janis was growing up.”
Her admiration of the band made her familiar with the Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship eras of the music. “A lot of those changes were I think commercial decisions trying to change the sound to change with the times,” Richardson said. “Every time they made a change it was like adapting to the times.”
That allowed Richardson not to have to replicate everything Slick did. “Paul never asked me to imitate Grace. He said you be you and do what you want, so that was a great direction,” Richardson said.
Richardson and Slick subsequently met. “We’re friends now, and she’s really supportive of what the band is doing,” Richardson said. “She’s just awesome.”
Slick has no problem with subsequent female lead singers. “Grace had given us her blessing to continue with the band,” Richardson said.
Ironically Freiberg and Joplin have a connection. Freiberg saw Joplin perform in Texas and invited her to San Francisco, where Freiberg was living. “He pretty much was the big reason that she went there the first time,” Richardson said.
Joplin and Chet Helms hitchhiked to San Francisco and stayed with Freiberg and Freiberg’s wife at the time. Helms later founded Big Brother and the Holding Company and asked Joplin to be the lead singer.
“This was this mythical era of music and people,” Richardson said. “It’s wild to be intimately involved now with the actual people who are doing it.”
Freiberg was one of six original members of Jefferson Starship. “He in those days was probably the least-known member of the band,” Richardson said.
Kantner and Freiberg were the final original members of Jefferson Starship. The current drummer, Donny Baldwin, has been in Jefferson Starship since 2008 and was also in the band from 1981 to 1989. Chris Smith has been the keyboardist since 1998. Lead guitar player Jude Gold joined Jefferson Starship in 2012.
Freiberg took over as the male lead singer after Kantner’s passing and continues to have that role. “At 87 he’s belting out these songs better than a young person,” Richardson said.
The first Jefferson Starship album recorded after Kantner’s death, Mother of the Sun, was released in 2020. The various band members contributed to the development of the album. “We’ve all got a lot of musical ideas,” Richardson said.
“We all started jamming and had a micover and just recorded,” Richardson said. “It’s pretty neat how that process went.”
The songs on Mother of the Sun include “What Are We Waiting For”. “That was something Paul would say all the time,” Richardson said.
Richardson noted that the other members of the band also have singing roles. “When we go on stage to sing the way those harmonies ring together, it feels like such a lost art,” she said.
The actual 16th anniversary of Richardson’s first performance with Jefferson Starship will be the March 13 concert at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. The Pechanga Resort Casino concert and a March 15 performance in Wheatland north of Sacramento are the only Jefferson Starship concerts in California currently booked for 2026.
“Jefferson Starship loves you,” Richardson said.
