Balin was born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Catherine Eugenia "Jean" (née Talbot) and Joseph Buchwald. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Eastern Europe. His father was Jewish and his mother was Episcopalian. Buchwald attended Washington High School in San Francisco, California.
In 1962, Buchwald changed his name to Marty Balin, and began recording with Challenge Records, releasing the singles "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love". By 1964, Balin was leading a folk music quartet called The Town Criers.
Balin was the primary founder of Jefferson Airplane, which he "launched" from a restaurant-turned-club he created and named the Matrix, and was also one of its lead vocalists and songwriters from 1965 to 1971. In the group's famous 1966-1971 iteration, Balin served as co-lead vocalist alongside Grace Slick and rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner.
While his output diminished after Surrealistic Pillow (1967) as Slick, Kantner, and lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen matured as songwriters (a process compounded by Balin's eschewal of the group's burgeoning "ego trips"), his most enduring songwriting contributions—which were often imbued with a romantic, pop-oriented lilt that was atypical of the band's characteristic forays into psychedelic rock—include "Comin' Back to Me" (a folk rock ballad later covered by Ritchie Havens and Rickie Lee Jones), "Today" (a collaboration with Kantner initially written on spec for Tony Bennett that was prominently covered by Tom Scott), and again with Kantner, the topical 1969 top-100 hit "Volunteers." Although uncharacteristic of his oeuvre, the uptempo "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" and "Plastic Fantastic Lover" (both written for Surrealistic Pillow) remained integral components of the Airplane's live set throughout the late 1960s.
Balin played with the Jefferson Airplane at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
In December 1969, Balin was knocked unconscious by Hell's Angels while performing during the infamous Altamont Free Concert, as seen in the 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter. In April 1971, he formally departed Jefferson Airplane after breaking off all communication with his bandmates following the completion of their autumn 1970 American tour. He elaborated upon this decision in a 1993 interview with Jeff Tamarkin of Relix: "I don't know, just Janis's death. That struck me. It was dark times. Everybody was doing so much drugs and I couldn’t even talk to the band. I was into yoga at the time. I’d given up drinking and I was into totally different area, health foods and getting back to the streets, working with the American Indians. It was getting strange for me. Cocaine was a big deal in those days and I wasn’t a cokie and I couldn’t talk with everybody who had an answer for every goddamn thing, rationalizing everything that happened. I thought it made the music really tight and constrictive and ruined it. So after Janis died, I thought, I’m not gonna go onstage and play that kind of music; I don’t like cocaine."
Balin remained active in the San Francisco Bay Area rock scene, managing and producing an album for the Berkeley-based sextet Grootna before briefly joining funk-inflected hard rock ensemble Bodacious DF as lead vocalist on their eponymous 1973 debut. The following year, Kantner asked Balin to write a song for his new Airplane offshoot group, Jefferson Starship. Together, they wrote the early power ballad "Caroline", which appeared on the album Dragon Fly with Balin as guest lead vocalist.
Rejoining the team he had helped to establish, Balin became a permanent member of Jefferson Starship in 1975; over the next three years, he contributed to and sang lead on four top-20 hits, including "Miracles" (number three, a Balin original), "With Your Love" (number 12, a collaboration between Balin, former Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington, and former Grootna lead guitarist Vic Smith), a cover of Jesse Barish's "Count on Me" (number 8), and N.Q. Dewey's "Runaway" (number 12). Nevertheless, Balin's relationship with the band was then beleaguered by manifold interpersonal problems, including Slick's longstanding alcoholism and his own reticence toward live performances. He abruptly left the group in October 1978 shortly after Slick's departure from the band.
In 1979, Balin produced a rock opera entitled Rock Justice, about a rock star who was put in jail for failing to produce a hit for his record company, based on his experiences with the lawsuits fought for years with former Jefferson Airplane manager Matthew Katz. The cast recording was produced by Balin, but it did not feature him in performance.
Balin continued with EMI as a solo artist, and in 1981, he released his first solo album, Balin, featuring two Jesse Barish songs that became top-40 hits, "Hearts" (number eight) and "Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love)" (number 27). This was followed in 1983 by a second solo album, Lucky, along with a Japanese-only EP produced by EMI called There's No Shoulder. Balin's contract with EMI ended shortly after.
In 1985, he teamed with Paul Kantner and Jack Casady to form the KBC Band. After the breakup of the KBC band, a 1989 reunion album and tour with Jefferson Airplane followed.
Balin continued recording solo albums in the years following the reunion, and reunited with Kantner in the latest incarnation of Jefferson Starship.
Balin had intended to record lead vocals for two tracks for Jefferson Starship's album, Jefferson's Tree of Liberty. However, his art touring schedule conflicted with studio sessions, and instead, the track "Maybe for You", from the German release of Windows of Heaven, was included.
On July 2, 2007, the music-publishing firm Bicycle Music, Inc. announced that it had acquired an interest in songs written or performed by Balin, including hits from his days with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.
Balin, along with other members of the Jefferson Airplane/Starship bands, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. As a member of the Jefferson Airplane, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Balin had also enjoyed painting all his life. He painted many of the most influential musicians of the last half of the 20th century. Marty Balin's Atelier is located at 130 King Fine Art in Saint Augustine, Florida, Balin's permanent signature collection gallery.
Balin resided in Florida and San Francisco with his wife, Susan Joy Balin, formerly Susan Joy Finkelstein. Together, they had Balin's daughters Jennifer Edwards and Delaney Balin, and Susan's daughters Rebekah Geier and Moriah Geier.
Jennifer was born later in the year of his 1963 marriage to Victoria Martin. Balin married Karen Deal, Delaney's mother, in 1989. Karen died in 2010.
While on tour in March 2016, Balin was taken to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in New York City after complaining of chest pains. After undergoing open-heart surgery, he was transferred to an intensive-care unit to spend time recovering. In a subsequent lawsuit, Balin alleged that neglect and inadequate care facilities on the hospital's behalf had resulted in a paralyzed vocal cord, loss of his left thumb and half of his tongue, bedsores, and kidney damage.
Balin died on September 27, 2018 at the age of 76.
Discography
Balin (1981)
Lucky (1983)
There's No Shoulder (1983) (EP, Japan only)
Better Generation (1991)
Freedom Flight (1997)
Marty Balin Greatest Hits (1999) (new recordings)
Marty Balin (2003)
Nashville Sessions (2008)
Time For Every Season (2009)
Blue Highway (2010)
The Witcher (2011)
Good Memories (2015)
The Greatest Love (2016)
with Bodacious DF
Bodacious DF (1973)
with KBC Band
KBC Band (1986)
compilations
Balince (1990)
Wish I Were (1995) (Europe only)
Mercy of the Moon: The Best of Marty Balin (2009)
Nothin' 2 Lose: The Lost Studio Recordings (2009)
415 Music: Rare Studio & Live Recordings 1980-82 (2011)
Solo singles
Year Title Peak chart
positions Record Label B-side Album
US AC Rock
1962 "Nobody but You" — — — Challenge Records "You Made Me Fall"
"You Are the One" — — — "I Specialize in Love"
1981 "Hearts" 8 9 20 EMI America Records "Freeway" Balin
"Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love)" 27 11 — "Lydia!"
1983 "What Love Is" 63 — — "Heart of Stone" Lucky
"Do It for Love" 102 17 — "Will You Forever"
CAMELLIA
Marty Balin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Into the spotlight, one more time
Just in time to play
To one man and an empty table
He was drinking down the pain
All he could say was this ladys name...
Oh camellia wont you take me away
After the show, when the room was empty
No, he wouldnt go
So I asked him why he called her name
It seems she was some magic one night
With something for his pain
But all she left was a pretty name...
Oh camellia wont you take me away
To paradise tropical moon
Dont you leave me sitting here in atlanta
The song "Camellia" by Marty Balin details the story of a man who is drinking alone in a bar and calls out for a woman named Camellia. As Balin sings, "Oh Camellia, won't you take me away," the name becomes a refrain in the song, symbolizing a desire to escape or be rescued from the pain of life. The man in the song tells Balin that Camellia was a woman who he met one night and who gave him something that eased his pain, but merely left him with her pretty name as a reminder of the momentary joy she brought him.
The lyrics suggest a sense of loneliness and longing, as the man is drinking alone in a bar and desperately calling out for a connection with a woman who may not even exist. The repetition of the name Camellia and the desire to be taken away to a tropical paradise demonstrate a desire for escape and a longing for a life lived outside of the present moment. This is a common theme in Balin's music, which often explores the idea of searching for something more in life and finding meaning in unexpected places.
Overall, "Camellia" is a poignant and reflective song, one that speaks to the universal experience of searching for happiness and the hope of eventually finding it, even if only for a moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Opening night, nothing new atlanta
It was the opening night of the show in Atlanta, but everything seemed usual with no new surprises.
Into the spotlight, one more time
The singer was ready to perform on the stage once again.
Just in time to play
He arrived just in time to start his performance.
To one man and an empty table
There was only one person in the audience, and he was sitting on an empty table.
He was drinking down the pain
The man in the audience was drinking alcohol to ease his emotional pain.
All he could say was this ladys name...
The only thing the man could say repeatedly was the name of his lost love, Camellia.
Oh camellia wont you take me away
The singer asks Camellia to take the man away from his pain.
After the show, when the room was empty
When the performance was over, and everyone left, the only person remaining was the man who was drinking at the table.
No, he wouldnt go
The man refused to leave and stayed behind.
So I asked him why he called her name
The singer inquires about the reason behind the man's repeated calls for Camellia.
It seems she was some magic one night
Camellia was special to the man because of a magical night they spent together.
With something for his pain
Camellia provided emotional support to the man in his time of sorrow.
But all she left was a pretty name...
Despite the positive impact she had on the man's life, Camellia could not stay, and all she left behind was her name.
Oh camellia wont you take me away
The singer repeats the plea for Camellia to take the man away from his pain.
To paradise tropical moon
He asks Camellia to take the man to a place of paradise and serenity.
Dont you leave me sitting here in atlanta
The singer begs Camellia not to abandon the man in Atlanta, where he is stuck in a state of sadness and emptiness.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVID EVAN, GENE HEART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind