Grunt Records

Grunt Records was a vanity label founded in 1971 by Jefferson Airplane and distributed by RCA Records. Initially created to sign local Bay Area acts, the label later was used only for Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna releases. The label ended use in 1987 after Grace Slick left Starship.

Grunt Records
Parent company	Jefferson Airplane, Inc.
Founded	1971
Founder	Jefferson Airplane
Distributor(s)	RCA Records
Genre	Rock Psychedelic rock
Country of origin	United States

History

Grunt Records was formed in 1970 when Jefferson Airplane renegotiated their contract with RCA Records. Initially, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, and Bill Thompson were responsible for managing. The name was inspired by a working title for the Volunteers album, "Squat on My Grunt."^[1] The first artists signed to the label were Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna, Peter Kaukonen, Jack Bonus, Papa John Creach, 1, and Richmond Talbott.^[2]

Thompson took over management of Grunt in 1973 and signed former Airplane drummer Joey Covington and Jack Traylor to the label. In 1974, RCA dropped all Grunt artists except for Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen signed to a solo deal with RCA in 1979, and Hot Tuna released Final Vinyl. Jefferson Starship and Starship used the label until Grace Slick left the band and joined Jefferson Airplane for a reunion tour and album on Epic Records.

To promote the label, Greg Irons and Tom Veitch wrote two issues of a comic book called Grunt Comix.^[3]

Discography

• FTR-1001 Bark by Jefferson Airplane
• FTR-1002 Sunfighter by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick
• FTR-1003 Papa John Creach by Papa John Creach
• FTR-1004 Burgers by Hot Tuna
• FTR-1005 Jack Bonus by Jack Bonus
• FTR-1006 Black Kangaroo by Peter Kaukonen
• FTR-1007 Long John Silver by Jefferson Airplane
• FTR-1008 Come by 1
• FTR-1009 Filthy! by Papa John Creach
• BFL1-0147 Thirty Seconds Over Winterland by Jefferson Airplane
• BFL1-0148 Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, and David Freiberg
• BFL1-0149 Fat Fandango by Joe E. Covington
• BFL1-0194 Child of Nature by Jack Traylor and Steelwind
• BFL1-0209 Quah by Jorma Kaukonen
• BFL1-0347 Manhole by Grace Slick
• BFL1-0348 The Phosphorescent Rat by Hot Tuna
• BFL1-0418 Playing My Fiddle for You by Papa John Creach
• CYL1-0437 Early Flight by Jefferson Airplane
• BFL1-0717 Dragon Fly by Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, and Jefferson Starship
• BFL1-0820 America's Choice by Hot Tuna
• BFL1-0999 Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship
• BFL1-1238 Yellow Fever by Hot Tuna
• CYL2-1255 Flight Log by Jefferson Airplane
• BFL1-1557 Spitfire by Jefferson Starship
• BFL1-1920 Hoppkorv by Hot Tuna
• BXL1-2515 Earth by Jefferson Starship
• CYL2-2545 Double Dose by Hot Tuna
• DJL1-2852 The Last Interview? by Hot Tuna
• BZL1-3247 Gold by Jefferson Starship
• BXL1-3357 Final Vinyl by Hot Tuna
• BZL1-3452 Freedom at Point Zero by Jefferson Starship
• BZL1-3848 Modern Times by Jefferson Starship
• BXL1-4372 Winds of Change by Jefferson Starship
• BXL1-4921 Nuclear Furniture by Jefferson Starship
• BXL1-5488 Knee Deep in the Hoopla by Starship
• 6413-R No Protection by Starship

Reissues

• BXL1-2591 Reissue of Burgers by Hot Tuna
• CYL1-3363 Picture Disc Reissue of Gold by Jefferson Starship
• AYL1-3660 Reissue of Red Octopus by Jefferson Starship
• AYL1-3747 Reissue of Quah by Jorma Kaukonen
• AYL1-3796 Reissue of Dragon Fly by Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, and Jefferson Starship
• AYL1-3799 Reissue of Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, and David Freiberg
• AYL1-3951 Reissue of Burgers by Hot Tuna
• AYL1-3953 Reissue of Spitfire by Jefferson Starship
• AYL1-4172 Reissue of Earth by Jefferson Starship
• AYL1-4385 Reissue of Sunfighter by Paul Kantner and Grace Slick
• AYL1-4386 Reissue of Bark by Jefferson Airplane
• AYL1-4391 Reissue of Thirty Seconds Over Winterland by Jefferson Airplane
• AYL1-5161 Reissue of Freedom at Point Zero by Jefferson Starship

Unissued

• FTR-1010 Gettin' Plenty by Richmond Talbott