Tennessee community 'shattered' after deadly school bus crash

Sorrow punctuated the opening of the Toyota Hub City Grand Prix race in Jackson, Tennessee, on March 28.

The day before, aschool bus carrying students and stafffrom Kenwood Middle School crashed on its way from Clarksville, Tennessee, to the student competition, hosted by Greenpower USA. Officials said the crash also involved a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer.

Two students were pronounced dead at the scene, and several more were airlifted to hospitals across the region, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The opening ceremony of the Grand Prix event included a moment of silence, prayer, and acknowledgments of the victims who died in the crash.

"Today feels a little different, but know that my family and the city has been praying for you all, for those that we lost yesterday," Jackson Mayor Scott Conger told dozens of coaches, parents, students, and staff gathered in the parking lot of the Jackson Rockabillys Stadium. "I want you to have a clear head, do well. ... We welcome you to our city."

Around 120 miles northeast in Clarksville, mourners placed flowers at the entrance of Kenwood Middle School. One affixed a teddy bear to the handles of the front doors with black and gold ribbons around its neck, representing the school colors.

In a March 28 Facebook post, Clarksville-Montgomery School System Director Jean Luna-Vedder encouraged students and staff across the district to wear black and gold on Monday, March 30, as a sign of unity. She also asked school leaders to determine an appropriate place and time to gather and reflect on the tragedy.

Luna-Vedder said she spent the night of March 27 visiting hospitals to check on students and their families.

"I was overwhelmed by the selfless and compassionate moments I observed," part of her post read. "Even amid an unimaginable tragedy and the profound distress each person was experiencing, the love and compassion everyone has shown for one another have been a breathtaking reminder of the power of community and humanity."

'A cry for help':Crackdown targets drivers who race by school buses, endangering kids

The evening of March 28,hundreds of mourners gathered for a vigiloutside Kenwood Middle School. Grieving parents, students, elected officials, and community members remembered the students lost while the sun set for only a second time since the day of the crash.

"We are Clarksville strong," said Pastor Dewayne Carter, who helped organize the event. "Everyone stands together as one."

Still shaken, middle school students stood arm-in-arm, hugging and weeping as candles were lit in memory of their lost classmates. Parents stood close by among the silent crowd to console and support.

Carter told the crowd to rely on faith during the healing process.

"Prayer is always a need in the community, especially under these circumstances," he said. "But we are trusting and believing in God to heal your heart. We are trusting and believing in God to guide you along this journey."

'Our hearts are shattered'

The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System bus was carrying 25 students and five staff members from Kenwood Middle School, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. It crashed around noon on March 27 on Highway 70 near Cedar Grove in Carroll County, which is about 20 minutes outside Jackson.

The identities of those killed, details on injuries, and the cause of the wreck had not been disclosed as of March 28.

Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Bill Miller said the agency is working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to investigate.

"A crash of this magnitude is going to take time ... to thoroughly investigate," Miller told The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, on March 28.

The wreck triggered a massive multiagency response. Officials said seven air ambulances took patients to various hospitals across the region. Families were reunited at a church in nearby Huntingdon.

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"Our hearts are shattered at the tragic loss of two young lives," a March 27 Facebook post from the school district said. "Please continue to keep these families in your hearts. We continue to pray for the students and employees injured and everyone who was affected by today's accident. The Kenwood Middle community will need our continued support, and we will share opportunities to assist families as details are confirmed."

Counselors will be available to the school and district community for as long as needed, the post said. It also included a statement from Kenwood Middle School Principal Karen Miller.

"Our school community experienced an unimaginable tragedy this morning," Miller said. "As we process this loss together, please know that the well-being of our students, staff and families remains our top priority."

Miller asked for prayers and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support as news of the wreck spread. She said the school is relying on families to decide how and when to communicate what happened to their children at home, and that counselors will be available at the school starting on Monday, March 30.

"We recognize that many children may struggle with grief or uncertainty when learning about a loss," Miller said. "We encourage you to be attentive to your child's emotional needs and to create space for them to express their thoughts or feelings. Our school counseling team are ready to assist and can also connect families with additional community resources if needed."

Student racers honor Kenwood Middle School

At the Grand Prix event in Jackson on March 28, some teamstaped numbers 52 and 72 on the hoods of the go-kartsthey built ahead of their races. Those numbers would have been on the Kenwood Middle cars.

"We're thinking about the Kenwood Middle community," Greenpower USA Executive Director Drew Sparks said. "I've been talking with the teacher of that school off and on for the past several hours, and it's just absolutely heartbreaking."

Organizers made space under a tent for the community to write condolences, prayers, and words of kindness on a large sheet of paper, which will be delivered to the school.

Danielle Hastings was among those who signed. She said her daughter is in the seventh grade at Jackson Academic STEAM Academy and was part of the school's Greenpower team that day. The day felt bittersweet to her on the heels of the tragedy.

"I know if I was in their place, it would really warm my heart to know that even though the show is going on, people are kind of muddling through and trying their best to show up for our kids in honor of them," she said.

Lawmakers react to fatal Tennessee school bus crash

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee asked his fellow Tennesseans to join him and his wife, Maria Lee, in prayer for all those impacted by the deadly wreck in a post on X the evening of March 27.

"We are heartbroken over the loss of life and ask for God's healing over the injured," the governor said. "As authorities continue to investigate, we are deeply grateful to every first responder supporting these Tennesseans in their most difficult time."

Maj. Travis Plotzer, who serves with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, paused before delivering an update during a news briefing on March 27.

"I want to speak directly to the families of the students that we lost today: There are no adequate words we can use to ease the pain that you're feeling right now," Plotzer said. "This is a parent's worst nightmare."

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts released a lengthy statement the morning of March 28 about the wreck.

"The depth of our sadness hasn't been felt yet, since the days to come will be difficult. Our city grieves at the loss of these children, who were much too young with their whole lives in front of them," Pitts said. "They were on their way to an event that this group of bright, talented, students had prepared for during the school year. Those that were injured will heal physically, but the emotional toll will be difficult to overcome for years."

He encouraged community members to rally together.

"Be wary of any finger-pointing or speculation," he said. "That serves no purpose. Instead, let's show our love and support for the students and families."

Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email atRAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:Community mourns Tennessee students killed in school bus crash

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March 29, 2026

Tennessee community 'shattered' after deadly school bus crash

Sorrow punctuated the opening of the Toyota Hub City Grand Prix race in Jackson, Tennessee, on March 28. The...

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“Dark Winds ”recap: Leaphorn finally finds Leroy, but nothing is what it seems

Billie reconnects with her mother, but for five minutes. What happens to Billie next leaves us a little rattled.

Key Points

• Irene offers kindness to her suffering grandfather in her own twisted way — by running him over with her car.

• Chee accepts that he needs Indian medicine and returns to the rez.

Last week'sepisode ofDark Windsended with some heavy dramatic twists.

Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) raced across a parking complex to discover his wife Emma (Dianna Allison) quaking with fear after she'd been roughed up by Irene Vaggan (Franka Potente), the nasty German assassin obsessed with the Diné culture and, by extension, Leaphorn.

Meanwhile, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) was nearing his psychological breaking point, and he'd come to accept that he won't be healed until he returns to the rez to seek out Indian medicine. That's a big ask for him in general, as he has intentionally distanced himself a bit from his culture, but he also seems unlikely to leave Los Angeles until he has personally secured the safety of Billie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson), the teen runaway mixed up in some complex shenanigans run by the evil Dominic McNair (Titus Welliver).

Episode 7, "Nániikai (We Came Back)," starts up with Emma getting patched up at the clinic, and Joe super spooked. He feels that after Irene has killed Billie and her cousin Leroy, she's going to come back for Emma.

"Not you?" Joe's FBI pal Shaw (Luke Barnett) asks.

"She has other plans for me," says Joe.

Leaphorn's going to need the FBI's help with finding Vaggan. Though Shaw's department isn't too pleased with how their previous op went down (with Irene shooting Sonny from atop a building), he will still try to help "off the books."

After the opening credits, Irene is helping her grandfather Gunther (played by Udo Kier) move into his Holiday Inn-looking retirement home. Does he like it?

"Nein!" the former Nazi shouts.

Even though she's dressed him in a beige cardigan, he starts rambling about the day when the Reich finally ascends, and how she has been raised to be powerful. She tries to remind him the war is over, but ultimately leaves the room, saying she loves him.

Next, Leaphorn tells Chee to cool his heels at the hospital and take some more time to get well. He doesn't want him out with Bernadette (Jessica Matten) as they go to look for Billie. Chee is steamed, but he doesn't fight back as much as you'd think. Maybe he's starting to mature a bit.

We then see Billie and Leroy's girlfriend (whose name is Val, by the way; not sure if we knew that yet) drive to a house out somewhere green. They knock on a door and ask for Leroy. A Native American woman in what looks like a waitress uniform says he isn't there… then realizes who she's talking to. She is Billie's mom.

"Billie, is that really you?" she asks.

Billie, if you remember, never knew her mother, and was told she'd died just after she was born. She kinda freaks out and runs away. Val chases her and talks her down when: BUMMMMM! goes the scary music and we see the scene through binocular vision. Irene is here.

No, it's not Irene. It's one of her henchmen. He darts off to a phone and calls her at her dimly lit bunker: "That girl you are looking for just showed up."

Billie and her mom sit at a Formica table near a big plate of Navajofry bread. Billie's mom apologizes for not being around for "all those years" and explains that she's now been "clean for three years" and begs for another chance. Billie says it's too late, but she doesn't leave the house when her mother departs for work. The two may eventually reconnect, it seems.

After a break, Irene shows up as Billie is chilling on the couch watching what sounds likeThe Price Is Right. (This would have been a new show at the time! The originalPrice Is Rightstarted in 1956, but ended in 1965. The revival, with Bob Barker as host, returned in 1972.) Anyhow, Irene starts creeping around, but Billie senses her, grabs a lamp for protection, and hides in the corner.

We hear a car. It's Leaphorn, Manuelito, and Shaw — they jump out, guns drawn.

Billie darts down into a basement, and Irene slowly follows her. Our three heroes of the law are upstairs checking every room, while Irene creeps around downstairs. Suddenly, she turns around and finds Shaw. She pulls out a knife and stabs him right in the neck.

"Aggggh!" Shaw shouts. (Wouldn't you?)

Then she opens a closet and finds Billie. She drags her upstairs to her car, but Manuelito and Leaphorn see them through a window. Shots fired! There's lots of shooting. But Irene still manages to get her automobile moving and pulls out of the driveway.

Leaphorn then books it across farmland, doing his best to keep up with the car. Leaphorn is literallyleapingalongside the road to try and save Billie. What a guy! He climbs a fence to meet the road as it turns, but hejustmisses. He's not pleased with himself.

Later, the cops are cleaning up at the house. Shaw is pulled to an ambulance. He's in bad shape but reports, "I'll live."

Billie's mom is back and looks pretty upset. After all, her long-lost daughter just returned and now she's lost again. Bernadette tries to calm her down as an FBI guy gives Joe a big fat file, the dossier on Leroy. Bernadette approaches Joe and confesses that she feels they have failed, and that Billie is surely dead. Joe feels the same way. He leaves to see McNair in prison.

Once again, we see McNair receiving guests in a darkened, empty cafeteria. He's obviously important enough to get a cleared room. Joe Leaphorn demands to know where Irene is. McNair plays dumb, then says Joe is far from home and way out of his league. Joe makes it plain: If McNair doesn't give him Irene's whereabouts, Joe will do everything he can to make McNair's life miserable. McNair is unimpressed. No deal is made.

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We then see Irene in her car alone. My God, did she really kill Billie? Maybe she did. Ugh, that poor kid. Anyway, she returns to her bunker to find half-eaten food on the table. Udo Kier has escaped and is puttering around outside in his pajamas, mumbling in German. Irene, with tears in her eyes, decides the most humane thing to do is to run him over. Who are we to argue? Slam! RIP Udo Kier.

Meanwhile, Manuelito visits Chee in the hospital. Chee senses that Billie is dead, but Manuelito says no one knows for sure. Chee blames himself. He realizes that entering the death hogan has caused tremendous problems, but as a result of it he has had clarifying visions of his mother. He recalls how she died of cancer, alone among strangers, because he didn't want to return with her to the rez. This is the root of all his guilt, and all of his trauma about his own heritage. He feels that he is a false Diné, and breaks down crying. Bernadette stands by him and offers support. It's a very touching scene.

Just down the hall at the BIA clinic, Joe is with Emma, who is back in uniform. They confess that they miss each other greatly. Emma calls Joe loyal and selfless and brave. But... she's happy in Los Angeles now. She wants to stay. The rez is still her home, but she wants to make a go of it alone. Complicated!

After everyone takes a deep breath, Joe and Bernadette meet up in the hallway. She's got Leroy's file in her hands and declares she knows where Leroy must be: The rez! He's got an FBI alias: Philip Grayson. Wait, don't we know that guy? Several episodes ago, he was the guy hanging out in a trailer who helped the NTP find Billie. That was Leroy?

Joe goes back to the rez and pulls up to the trailer in his GMC. "Philip" continues to deny that he is Leroy, even showing his ID. Joe knows it's fake and given to him by the FBI so he can hide out until after McNair's trial is over. But Leroy's handler at the FBI is now dead (this was the guy Irene killed in his garage). Leroy is in trouble if he doesn't trust Joe! Why won't he trust Joe?

Leroy finally drops the facade, and seems both terrified and relieved. He agrees to go with Joe to Flagstaff.

After a break, we see some gorgeous shots of the rez from a bird's-eye view as a woman speaks in Diné. It's the old grandma from the first season (the one who wears the dark sunglasses), and she is preparing a ceremony for Jim Chee. He has returned for Indian medicine.

Later that night, Joe is with Leroy at his trailer, prepping to leave. They have a long conversation, and at first, it seems like Leroy is just scared. But Joe senses that he's stalling. Then he catches him in a verbal slip-up. (He confuses the name of his aunt with his mother. I didn't catch it, but I'm no Joe Leaphorn!) Joe puts the puzzle pieces together and realizes Leroy isn't who everyone thinks he is.

"Who are you?" asks Leaphorn.

From behind, it's Irene. She knocks Joe out. "Leroy" thanks her for getting there on time: "He was on to me."

She calls him Beto and instructs him to "get the rope."

Suddenly, a wash of expository information. This guy isn't Leroy after all, but the FBI thinks he is. Leroy is long dead; Irene killed him. And he convinced this look-alike to take his place — and to be some kind of red herring witness for the FBI. Wheels within wheels.

"The trial's next week. You've got to testify in his place and McNair's going to walk,"

As Irene hogties the unconscious Joe, she says that in the morning, he should go to the trading post and call his FBI contact in Flagstaff.

When Beto notes that his contact is dead, she reminds him that as far as the Feds know, Leroy isn't. He should do what they tell him to do.

He then asks what about Joe?

"You've never seen him," Vaggan replies.

She and Beto dump him in the trunk of her car.

"You are mine now, Joe," she says with an icy smile.

The episode ends with a card reading "In Memory ofUdo Kier."

• Will Jim Chee's medicine ceremony be the spinach to his Popeye, and get him well enough in time to free Joe Leaphorn from Irene's evil Teutonic clutches?

• Will we discover that Billie is still alive somewhere, or is that wishful thinking?

• Will McNair get his comeuppance?

• Moreover, will we learn what, specifically, McNair did other than "criminal activity" that ensnared and exploited the Diné community?

• Will season 4 end on a cliffhanger? After all, season 5 is already in production.

New episodes ofDark Windsair Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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March 29, 2026

“Dark Winds ”recap: Leaphorn finally finds Leroy, but nothing is what it seems

Billie reconnects with her mother, but for five minutes. What happens to Billie next leaves us a little rattled. ...

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Sophia Culpo Reveals How She Navigates Dating in the Public Eye After Braxton Berrios, Michael Stevens Breakups (Exclusive)

Sophia Culpo opened up about how she navigates her dating life in the public eye in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• She has recently dated NFL player Braxton Berrios and lawyer Michael Stevens

• Culpo recently responded to rumors that she had reunited with her athlete ex

Sophia Culpois opening up about how she navigates her dating life in the spotlight.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at Clarins' Night of Extra event in Los Angeles on March 20, the social media personality, 29, said she's "learned so much through the years" about protecting her relationships in the public eye.

"I think keeping what's personal and what's so special to you private, it's the best thing for you and your relationships," she explained, adding, "But we all live and learn, and we're all just doing our best."

Culpo said that "having a sense of humor" is also key.

"Being a little cheeky with it," she said. "You've got to stick up for yourself, too."

TheCulpo Sistersstar's comments about dating came just days after she addressedrumors that she had reunited with her ex, NFL wide receiverBraxton Berrios.

After Deuxmoi posted a picture, which has since been deleted, that seemingly showed the pair out and about together in New York City, Culpo shared aTikTok videoto set the record straight — using that aforementioned "sense of humor."

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"Me logging on to the Internet to figure out what city I'm in today," Culpo wrote alongside the March 11 video, which showed the content creator putting on glasses, pulling out her computer and mimicking searching for herself online.

She then turned toward the window and lowered her glasses skeptically as the camera panned to reveal a set of palm trees outside, seemingly to make it clear she was not in New York.

"If anyone sees me in another city, please let me know so I can pack," she added in the caption of the post.

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Culpo and Berrios, 30, dated for two years beforebreaking upin early 2023. The athletewent on to date Alix Earlefollowing his and Culpo's split.

In October 2023, Culpo took her relationship withMichael Stevenspublic, sharing photos of their matching costumes for Halloween.

They later made their red carpet debut as a couple at thePeople's Choice Awardsin February 2024.

PEOPLE confirmed in October 2025 that Culpo and Stevens hadsplit after two years of dating.

"The breakup was healthy, and they remain on good terms," a rep for Culpo said in a statement at the time.

"While this chapter has closed, Sophia is embracing single life until the right person comes along and is excited for what the future holds," the spokesperson added.

Elsewhere in her conversation with PEOPLE at the Clarins soirée, Culpo revealed "the most extra thing" about her beauty routine.

"I cannot have dry skin," she said. "I have to lotion head to toe at least once a day. That's the most extra thing."

Culpo also shared some beauty regrets from her past that still "haunt" her.

"When I had blonde hair, that kind of haunts me when I was in college. And I think we've all overdone it on the lip filler once or twice. So definitely, if I could delete that part of my life, I would," she said.

Read the original article onPeople

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in

March 29, 2026

Sophia Culpo Reveals How She Navigates Dating in the Public Eye After Braxton Berrios, Michael Stevens Breakups (Exclusive)

Sophia Culpo opened up about how she navigates her dating life in the public eye in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ...

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The Stakes Have Never Been Higher on This Week’s Topical Episode of ‘Marshals’

As we wend our way closer to the mid-point ofMarshals's 13-episodefirst seasonthe stakes are only getting higher for Montana's favorite U.S. Marshal team. Iflast week's outingwas all about character building, this week, the work is front and center as Kayce and the squad take on a topical case that has emotions running high.

Here's what happened on this week's episode ofMarshals:

Hope is a knife that cuts two ways

Last week's episode saw the Marshals team divided, and while there are nominally two cases this week, after their shared camaraderie last time, the squad is (mostly) back on the same page and covering one another's backs.

As the title "Lost Girls" suggests, the primary case this week centers on teen girls who have gone missing from the Broken Rock reservation—a nod to the real life tragedy of the disproportionate number of Indigenous women who go missing each year.

Kayce stumbles his way into the case when—following an incident with Tate getting injured—Kayce attempts to sell the temperamental mustang that once belonged to his late wife, Monica. Tate (he's back!) disapproves of the sale, feeling connected to his mother through the horse, but it winds up not mattering, because the surly equine bites his would-be buyer, who cancels the purchase. On the drive back from the failed transaction, Tate sees a girl he knows from the reservation school, Hailey, at a gas station, and her cagey behavior immediately catches his attention. At Marshals HQ, Kayce quickly discovers that Hailey was reported missing weeks ago and may have been trafficked; the team is immediately in favor of looking into it.

Unfortunately, Cal informs them they've been assigned to protect a witness in a federal fraud case (more on that in a moment) but Kayce and Miles convince him to let them have an unofficial chat with Hailey's mom anyway. There they learn that Hailey's not the only girl from the reservation that's gone missing in recent months—in fact, Miles worked on the case of another girl, Ava, when he was a res cop.

The mothers beg Kayce and Miles not to give up on this case, but Broken Rock chairman Thomas Rainwater has a different take. Showing up with his righthand man, Mo, Rainwater points out to Kayce that, since the marshals haven't officially been invited onto the case by the reservation police, he and Miles are here unofficially, and that the government has a long history of writing girls like Hailey and Ava off as runaways. He warns that Kayce and Miles's bosses will never let them get involved, and that by coming here they've only given the mothers false hope.

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Warm weather scams

While Miles and Kayce deal with things on the reservation, Cal, Andrea, and Belle are on witness duty, and no one is happy about it. The witness in question is a cocky lowlife named Lachance, who's taking advantage of a "pocket change" federal case to order room service steak at a hotel and get sent to Hawaii in the witness protection program. While dealing with his annoying antics, the women keep quietly working on the case of the missing girls behind Cal's back (making me question Cal's detective skills.) They're able to track down some information on the man they think catfished Hailey and Ava and send Kayce and Miles to a place they think he can be found.

After giving federal agents a false tip that Lachance plans to commit more crimes in Hawaii, thus getting him banished to witness protection in a colder, more miserable locale, the marshal trio returns to HQ where Rainwater is waiting. The tribal leader swallows his pride and asks Cal to get the marshals involved officially, and the women reveal that (surprise!) they've been on it the whole time, and, using some information that Kayce and Miles beat out of the catfisher (on-theme, fishhooks are involved) have found the name of the man they think is behind the trafficking scheme: Bledsoe.

Hope is contagious

After turning over the catfisher to Mo for what I'm sure will bea very stern talking to(see: Odds & Ends) Kayce and Miles head back to the gas station to look for Bledsoe, whose alias just bought gas there. Kayce immediately finds Hailey (did anyone consider going back there before??) However, Hailey refuses to go with him, saying that Bledsoe is trafficking 9 other girls as well and if she escapes, he'll kill them—a fact she knows because he previously killed Ava.

Kayce agrees to let her go, earning the wrath of Miles, who blames himself for not being able to save Ava. Hailey did give them a lead though, telling them about a place with trees where Bledsoe also takes the girls. The team determine the trees are a logo and with CCTV are able to pinpoint a camper van that Bledsoe must be using to drive the girls around.

The team takes off after the camper, trailing it to a deserted stretch of road. While Cal insists that they should tail them at a distance to discover where they're going, an enraged Miles refuses to slow down, alerting the men in the camper, who fire at the marshals. With some coordinated driving, they manage to bring the camper to a halt and dispatch the traffickers, only to discover that the girls aren't in the camper at all.

And with that, we come to perhaps the most brutal ending to an episode ofMarshalsso far—a title card saying "TO BE CONTINUED."

Odds & Ends

• "The only way left in this world to hurt me is through you, son," Kayce tells Tate at the beginning of this episode. I'm certain that won't prove portentous in any way as the season goes on.

• If I have nightmares about getting a fishhook stuck in my face, I'm taking it up with this show.

• In keeping with Yellowstone's history, Marshals stands on complicated moral footing. In the five episodes of this season so far, we've seen Kayce shoot multiple people in the line of duty, straight-forwardly murder a (albeit dying) man and dump his body, and turn a man over to Mo for some amorphous-but-deadly-seeming vengeance. I'm not sure what point, if any, the show is trying to make about that yet, but it's definitely… complicated.

• The idea of a remembrance service for Monica on the reservation has been floated for several episodes now. This episode seems to imply that it might be happening simultaneously with the case, but it's a little vague—maybe we'll see it (and Tate's heretofore unseen grandfather) next week.

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byCosmopolite

in

March 29, 2026

The Stakes Have Never Been Higher on This Week’s Topical Episode of ‘Marshals’

As we wend our way closer to the mid-point ofMarshals's 13-episodefirst seasonthe stakes are only getting higher for...

Read More

Jefferson Airplane Guitarist Reflects on Band's Formation 60 Years Ago, Says Grace Slick Changed 'Everything' (Exclusive)

Jorma Kaukonen initially planned to move to Denmark in the '60s, but joined Jefferson Airplane after being invited by Paul Kantner

NEED TO KNOW

• The band solidified itself with its first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, but grew to new heights after releasing Surrealistic Pillow with Grace Slick

• Kaukonen reflects on the album's lasting legacy, calling it a "bona fide work of art" decades later

Jorma Kaukonen didn't know how big Jefferson Airplane would become when he first joined the band.

The Grammy award-winning guitarist, 85, tells PEOPLE that he first crossed paths with one of the original members at school, and they became fast friends.

"Paul Kanter had moved to San Francisco, right around the time I was graduating from the University of Santa Clara, and he met Marty Balin, the two guys are the founders of the Jefferson Airplane," he shares. "They started this band and asked me if I wanted to join."

At the time, Kaukonen had convinced himself that he was going to move to Denmark, where he would become an expat American blues musician.

"For better rather than worse, I think I got distracted and went to San Francisco and got snookered into playing in the band that would ultimately be called Jefferson Airplane," the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® Inductee shares.

Aside from Kaukonen, Kanter and Balin, the original band consisted of vocalist Signe Toly Anderson, bass player Bob Harvey and drummer Jerry Peloquin. However, Jack Casady soon replaced Harvey and Skip Spence replaced Peloquin.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE'sfree daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

When the band got together, they were slated to be the house band at a club called The Matrix.

"I don't think my dreams expanded much larger than something like that," Kaukonen admits. "San Jose was a small one back in those days. I was teaching in a music store. I really had a comfortable life, and I really didn't think about being 'a star' at any level."

Looking back at the time, he admits that he also felt a sense of "youthful self-entitlement."

"When good things happen to you when you're young, it's like, 'I really deserve this.' It's not like we worked for years and finally achieved success. The band got together in August of 1965, and we had a record deal with a major label in our city before the year was out. How many people does that happen to?" Kaukonen says.

One year after the band formed, in August 1966, they released their debut studio album,Jefferson Airplane Takes Off.While the album wasn't a chart-topping hit, it established the band in the American rock world.

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Then, in 1967, Jefferson Airplane releasedSurrealistic Pillow,the band's first album with vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden. The album featured the popular songs "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit."

To Kaukonen, the album was a "major breakout for us on more levels than I can count."

"When we got Grace [Slick] in the band, everything really changed. It was a headspace thing," he shares. "I had never played in an electric band before. Everything was totally new. I'm learning how to play electric guitar, what to play in electric guitar, how to deal with the sounds, most importantly, how to play in a band."

"For me, it was all uncharted territory, and it was a quantum leap, really, fromJefferson Airplane Takes OfftoSurrealistic Pillow," Kaukonen notes.

TheLibrary of Congresslater recognized the album as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

"There've been a lot of legacy-related things that happened with that album that none of us could have possibly imagined or would've even wanted to imagine back in that time," he adds.

One of the things that still takes Kaukonen by surprise is that "this many years later, it's a respected work of art."

"I don't think I would've called it that when I was a kid when we recorded, but to me, it's a bona fide work of art and to have earned the respect that it has is an honor on more levels than I can really express," Kaukonen shares.

Kaukonen says the album is "the link that created a lot of ripples that are still rippling for my pals and me."

"When you're a young, successful artist, you accept it as just the way things are. But looking back on it, it was a fortuitous set of circumstances for us," Kaukonen says.

Despite being in his 80s, the guitarist continues to play and released the albumWabash Avenuein 2025. He will tour this year, with a stop in Michigan's Historic Ironwood Theatre with John Hurlbut.

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March 29, 2026

Jefferson Airplane Guitarist Reflects on Band's Formation 60 Years Ago, Says Grace Slick Changed 'Everything' (Exclusive)

Jorma Kaukonen initially planned to move to Denmark in the '60s, but joined Jefferson Airplane after being invited b...

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