Spencer Dryden Wheeler (1938 - 2005)

Born 7 Apr 1938 in New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 11 Jan 2005 at age 66 in Petaluma, Sonoma, California, United States

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Biography

Spencer Dryden was born to Alice Chapple and George Dryden Wheeler Jr, a British actor and director. He was the nephew of Charlie Chaplin.^[1]

He was recruited in mid-1966 to replace Skip Spence as the drummer in leading San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane. He remained with the band until February 1970.^[1]

He returned to drumming as a member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He performed and recorded with them from late 1970 until 1977, when he became manager of the band. He then went on to play with Dinosaurs and Berry Melton's band before retiring from drumming in 1995.^[1]

Dryden did not participate in Jefferson Airplane's 1989 reunion. In 1996, Dryden was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame alone with the rest of Jefferson Airplane, playing with the band for the first time since 1970. He joined the group onstage for the last time in 2003, with the Jefferson Starship Galactic Reunion.^[1]

Dryden died from colon cancer on January 11, 2005. He had been married three times and was survived by his three sons, Jeffrey, Jesse, and Jackson Dryden; six grandchildren, and his mother, Alice Chapple Judd.^[1]

Vitals

Birth:

Date: April 7, 1938

Place: New York, New York

Marriage:

Spouse: Jeannie Davis

Date: September 11, 1965

Place: Clark County, Nevada^[2]

Marriage:

Spouse: Sally A Mann

Date: January 11, 1970

Place: San Francisco, California^[3]

Divorce: August 1974^[4]

Marriage:

Spouse: Kathy Miller

Date:

Place:

Death:

Date: January 10, 2005^[5][6]

Place: Maine

Burial:

Place:

Cemetery:

Family

Father: George Dryden Wheeler Jr

Mother: Alice Chapple

Siblings:

Spouse: Jeannie Davis

Spouse: Sally A Mann

Children:

1. Jesse Dryden

Spouse: Kathy Miller

Children:

1. Jackson Dryden

Events

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} [1]
2. ↑ Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005 Name: Spencer Dryden Event Type: Marriage Event Date: 11 Sep 1965 Event Place: Nevada Registration Place: Clark, Nevada Spouse's Name: Jeannie Davis
3. ↑ California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 Name: Spencer Dryden Event Type: Marriage Event Date: 11 Jan 1970 Event Place: San Francisco, California Gender: Male Age: 31 Birth Year (Estimated): 1939 Spouse's Name: Sally A Mann Spouse's Age: 21 Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): 1949
4. ↑ California Divorce Index, 1966-1984 Name: Sally A Mann Event Type: Divorce Event Date: Aug 1974 Event Place: Los Angeles, California Spouse's Name: Spencer Dryden
5. ↑ United States Social Security Death Index Age: 67 Given Name: Spencer Surname: Dryden Birth Date: 07 Apr 1938 State: Maine Last Place of Residence: Petaluma, Sonoma, California Previous Residence Postal Code: 94975
6. ↑ Find a Grave
7. ↑ United States Census, 1940 Name: Spencer Dryden Event Type: Census Event Date: 1940 Event Place: Tract 385, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills Judicial Township, Los Angeles, California Gender: Male Age: 2 Marital Status: Single Race: White Relationship to Head of Household: Son Birthplace: New York Birth Year (Estimated): 1938

See Also

1. Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane pg 69
2. "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVTS-49BM : 20 February 2015), Spencer Dryden, , ; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Associated Press Archive, born-digital text.
3. "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24BL-KG8 : 2 October 2015), Spencer Dryden, 1951; citing Immigration, New York City, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).