Balin has died at age 76. The deeper spiritual meaning of the song may explain why Balin was able to sing it with so much conviction despite some fluffier elements, such as the highly repetitive use of the word "baby." This album has been named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Can you talk about your latest albums, Good Memories (2015) and The Greatest Love (2016)? Can you tell me about those two songs? It was a moment of powerful synchronicity. The groovy Jefferson Airplane became the spacey Jefferson Starship, which became the overproduced '80s soft rock band Starship. While playing the folk scene, he met Kantner, and after buying a San Francisco pizza parlor and converting it into a club called The Matrix, he put together Jefferson Airplane to be its house band. Balin is also known as being the founder, songwriter, and lead singer of Jefferson Starship, another rock band formed in San Francisco in 1974 by musicians including the former members of Jefferson Airplane. All Rights reserved. Balins tenor lead vocals can be heard on several classic songs, such as Miracles, Count On Me, With Your Love, Runaway, Volunteers, and his solo hits Hearts and Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love). Notably, Balin wrote or co-wrote the hits Miracles, With Your Love and Volunteers, and he wrote or co-wrote five songs on Jefferson Airplanes acclaimed album, Surrealistic Pillow. You know, I personally just drank alcohol. Most of the tracks on the album were written by Slick and Kantner. Peloquin spent just a few months with Jefferson Airplane, but he left before the group recorded its first album in favor of being a session and for-hire drummer before leaving music entirely to be a psychologist. The greatest band names are the ones that somehow suggest the group's unique sound while also maintaining an air of both grandiosity and mystery. And once the Hot Tuna guys were out of the band, Kantner and company adopted the new moniker to replace the old one, debuting it on the cover of the 1974 album Dragon Fly. He died on 27 September 2018 in Tampa, Florida, USA. 'What is your baby's name?' The Altamont incident was reflective of the wild state of rock music in late-1960s, and for a time, Balin and his co-horts in the Airplane singer Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady were considered key players. "RIP Marty Balin, fellow bandmate and music . Jefferson Airplane guitarist and co-founder Marty Balin has died at age 76. Balin: Yeah, Good Memories was me doing a bunch of Airplane songs with a trio. We spell it with a small 'g' because we want her to be humble.'". By the early 1970s, he had left the Airplane. After 20 years of legal wrangling, the lawsuit was finally settled in May 1987. However, she wasn't interested, so Slick got the job. [1] Early life [ edit] I said, Oh, were making so much money. We werent making a penny (laughs). And now we had another level to the band, because each guy could stand on his own. He was co-lead vocalist with Grace Slick. Balin gets rather florid in the lyrics, with windmills and rainbows and rippling rivers, but it's the soaring chorus that carries the song musically. This song was also released as the B-side to the single Somebody to Love. Bernie Taupin, best known as the lyricist on countless Elton John classics, penned the song's first iteration, which he told GQ was "a very dark song about how club life in L.A. was being killed off and live acts had no place to go." What happened to Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane? Who did Marty Balin wrote miracles for? Balin began to distance himself from the group in 1970 and officially quit in 1971. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Jefferson Airplane founder/vocalist Marty Balin wrote this song and sang lead. Marty is at his most open, crooning his words of love like he hasn't in years -- without a hint of irony or awkwardness he uses the word 'baby' at least 25 times ."[4], Upon the single's release, Billboard magazine listed "Miracles" among its Top Single Picks, indicating that the review panel predicted it to reach the top 30 of the Hot 100. Some of the suggestive lyrics were also removed, an action uncharacteristic of Jefferson Airplane. It was on the folk scene, at a hootenanny, that he met guitarist Kantner and, in 1965, along with Casady, Kaukonen, drummer Skip Spence and singer Signe Toly Anderson formed the first iteration of the Jefferson Airplane at a club, the Matrix, which Balin had bought and converted from a pizza parlor. The song has been featured in the films The Family Stone (2005), Crank (2006), and the TV series Supernatural (Season 6, Episode 19, 2011). We shared somewonderful times together. So we got together with Jorma a couple timeshe was our primo guitar player and a great one. Marty Balin was a singer, songwriter, and musician. By such albums as Blows Against the Empire (a solo effort) and After Bathing at Baxters, Kantner became the principal songwriter (and eventually Slicks boyfriend), and Mr. Balin found himself out of place with his own band and with the rock scene overall. She doesn't hold back. The album also included a significant amount of material about the impending arrival of Kantner's baby with Slick, and it was officially credited to Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship a play on the name of his main band but reflecting the record's science-fiction themes. Id tell the guysthis is what I want to sing. [3], The song was inspired in part by the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba,[4][5][6] whose followers believe him to have been a miracle worker. He got the idea for the song when CCR was on tour in Louisiana. So I bailed.. It's Balin who wrote that group's biggest hit, the laid-back soft rocker "Miracles," which foreshadowed his future movements. Although Balin was known for singing ballads, he showed his rocker side on this track. Thats what Im doing just flying along., David Wolkowsky, developer who transformed sleepy Key West into a tourist haven, dies at 99, Charles Kuen Kao, Nobel laureate celebrated as father of fiber optics, dies at 84, Mel Elfin, a top editor at Newsweek and U.S. News, dies at 89. The San Francisco psychedelic hippie rock collective that called itself Jefferson Airplane produced some of the late '60s most memorable and definitive songs, including the druggy "White Rabbit," the bewildering "Somebody to Love," and the anti-Vietnam war "Volunteers." This article was published more than4 years ago. In fact, while Balin was trying to break up one fight, someone hit him from behind and knocked him unconscious. He is known as the founder, lead singer, and main songwriter of Jefferson Airplane, a rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. Perhaps, they are taking a difficult mathematics examination. Balins rep confirmed the musicians death to Rolling Stone, though the cause of death is currently unknown. Helping boost airplay on radio, stations had the option to sub out the song's many San Francisco references with localized versions of the song, re-recorded by Starship-soundalike jingle singers. The new Jefferson Airplane came about from a 1988 performance in San Francisco by splinter group Hot Tuna, with special guest Paul Kantner. Or, a person could have challenges in their marriage. That didn't matter all that much to bandmate Kantner, who in 1970 had released his solo debut, a concept album called Blows Against the Empire. "It was partially our fault," Slick told Rolling Stone. I liked that we were original. Balin: I have a friend named Jesse Barishhes the most prolific songwriter Ive ever seen. I told the guy, Its great that youre publicizing this beautiful-feeling scene out here, and he looked me right in the eye and said, Fastest way to kill it.. After a performance in San Francisco in the summer of 1965, singer Signe Toly was asked to join the still-forming Jefferson Airplane by founder Marty Balin, according to Rolling Stone. The offshoot band was incredibly successful and scored more hits than the original Airplane, including the Balin-penned Miracles, from Red Octopus,hitting Number Three in 1975. Balin: Ive just finished an album of my new songs, which I wrote with a guitar player. by. Balin: Well, my guitar friend Vic Smith, the guy who taught me how to play, gave me those chord changes. Then "big-time pop guy and Austrian record producer" Peter Wolf took over "and totally changed it.". When some people experience the downs, they tend to give up. It will come out later this year. Balin left Jefferson Starship in 1978 and re-started his long dormant solo career, scoring a top 10 hit in 1981 with the lite-FM staple "Hearts," a song so chill it makes "Miracles" sound like "White Rabbit." Balin says of the song: "I wrote 'Miracles" about Barbara (his girlfriend at the time), and also about the miraculous powers of Sai Baba. Toly (later Toly Anderson after a marriage) provided lead vocals on Jefferson's Airplane's debut album in 1966. In the mid-1970s, when the Airplane regrouped as the more mainstream Jefferson Starship, Balin sang lead on such hits as "Miracles" (which he co-wrote), "With Your Love" and "Count On Me." I thought somebody should be doing something, so I jumped down and tried to break things up. Hall of Famer and co-vocalist of San Francisco psychedelic rock band also founded Jefferson Starship. This, Read More Ranking All the Tesla Studio AlbumsContinue, Ray Charles didnt earn the nickname The Genius for nothing. In addition, he enjoys belting out Wooly Bully in dive bars with his band, the Rounders. We want people who are really good.. While he wrote the first single from Jefferson Airplane's second album Surrealistic Pillow, Spencer departed the group in favor of Moby Grape. And people I would work with, they would yell at you and it got intense. Fellow Jefferson Airplane founding member Jorma Kaukonen said Friday that Balin had himself to blame at least partly for that, adding that the singer never liked to draw attention to himself. "And they were good at it because people were afraid of them." Balin left Jefferson Starship in 1978 and re-started his long dormant solo career, scoring a top 10 hit in 1981 with the lite-FM staple "Hearts," a song so chill it makes "Miracles" sound like "White Rabbit." The '60s ended on January 1, 1970, but some might say the spirit of the '60s ended in 1985, when Starship released "We Built This City." It was a period of cocaine theneverybody took cocaine. . Rachel Platten refused to talk politics when her "Fight Song" became the anthem for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, a decision she came to regret. Hes also written first-person accounts of performing the music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev on clarinet and singing Mozarts Requiem with world-class professionals. Four years later he returned to perform with Jefferson Starship, and left one last time in 2008. Jefferson Starship, Marty Balin. The singer brought charisma, high-register vocals, and a sense of menace to the band's songs, be it as a creepy guide through the Alice in Wonderland-referencing "White Rabbit" or the kitschy fun ov "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." I thought everybody [was] kind of an asshole, he said earlier this year. Comin Back to Me was later covered by Richie Havens and Rickie Lee Jones. He decided, following Joplins death that year, to adopt a healthier lifestyle and began practicing yoga and gave up drinking and drugs. There was Janis Joplin, but she had a blues thing and was already pretty famous. 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John Fogerty was not born on the bayou - he's from Berkeley, California. He recorded a few singles with some of Phil Spectors session musicians in the early 1960s before joining the folk group the Town Criers. It was a period of cocaine then.Everybody took cocaine. But because he'd signed a five-year management contract in 1965, Katz believed he was wrongfully terminated and thus entitled to a portion of the money generated by the band during the period he should've been managing them, particularly royalties for Takes Off and Surrealistic Pillow. He and Paul Kantner came together and like plutonium halves in areactor started a chain reaction that still affects many of us today. Andre 3000 played all the instruments on Outkast's "Hey Ya" except bass. I was really worried; nobody liked it. He was the leader of the band on that level. Each guy could perform on his own, which is what I was looking for when I put it together. He was an actor, known for Forrest Gump (1994), The Age of Adaline (2015) and Crank (2006). See, Paul Kantner had formed Jefferson Starship out of his solo album,Blows Against the Empire, and he saw it through several hit albums. . He wrote Count On Me and [my solo hits] Hearts and Atlanta Lady. And sometimes when I would play with my own band, when Starship wasnt on tour, I would go out and play with local bands and local guys, and Id sing some of those songs. A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs, If only you believe like I believe, baby, (If only you believe like I believe), Mjn Seifer from Not Listed For Personal Reason, England, Holly Knight ("The Best," "Love Is A Battlefield"). Jefferson Airplane also was a marquee name two years later at Woodstock, and subsequently at Altamont. The dark-eyed, baby-faced Mr. Balin was an ex-folk musician who formed the Airplane in 1965 and within two years was at the heart of a nationwide wave that briefly rivaled the Beatles influence and even helped inspire the Beatles Sgt. [David] Freiberg came up with the memorable signature organ riff that opens the song and Craig [Chaquico] with a fresh supply of delicious guitar sounds. Balin wrote the song "Comin' Back to Me" and co-wrote "Today" with Paul Kantner. In 1989, he participated in the short-lived Jefferson Airplane reunion tour and returned four years later to Jefferson Starship, finally leaving for good in 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nzzjwZGt6I. And despite its success, "We Built This City" is one of the most loathed songs in history. He played with the group at all of its most famous gigs, including the 1967 Human Be-In in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park, the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock and Altamont. It's also probably the only band to find success in three distinct eras, with three distinct styles, and with three different names. She was great. The cause of death . In this song, Marty Balin sounds like he is crazy for a lady and thinks their love is a miracle. Grace (Slick) also had her own kind of thing and she was popular. it was amazing 5.00 avg rating 1 rating published 2011. The San Francisco Sound was a psychedelic blend of blues, folk, rock and jazz and was the musical expression of the emerging hippie lifestyle. Balin.) Those festivals, of course, were the Monterey International Pop Music Festival in June 1967, Woodstock in August 1969, and the Altamont Free Concert in December 1969. However, one of the best tracks on the album was Young Girl Sunday Blues, which was co-written by Marty Balin and Kantner. If you catch Linda at a wedding be sure to check out the dance floor. DK: You eventually left Jefferson Airplane, and then a few years later you joined Jefferson Starship. So I kind of wrote that song, having the avatar in mind, and the idea of speaking to a woman, but speaking to a God actually. She began at a small local paper covering up and coming bands. Born Martin Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, he ended up in the Bay Area as his father, a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe, struggled to find work. And I found a guitarist, Paul Kantner, who played a 12-string that I wanted to have in the band. A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs. Andre 3000 played all the instruments on Outkast's "Hey Ya" except bass. I was on tour, and we played some of the Airplane songs live along with our new stuff, and it was fun. I would help arrange the song and pull it together. Whats the story behind this song? They met up with Kaukonen, Casady, drummer Skip Spence and singer Signe Toly Anderson, and cut their 1966 debut LP,Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. Your email address will not be published. The Australian band Jet took their name from the 1973 song of the same by Paul McCartney and Wings. Marty was the one who started the San Francisco scene, his onetime roommate Bill Thompson, manager the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, once said of Balin. He quickly wrote down some lyrics that were then used as the basis for the song, which features a guitar riff played by Kantner. So why did you originally leave, and then come back? The singer also released six singles as a solo artist. However, it dropped to number 471 when the list was revised in 2020. "[7], Commenting on the band's recording of "Miracles", Jeff Tamarkin wrote: "[Larry] Cox nailed the production -- there isn't a wasted, out of place note. It is a catchy rock sound that has a pounding beat. Marty Balin (backed by Slick Aguilar & Vic Smith) perform "Miracles" at the Ledson Hotel, Sonoma, California on March 15, 2008. [4] However, author Robert Yehling has written that Balin wrote the song in 30 minutes[5] or wrote the lyrics in 45 minutes. They developed a strong following around the budding San Francisco rock scene, but became nationwide superstars in 1967 when Anderson left the group and was replaced by Grace Slick. The whole night is me and if you dig it, cool, he told Relix in 2016. DK: While you were with Jefferson Starship, you sang on two other hits, Count On Me and Runaway, that were written by other songwriters. Although the band was compared to the Byrds at the time, Jefferson Airplane had their own distinctive sound, and Its No Secret set the tone for the style and sound of the music they would continue to produce for more than two decades. [7] This edit was done not only for length, but to remove the sexual reference in the line "I had a taste of the real world when I went down on you, girl. It was my trio, and we went around and played clubs. "[9], Reviewing a Balin solo concert in 1981, New York Times critic Stephen Holden referred to "Miracles" as Balin's "little masterpiece of pop pillow talk".[10]. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada", "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Hot 100)", "Jefferson Starship Chart History (Adult Contemporary)", Greatest Hits (Ten Years and Change 19791991), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miracles_(Jefferson_Starship_song)&oldid=1137654956, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. It was emblematic of the turbulent path San Franciscos Jefferson Airplane navigated in the 1960s and 70s that when the group showed up to play a 1969 festival that was supposed to be the West Coast version of Woodstock, founding member Marty Balin got knocked out cold. "[8] Cash Box said it is "a fine, well-orchestrated love ballad in the Airplane tradition" and "some of their most appealing, well-produced material in years. He was a good guy, he was a friendly guy, he just wasnt openly gregarious, Kaukonen said. While on the field at San Franciscos Candlestick Park in 1984 to sing the national anthem before a Giants game, Balin forgot some of the words, prompting fans to boo him. Balin provided lead vocals on each song. This must have been sweet vindication for Balin, who founded Jefferson Airplane but then drifted away from the group as it veered away from his musical vision. A new album, Jefferson Airplane, sputtered out on the album chart at #84, and that was that. At the latter gig, Balin was brutally beaten by the Hells Angels after he dived into the audience to help an audience member in distress. Mr. Balin was married twice, most recently to Susan Joy Finkelstein, and had three children. Marty Balin - lead and backing vocals Grace Slick - backing vocals Paul Kantner - backing vocals, rhythm guitar Craig Chaquico - lead guitar, backing vocals Papa John Creach - electric violin David Freiberg - organ, backing vocals Pete Sears - bass, electric piano, backing vocals John Barbata - drums, percussion, backing vocals Additional personnel Our main thing was that we wanted to be original. Yet as Slicks commanding voice and onstage presence helped lift the bands profile, it simultaneously reduced Balins profile. (Spence would leave after the first album and was replaced by Spencer Dryden). The Airplane was on that kind of trip. And Fat Angel, Blues From An Airplanestuff like that. At their height both bands were among the hottest in America. Here's a look back at the long, strange trip of Jefferson Starship (or whatever you want to call it). Slick, noticing that the nurse was wearing a crucifix necklace, blurted out, "'God. ', Super Mario Bros. 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And thatwas a problem for Kantner. So how did Jefferson Starship eventually morph into the extraordinarily '80s pop band Starship? White Rabbit was widely considered an anthem to LSD, and caused many pop radio programmers to steer clear of subsequent Airplane singles. One generation got old / One generation got soul / This generation got no destination to hold. The bands performance of Volunteers at Woodstock in among their most recognizable. That title goes to Jerry Peloquin, who, according to All Music, came to the attention of band starter Marty Balin when he was dating a woman who was friends with Balin's girlfriend. "Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous. Despite Come Up the Years not charting as a single, Jefferson Airplane fans still rate it as one of the bands best singles. For Runaway, the harmonica player I worked with in the band, Bodacious, gave me this song (written by Nicholas Q. Dewey) and I dug it. The plot involved hippies who steal a government spaceship and fly off to start a utopian society on another planet. In our opinion, "Miracles" was easily the band's best song they ever released under the Jefferson Starship name. Balin now sounded like a lounge singer ."[2], Philip Dodd, in The Book of Rock: From the 1950s to Today, described "Miracles" as "magnificent".[15]. Balin was inspired to write the song after he heard a Volunteers of America donation truck outside in the street. I loved his changes, so I just played them on guitar and came up with that melody and the words and had another song. It was in 1978 that Balin left Jefferson Starship (although he reunited in 1989 with the original Jefferson Airplane members for an album & tour). How so? He was previously married to Karen Teresa Deal, Victoria Ann Martin and Susan Joy Finkelstein. Over the next three years, they enjoyed four Top 20 hits with "Miracles" (1975), "With Your Love" (1976), "Count On Me" (1978) and "Runaway" (1978). He was 76. But by 1978, Balin grew tired of touring, especially since Slicks alcohol issues caused many uneven performances, and he left the group for a solo career. That's pretty weird, man.' In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind.". Marty Balins voice on the track is bare and pure, with a backing track of guitar riffs and very little percussion. The nurse, curious if Slick was serious, asked the rock star to repeat the name. This list may not reflect . As far as rocks elder statesmen go, Marty Balin (pictured above, at left), who died Sept. 27 at age 76,was one of its rarest birds. It's hard to imagine any version of the band getting anywhere without Slick, which is odd because she wasn't anywhere near its first singer. For me, being backstage or on the side, or maybe sitting in the second row right in front, it was cool. About Miracles "Miracles" is a song written by Marty Balin and originally recorded by Jefferson Starship, appearing on its 1975 album Red Octopus. However, the medic cleared Slick to perform that night, but she opted not to, and the band canceled its show in Wiesbaden, West Germany. But some of the chemicals made people crazy and very selfish, and it just wasnt any fun to be around for me. Balin: I had heard this Indian chanting and singing, and I found out it was this avatar called Sathya Sai Baba from India. It was such an ugly incident (and a public relations nightmare) that Paul Kantner asked Slick for her resignation. Day-long (or weekend-long) outdoor concerts with multiple stages showcasing dozens of bands, like Coachella or Bumbershoot, originated in the late 1960s with three big events that both defined their cultural era and were historically significant for other reasons. The classic film Gimme Shelter, centered on the ill-fated Altamont concert from 1969, showed Mr. Balin getting knocked out on stage by the Hells Angels. I said, Wow man, whos that? And Paul said, Oh thats Jorma Kaukonen; he teaches guitar upstairs. As a member of Jefferson Starship, Balin released 11 studio albums and 22 singles. Even though Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady" was the first US #1 with the word "disco" in its title, it wasn't a disco tune. And Id tell the keyboard player [what I had in mind]. His intense commitment to song and music, it just never abated.. We will all miss you!!! Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. He died while en route to a hospital, spokesman Ryan Romenesko said. Thought at first to be food poisoning, a doctor diagnosed a far more serious ailment appendicitis. And I just loved that idea. And then of course, Otis slays the place. I went to Puttaparti with Barbara and saw Sai Baba. Their 1966 debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off quickly found a national audience, in part due to enthusiastic reviews from San Francisco Chronicle critic Ralph Gleason, and sold more than 500,000 copies to qualify for gold sales status. Balin co-wrote She Has Funny Cars with Jorma Kaukonen, Jefferson Airplanes lead guitarist, and it is the opening track from the album Surrealistic Pillow. The track begins with a drum solo followed by an impressive guitar riff before Marty Balin begins the lead vocals and is then joined by Grace Slick. According to UPI, Superior Court Judge Ollie Marie-Victoire dismissed the case before it was set to go to trial, ruling that Katz wasn't due any royalties. A year later, the group signed with RCA Records and released the folk-rock album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, for which Mr. Balin wrote or co-wrote eight songs. Only drummer Spencer Dryden sat out the reunion, so the band hired John Mellencamp's drummer Kenny Aronoff. [4] According to Jeff Tamarkin's book Got a Revolution! After Janis Joplin's drug-related death, he quit drugs and not coincidentally left the band he started in 1971. The Airplane was the breakout act among such San Francisco-based artists as the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin, many of whom played early shows at the Matrix, a ballroom Mr. Balin helped run and for which the Airplane served as house band. He had been in show business well before the Airplane. As she held the newborn in the aftermath and afterglow, a nurse came into Slick's hospital room, "holding a framed certificate that looked like a high school diploma." Today from 1967s Surrealistic Pillow. A great songwriter and singer who loved life and music. by | Apr 20, 2022 | learning resources jumbo zoo animals | Apr 20, 2022 | learning resources jumbo zoo animals I always thought it was Graces. For a while that hurt my feelings, but theres nothing I can do about it.. Its simplicity was one of the things that make this song great, and it is unusual as there is a glockenspiel solo. Marty BalinMiracles / Composer. So I couldnt imagine any of them wanting to sing with me. Who did Marty Balin wrote miracles for? Hes really good. Then I said, Paul, thats what we want (laughs). 13 on Billboards national album sales chart, helped along by the success of the title track, another Balin song. We journeyed through the South Indian desert to the village; the song emerged from that darshan, that experience." On tour, and it was a singer, songwriter, and had three.... Which became the spacey Jefferson Starship, which is what I had in mind ] the track bare. Leader of the best tracks on the album were written by Slick Kantner! His rocker side on this track Havens and Rickie Lee Jones live along with our new stuff and. So I couldnt imagine any of them wanting to sing with me ; RIP Marty Balin has died at 76... 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It is a miracle on our latest interviews, who did marty balin wrote miracles for and added songs to check the. The South Indian desert to the band, someone hit him from and.