In the early 1970s, the Internet as we know it didn’t exist. But people back then were just as fascinated by scandalous celebrity baby names as they are today.
For example, in 1971, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner, both of the band Jefferson Airplane, welcomed a baby girl. Grace told the press that her daughter’s name was “god” with a small g:
“It’s a small ‘g’ because with a name like that you have to show some humility.”
The story was widely reported…but it wasn’t true. It was a rumor that Grace herself had concocted and started spreading well before the birth.
The baby’s real name was China.
China Kantner had a brief acting career, including a recurring role on the TV sitcom Home Improvement in the late ’90s as character Willow Wilson. In one episode Willow says, “My full name is Willow Branch Leaf Wilson. But I pruned it back.”
Sources:
- Home Improvement s07e06 Episode Script
- “Singer says her daughter’s real name is god.” Windsor Star 1 Feb. 1971: 10.
- Tamarkin, Jeff. Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane. New York: Atria Books, 2003.