Women In Rock Part 1

Women In Rock

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Its a simple fact the music industry has been, and probably still is, a male dominated industry. Women with guitars prior to 1977 and even then were seen as a novelty; an angle; as something not entirely serious. Women were seen as adoring fans, as wholesome pop models, as singer songwriters.

Firstly prior to 77 how many women were there in any form of rock ? The trouble was that rock has been always created on man's terms and women have struggled to compete on those terms. To see why we have to paint broad brush strokes in the history of music. How many women composers were there ? How many Women jazz greats who played an instrument were there ? Then compare how many women jazz singers like Billie Holiday. Production writing managing playing were all traditional male preserves. Even now production and record bosses are predominantly male. Instrumentalists, session musicians are predominantly male. Any walk of entertainment be it films or script writing or TV is still essentially male based. Christ Ally McBeal was written by a man.

Why has music been so male ?? I can only assume that most rock bands come from sweaty pubs and clubs , bastions of maleness and of paying the traditional dues. Where you learnt your licks on a never ending treadmill of Chuck Berry and 12 bar. Where you shagged your woman got drunk took drugs and moved on to the next town girl etc etc. Where your manager (male) would take you on tour with a bigger band (male) . being a women musician meant not competing on male terms of musicianship but as a novelty act not to be taken seriously. Marianne Faithful talks of going on tour as a package with Roy Orbison in the early sixties and it being his right to fuck her which he duly did !!! Jesus what times were these ???

Its no wonder that women artists found it hard to survive in rock . There was no tradition or outlet for women in music except singing. Is it any suprise that female major artists throughout the last 60 years have been predominantly singers. Singing is the one thing you can do without a band (males) and which of course you can do anywhere ( gospel singing etc). Prior to the Beatles and their ilk songs were predominantly written by predominantly male songwriters. People didn't write their own songs. In the late sixties/seventies there was a boom in women singer songwriters like Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Joan Baez. Yet as we said before for other singers like in Motown these singers were singing songs written for them by men As a singer you don't need a band or amplification. You can practice any time . Likewise as a singer songwriter you and your guitar are all you need. But there is only so much you can say like this and expressing anger with a acoustic guitar kinda lacks punch. At the same time you may be able to sing but you need a band (male) and you need a song (male) so they got you there again. Your producer will most likely be male as will your manager as will the record company.

Billie Holiday

Carole King

Joni Mitchell



You couldn't have dreamt it up but the only two girl bands of note prior to the late seventies were The Shaggs and Fanny. In England 'to shag' is to fuck and fanny is a slang word for a woman's vagina. The Shaggs were viewed at the time as a novelty act...... Fanny were a different story. They had it all to do. They were a genuine all female band who made albums and didn't play on their sex. however media attention was constantly focused on their sex and by 1975 with dwindling sales they they succumbed to the sex sell. None were an influence on later UK punk bands.

The mystical power or rock that made Stiv Bators appear attractive to the opposite sex.

In the late sixties and early seventies where bands, became grotesque money making machines ,woman were seen as groupies to satisfy the all conquering bands like the Stones and Zeppelin and hosts of others. Was the 'free love ethic' that was preached liberation, or a license for the boys to shag as many as women as possible ? After the boys had had a hard nights rockin' where were the little ladies ? Women were seen as the relievers of the boys sexual wants. As bands became wealthy beyond their means women were used like harems. To say this was all one way traffic though is to be a little harsh. Rock 'n' Roll (or even politics and any fame) imbues the dopey male with mystical powers of girl pulling that is inexplicable ie Buddy Holly ?! Stiv Bators ?!. But girls fall for it.

Jagger let's it all hang out for the girls