Women in Rock

by Desiree McKnight

Out of tune, screaming, ranting and raving. Punk music hit the scene hard and changed music forever. Women found a spot where they could get their voices heard. Women struggled for years to be taken seriously as artists instead of just groupies. Rock music was a mans world.

When rock music first appeared women were just the groupies1. Their job was to follow the bands around and party with them afterwards. It was all about sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. When women first tried to make an appearance as artists in this genre they were used as back up vocals. If they were given a shot at being lead vocals it was to a male band (like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts).

Women were not thought of as band members. The only thing they were good at doing, besides follow a group, was sing. Women could not start a band without men. They needed the men to play the instruments, write the songs or produce them2.

In the sixties a group called the Ronettes emerged. Their group consisted of three female vocal artists. Their biggest single was “Be My Baby”3.

The Ronettes http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-ronettes/bio/

Their voices, “embodied the range of youthful, romantic yearnings from ecstasy to sadness,”4 which was how women were portrayed. Trying to play an instrument or sing with a hard raspy voice was hard for women to do and be taken seriously. Men usually wrote the songs, played the instruments, recorded the music and produced it5. Where could women go to be heard and taken seriously?

One of the first all women record labels was introduced in 1973, it was called Olivia Records. It was run by a collaboration of women. It was viewed as a lesbian feminist record label. No one really big came from it but the idea was great.

Another record label that came out about the same time was Redwood Records. It was created by a woman named Holly Near. She recorded and produced a lot of her own stuff, but didn't let men tell her what to do. She was also known for being an women's activist.

In the mid 1970's to early 1980's punk music started to hit the scene and all-women groups started to be known. In 1975 The Runaways hit it hard. The 80's was the first time the Billboards saw “all-female bands and female-fronted rock bands,” with Joan Jett hitting number three in 1982. In that same year The Go Go's were at number twenty-five6.

The Runaways http://therunaways.com/

The Go Go's http://musicboomerstyle.art.officelive.com/TheGoGos.aspx

The punk scene played a huge role in women's rock because punk is where women's voices debuted. It where what they thought and wanted to say was said, and heard7. When punk emerged neither men or women knew what they were doing. It was a new ball-park. No one knew what they were playing, it was out of tune and had a “fuck off” sort of sound to it.

Joan Jett saw this as a good time to get into the scene. With help of a male producer she got an all womens rock band put together. Their goal was to rock the world. Their first song to really hit the scene was “Cherry Bomb.”

Can't stay at home, can't stay at school
Old folks say, ya poor little fool
Down the street I'm the girl next door
I'm the fox you've been waiting for

*Hello Daddy, hello Mom
I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb
Hello world I'm your wild girl
I'm your ch ch ch ch ch cherry bomb

Stone age love and strange sounds too
Come on baby let me get to you
Bad nights cause'n teenage blues
Get down ladies you've got nothing to lose

*repeat

Hey street boy whats your style
Your dead end dreams don't make you smile
I'll give ya something to live for
Have ya, grab ya til your sore

*repeat

For their first few shows they were booed off stage. They had things thrown at them and made fun of. This is a picture of Cherie Currie flipping off the crown who is booing them and throwing things at them. They had a fuck you type of attitude.

It didn't take long for them to be taken seriously as a rock band. Here is a picture of them at a show and they are not being booed off stage, they are rockin hard! They never let the crowd rule them, they always just kept on playing and didn't care what people thought.

Another band that attempted to make it somewhere were the Shaggs. They had a bit of a hard time making it anywhere, partially because they are terrible (in my opinion). It was three girls who played their own instruments and had a good time while doing it. Their name means “to fuck”.8

Essentially, when punk hit the scene there was a clean slate. It was a type of music that was untouched. No one knew they rules so therefore it was open game. The men couldn't judge the women and the women couldn't judge the men. They even learned a little from each other and made it easier for bands to emerge as coed.9

I think that women had a hard time proving themselves as artists. In my opinion they went through more hell then men did. When men started rocking out it was just seen as young men being rebellious but when women tried to it was trashy and they were defying their gender role. I say rock on women! Play that music harder and harder

1Http:www.punk77.cco.uk/group/womeninrockpart1.hhtm
2Same as above
3Http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-ronettes/bio/
4Same as above
5Http:www.punk77.cco.uk/group/womeninrockpart1.hhtm
6Rock Chicks: The Hottest Female Rockers from the 1960's to Now
7Review/Music; Female Artists' Tribute to Record Company
8Http:www.punk77.cco.uk/group/womeninrockpart1.hhtm
9Women in Rock