This week marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, five days of fighting between New York City police and patrons of the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall was a gay bar, and in 1969 gay bars were illegal. In fact, it was illegal for bartenders to serve any gay men gathered in a group, no matter what king of bar they were in. Raids were commonplace and arrests and beatings were standard - it was dangerous to be gay. This time was different - the patrons fought back, and fought for five days.
What happened on June 28, 1969 that was different? There's an urban legend that the death of Judy Garland several days earlier sparked the riot, but the truth seems to be much more complex than mourning Dorothy. Read some of the original documents and decide for yourself here. I tend to think the gay community of 1969 NYC had reached a Tipping Point, a moment in time where they just literally were not going to take it anymore, and in the grand American tradition of the Boston Tea Party, had a good old fashioned freak out. I might also point out the counter-cultural movement of the late sixties, encompassing the Vietnam war protestors, civil rights workers, and women's liberation movement, no doubt had some impact on the Stonewall patrons. In any event, what happened that day was remembered one year later in a march to the door of Stonewall - what was essentially the first gay pride parade. Today, most American cities hold their GLBT pride parades in late June to commemorate the anniversary. Chicago's parade is Sunday June 29th at noon, starting at the corner of Halsted and Belmont.
In recognition of the men and women of Stonewall, and in celebration of GLBT folks everywhere, we at the Women On Women Music Program wish you a very happy pride weekend. Though the battles are far from done, as Amy Ray illustrates in this song below, its nice to take an afternoon and celebrate how far the GLBT movement has come!
In our first post, we mentioned our intention to profile notable women in the history of rock and roll. Our radio show, after all, was originally formed to focus on female musicians who we felt were underrepresented on the airwaves, and whom our listeners may not have had the opportunity to hear elsewhere. With the advent of this blog, then, we felt it only natural to expand on that motivation. In our new feature, "Bands You Should Know," we will be bringing you mini-bios of some of the show's core artists: female musicians who are particularly noteworthy or groundbreaking, bands that we feel have injustly slipped through the cracks into obscurity, and/or just our personal favorite ladies in the industry. I'd like to start off this feature with a look at one of the first all-female rock and roll bands: Goldie & the Gingerbreads.
Born in the era of girl groups, American band Goldie & the Gingerbreads stood out for one very important reason: they played their own instruments. In fact, the Gingerbreads were the first all-female rock band signed to a major label (Atlantic subsidiary Atco), and the first to have any sort of chart success. While other girl groups and female artists had already gained popularity within rock and roll and made an impact on the charts, these women were primarily, if not exclusively, singers. Furthermore, their backing bands were nearly always 100% male. With Goldie Zelkowitz on vocals, Carol MacDonald on guitar, Margo Lewis on organ, and Ginger Bianco on drums, the Gingerbreads were nothing short of groundbreaking. At the same time, however, they were something of a novelty in the male-dominated music industry. MacDonald readily acknowledges this fact: "'We didn't think anything of it,' she says. 'We got more jobs because they were exploiting the hell out of us. All Girl Band! They'd do the whole thing, tits and ass. And we didn't care. We were happy because we knew we could play, and we were knocking the socks off most of the male bands. And the guys couldn't believe it. They'd start laughing, and then they'd walk out crying'" (Garr 59). In fact, the Gingerbreads toured with some of the biggest male rock acts of the time: the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, and the Hollies, to name but a few. They even had a hit in England with the song "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat," which was later a hit in the U.S. for Herman's Hermits.
Their success, however, was limited, and their enjoyment of fame tempered by Atlantic's manipulation of their public image. Before MacDonald joined the Gingerbreads, she recorded solo for Atlantic under the name Carol Shaw. "'They wanted me to be Lesley Gore,' she says. 'My first record, "Jimmy Boy," was that type of thing. So they give me this image, and I'm not happy. I'm not playing guitar, number one, and I'm not doing my own music" (Garr 58). Her annoyance only increased when, a few years later, the Gingerbreads were asked to record "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat." "'I hated the song,' says MacDonald. 'We're doing stuff like "Harlem Shuffle," and then they give us this "Every time I see you... dee da dee de dee." Eeeow! I said, "Goldie! What are we doing?" She said, "We gotta do what they say!" It's like we had to do everything they said or we were not going to be successful'" (Garr 60).
Still, the band engaged in their own small rebellions against the prevalent negative stereotypes of female musicians. Goldie recalls, "'We'd walk into a club with all our instruments and you could see the owner going "Oh my God, these broads? They know how to play? They really know how to play?" We'd set up and have a sound check and play totally out of tune, and I would sing the wrong lyrics. And the guy'd be chewing on his cigar going "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" And by the time we went on and counted off the song, we were cookin'. You could see the cigar drop and the guy had a heart attack... We had fun with this'" (Garr 59).
Ultimately, however, Goldie and the Gingerbreads folded due to misappropriation of finances by their management, the pressures of relentless touring, and the disappointment of never breaking big in the States. Goldie went on to become Genya Ravan and front Ten Wheel Drive (who reportedly turned down a spot at Woodstock), and later produced the Dead Boys' debut record. Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco went on to form the influential jazz/funk band Isis, which later also included Margo Lewis and original Gingerbreads' pianist Carol O'Grady. While the Gingerbreads may not have found the widespread acceptance or acclaim they craved, by the mere fact of their existence they nonetheless fought the rigidly institutionalized sexism that limited women in the music industry at the time, and paved the way for future all-girl bands to be taken seriously.
Check out "Walking In Different Circles," by Goldie & the Gingerbreads, from 1967:
Works Cited: Garr, Gillian G. She's A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll (expanded second edition). New York: Seal, 2002.
We are the ladies of the Women on Women Music Program, formerly a weekly radio show on WLUW in Chicago and now a blog. The radio program showcased the best of women in all genres of music, "putting the broad back in broadcasting" since its inception in 2001, and we strive to continue that ethic with our blog. We feel that women as a whole are underrepresented in the traditionally male-dominated music industry, and take pride in focusing on female musicians you might not hear elsewhere on the dial or on the web. WOW also brings you feminist news and politics, information about local shows and events, and of course, fabulously witty commentary on whatever else happens to tickle our fancy.
, a moment in time where they just literally were not going to take it anymore, and in the grand American tradition of the Boston Tea Party, had a good old fashioned freak out. I might also point out the counter-cultural movement of the late sixties, encompassing the Vietnam war protestors, civil rights workers, and women's liberation movement, no doubt had some impact on the Stonewall patrons. In any event, what happened that day was remembered one year later in a march to the door of Stonewall - what was essentially the first gay pride parade. Today, most American cities hold their GLBT pride parades in late June to commemorate the anniversary. Chicago's parade is Sunday June 29th at noon, starting at the corner of Halsted and Belmont.
