Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders)
Ohio-born Hynde moved to Europe in the mid 70's and joined several bands before she struck gold the The Pretenders. She sang in a band called The Frenchies, played guitar in a band called Masters of the Backside (later known as The Damned) (!!!), joined the Johnny Moped Band and right before the formation of The Pretenders, played guitar in The Moors Murderers.
Debbie Harry (Blondie)
I just found out she used to be a waitress at Dunkin' Donuts... this is my kinda gal. She also used to be a Playboy Bunny. In the 60's she sang in a folk pop band called Wind in the Willows - it took me YEARS to find a copy of their record! Click that link to hear them and see the cover, you'll see a pre-blond Deb! Right before Blondie formed, her and Chris (Stein) (Blondie's guitarist/Debbie's boyfriend), started a female-fronted group called The Stilettos. Debbie and Chris then formed BLONDIE. Thank goodness! Blondie's 2-CD compilation Platinum Collection has some amazing early Blondie songs that never made it to vinyl... such a shame because they are GREAT songs:
Suzi Quatro
Before she became the most badass woman of ALL TIME, she played bass in a rad all-girl band in the 60's called The Pleasure Seekers with her sister Patti (who went on to form Fanny). Pssst! Check out the latest Ugly Things for a really interesting Pleasure Seekers article.
Charlotte Caffey (The Go-Go's)
Before she joined one of the most successful girl groups of all time, Charlotte played bass in LA punk band The Eyes. She sang on the song below... soooo rad...
Annie Lennox (Eurythmics)
A few years before the Euythmics formed, Annie sang in a poppy new wave band called The Tourists. They released a few albums, but I don't think they had much mainstream success in America...
Carole King
I consider Carole one of the greatest female songwriters of all-time. She recorded a few cute pop songs in the 60's before she really made it big as a solo artist in the 70's... I LOVE this song!!!
Tammy Terrell
Before this gorgeous lady was singing duets with Marvin Gaye, she was known as Tammy Montgomery and singing alongside James Brown... no biggie. This track is hellaaaa rare on vinyl, but if you can find it: BUY IT. AND PLAY IT. A LOT.
Nice post.
ReplyDeleteYou could probably add a little one about Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's and the Germs:
"...In April 1977 the band added Lorna Doom (Teresa Ryan) on bass, with transitional member "Dottie Danger" on drums, later famous as Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's. Carlisle never actually played with the band, owing to her being sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis for an extended period, and she was replaced by her friend Donna Rhia, real name: Becky Barton, who played three gigs and recorded their first single. Carlisle remained a friend and helper of the band throughout (she can be heard introducing the band on the Germicide: Live At The Whiskey recording, as produced by Kim Fowley), only leaving because her new band, the Go-Go's was becoming popular..."
[Source = Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germs_%28band%29 ]
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI found this blog finding some info about The Banana Erectors and... the idea is so cool!
I Always loved the girl groups, from The Ronettes to Betty Blowtorch. I think that one girl makes the sound... more magic, with another dimension...
Greetings from Spain! (and sorry for my poor english) Rock On!
I think Suzi Quatro looked really cute in her lovely outfit and she's so handsome, love her!
ReplyDelete