The Girl Singer
Female singers in Popular Music since the 1950s
Books
Bayton, Mavis (1998): Frock Rock (Oxford, OUP) Garr, Gillian, G (1992): She's a Rebel
(Washington) McClary, Susan (1991): Feminine endings, music,
gender, and sexuality (Minnieapolis: Minnesota University Press)
Reynolds, Simon and Press, Joy (1995): The Sex Revolts: Gender, Rebellion and Rock'n'roll London, Serpent's Tail)
The Message
That the trajectory of women in popular music - as singers, song writers, instrumentalists, DJs, producers and commercial directors/company owners - has mirrored and in some ways led the way towards equality of opportunity in Western Society.
Because popular music pervades modern life the images and messages about gender in popular music matter in the world of sexual politics.
1950s Female singers of Jazz and R&B
1. Heritage of great Jazz singers - Bessie Smith, Billy Holliday. Film
of Billie Holliday 2. 50s saw solo performers
(e.g.Peggy Lee) give way to girl-singer groups both black and
white. E.g. Bobbets, Chantelles, Shirelles
1960s and the formula Once a winning formula had been identified it
was repeated in subsequent singles until the hits ended. (Shirelles)
Shangri Las and Crystals - White teenage angst - Example of Shangri Las - Leader of the pack
Manufactured bands with no control (Ronettes).
Svengali producers (Phil Spector). Recording label held all the cards. Singers in tradition of chanteurs - to be sexy,
look pretty and do as they were told.
Supremes – Diana Ross
Back to solo singers
Case of Supremes and the promotion of Diana Ross - Video
Brassy soulful white singers using black singing styles - Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Cilla Black –
Ex. Dusty Springfield.
Talkin `Bout a Revolution
Female singers become empowered Aretha Franklin - Respect (1967) A clarion for
female rights The Case of Tina Turner Joan Baez Mama Cass Janis Joplin Carole King
You don’t own me – Leslie Gore 1964
Women’s Liberation
Helen Reddy - Hear my Prayer. The impact of feminism.
Olivia Records - female owned recording company
Girl groups begin to come back - The Deadly Nightshades, Svelts
Gay Beginnings - Redwood Records Case of Karen Carpenter
Diverse Directions
Female Singer Songwriters - Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Carly Simon - play Carole King and Joni Mitchell
British female Singer Songwriters and the folk connection
Black singer songwriters - Joan Armatrading, Tracy Chapman
Carole King
Pre-Punk
Suzi Quattro and the break-through into metal
Experimentalism and Yoko Ono - underground art scene
Patti Smith and US scene
Punk Liberation
All girl groups - Slits, Penetration, Delta 5, B-52s
Performers - X-Ray Specs, Siouxsie, Toyah Wilcox, Hazel O’Connor
Punk influenced rock/pop lead fronted by a distinctive female singer - Pretenders, Blondie
Post Punk - Girls in Control
Go Gos - all girl band Laurie Anderson - mixing pop with art
music Individualist female singers - Kate Bush,
Annie Lennox, Girls in rock - Pat Benata,
The 70s and dance
US all girl disco groups - e.g. Sister Sledge,
Donna Summer European disco and ABBA
Donna Summer
The 80s and the girls on top
The Madonna phenomena - dance based singers with huge video potential
The influence of MTV Eurythmics and gender play KD Lang and the gay angle
Madonna
90s phenomenas
Bjork The all girl `manufactured’ band with
attitude - Spice Girls, All Saints, Destiny’s Child
Multi Media personalities and `R&B’
Spice Girls – 1990s Cologne