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Women Who Rock
Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyonce. Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl. | Evelyn McDonnell
52 posts | 1 read | 24 to read
A stellar and unprecedented celebration of 104 musical artists, WOMEN WHO ROCK is the most complete, up-to-date history of the evolution, influence, and importance of women in music. A gorgeous gift book, it includes a stunning, specially commissioned, full-color illustrated portrait of every musician and group. From Bessie Smith and The Supremes to Joan Baez, Madonna, Beyonce, Amy Winehouse, Dolly Parton, Sleater-Kinney, Taylor Swift, and scores more, women have played an essential and undeniable role in the evolution of popular music including blues, rock and roll, country, folk, glam rock, punk, and hip hop. Today, in a world traditionally dominated by male artists, women have a stronger influence on popular music than ever before. Yet, not since the late nineteen-nineties has there been a major work that acknowledges and pays tribute to the female artists who have contributed to, defined, and continue to make inroads in music. In WOMEN WHO ROCK, writer and professor of journalism Evelyn McDonnell leads a team of women rock writers and pundits in an all-out celebration of 104 of the greatest female musicians. Organized chronologically, the book profiles each artist and places her in the context of both her genre and the musical world at large. Sidebars throughout recall key moments that shaped both the trajectory of music and how those moments influenced or were influenced by women artists. With full-color illustrated portraits by women artists, WOMEN WHO ROCK will be THE long-awaited gift book for every music fan, feminist, and female rocker, young and old musicians.
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kspenmoll
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Too many women musicians to name, but here are some:
Lucinda Williams (pictured),Allison Krause,Alicia Keys,Bonnie Raitt, Carole King,Feist, Whitney Houston,Sheryl Crow, Lady Gaga, Joni Mitchell,Ella Fitzgerald,Chaka Khan, Dione Warwick,Taylor Swift,The Pointer Sisters, etc.
#winterreadathon #winterreadathondailychallenge #womenrockday #womensingerssongwriters #womenmusicians #Jan3

Andrew65 Some great choices. 1y
57 likes1 comment
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EadieB
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#WomanWhoRock #WinterReadathonDailyChallenge

1435 pts

Here are my women who rock!

Andrew65 Some great choices. 1y
EadieB @Andrew65 Thanks! 1y
DieAReader 💜🎶 1y
43 likes3 comments
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alisonrose
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1. Sarah Waters, Thrity Umrigar, Toni Morrison
2. Diane Nash—she was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement but of course she got much less notice and acclaim than the men. But she is a fucking badass!
3. Shakesville isn‘t an active blog anymore but it has years and years of incisive, brilliant feminist commentary and content to read through, as well as tons of cute pet pics
4. Hmmm...Montessori Services, the company I work for! 😊
#friyayintro

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Weaponxgirl
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I haven‘t done one of these for ages! So here is the amazing grace jones!
I remember my first time seeing her was in a James Bond movie as a small kid and being both intimidated and in love with her at the same time.
Just another amazing musician from this collection.

Weaponxgirl As a bonus her memoir is available on scribd and I‘m sure it‘s a riot 4y
SW-T Grace!!! 4y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I love her so much! 4y
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Weaponxgirl
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And here we have the iconic Joan jet!
Another woman I looked up to as a child and wanted to be like, a trailblazer in her time who helped pave the way for more women in music and rock.

SW-T Yes! Love love love Joan! 🤗 She‘s always been one to do things her way, not cave to pressure. 5y
readordierachel 😍😍😍 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T yup, she is wonderful! 5y
ephemeralwaltz Yesss! 5y
57 likes5 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Debbie Harry today and isn‘t she just great!
I once had a conversation with a guy who when I said how much I loved Patti Smith told me he preferred blondie because Debbie Harry was hotter. My fury at diminishing both women‘s talents was great. She‘s so much more than just a beautiful woman, she has amazing songs and a amazing voice who pushed boundaries and mixed up genres constantly.

readingjedi My first girl crush! 😍 5y
SW-T She was rapping on Rapture before rap music took off! 5y
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Weaponxgirl @SW-T I know! That‘s exactly what I was thinking about! 5y
MaureenMc When I was 6-8 years old, Blondie was my band! I wanted to be Debbie Harry when I grew up. 😄 5y
Weaponxgirl @MaureenMc not a bad ambition 5y
MaureenMc @Weaponxgirl True! I became a lawyer instead. Definitely should have stuck with Debbie Harry. 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Its heart this time.
I didn‘t really know them much before but scored 3 of their albums at the car boot on Sunday and have been listening to them happily since.
They must have been an inspiration to so many people who wanted to be in a band.

readordierachel Great image! Love them. 5y
MaureenMc Love Heart! Ann Wilson‘s voice is perfection. 5y
SW-T Ann and Nancy are awesome 😎 So glad you found three of their albums to enjoy! 5y
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Weaponxgirl @readordierachel I‘m a big fan now! 5y
Weaponxgirl @MaureenMc it is! ❤️ 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I have a new vinyl dealer and he is the best. He saw that I was going crazy on the female artists and helped me pick out some other stuff I‘d never heard before and thoroughly approved of these as part of my choices. 5y
SW-T Happy happy joy joy! Your vinyl dealer sounds amazing! It‘s nice when you have someone who knows your tastes because they‘ll keep an eye out for stuff you like and can make great recommendations as they get to know you. Plus you have a trusted source. Win-win! 5y
63 likes7 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Wasn‘t around yesterday due to Eurovision and I‘ll say getting up for a carboot this morning was hellish but I have had the biggest vinyl haul today.
The other day I said I would be looking out for Donna summer because of the tagged book and look what I found!
I couldn‘t take a picture of everything but I also got Rita Coolidge, heart, Grace Jones, Grace slick, Cher, heart, Whitney Houston plus more.

Weaponxgirl Seriously this book is very damaging to your wallet but it‘s amazing to read whilst listening to all these amazing female singers. 5y
DivineDiana How fantastic! 👏🏻🎼📚 5y
Weaponxgirl @DivineDiana it‘s my fave thing to do on a Sunday now, going through Litsy with amazing music on 5y
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa Definitely stacking this book! 5y
Weaponxgirl @Riveted_Reader_Melissa I love it so much! It‘s a bad influence on me though 5y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Haha! I (or my sister, don‘t remember who‘s it was) had A Love Trilogy, back in the day!! Great album! Enjoy! (edited) 5y
Weaponxgirl @JanuarieTimewalker13 just listened to it and yup, loved it! 5y
Leftcoastzen Nice! 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Patti Smith! A personal obsession here, she is just so effortlessly cool.
Her memoirs are amazing and she‘s kind of someone I love so much I find it hard to talk about, I kinda just gush and grin inanely instead.

Theaelizabet Love her! M Train was a best read for me. Just Kids is still on my TBR. 5y
Weaponxgirl The audiobook of just kids is read by her and amazing! 5y
SW-T Confession time. My husband is the Patti fan. Every album, every book, and he‘s seen her perform live as well. He keeps trying to get me to read her so perhaps someday. He also likes 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T if you like poetry I‘d say you would like her book. It comes through in the writing style and I felt was better written than a lot of memoirs by celebrities. I liked that Kim Gordon book too. Some harsh burns directed towards Courtney love I remember. 5y
SW-T @Weaponxgirl Hmmm. I do like poetry. Perhaps I‘ll give Patti a try. Currently reading and enjoying 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Firstly this illustration is just so damn beautiful!
Today it‘s Donna summer and this book enlightened me to the fact that she was way more than just disco. Something that I‘ve noticed that happens to women musicians is they get pigeonholed into “less serious” genres like pop or in this case disco. That‘s what they are known for and the rest of their output is outright ignored and they don‘t get taken seriously as artists.

Weaponxgirl I had no idea that Donna didn‘t just make disco music and wrote and co wrote her own songs. Tbh, I‘m pissed that I have to search out this sort of information from books like this whilst male artists are lauded for their creativity and ability to be chameleons all the damn time. 5y
Weaponxgirl Anyway, feminist rant for the day over and obviously I‘m gonna search out more music from her and hope for a find at a carboot sale. 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Hello Stevie nicks I knew I‘d meet you in this book at some point.
Fleetwood Mac are one of those bands that people always put on whenever I tell them to play what they want from my record collection and it‘s always guaranteed to get people singing along.
Her voice, those lyrics I love it all.
Also didn‘t we all have a witchy dressing like Stevie phase? (I still indulge in it occasionally)

SW-T 😊😊😊 5y
UwannaPublishme I loved her Bella Donna album. Got to see Fleetwood Mac in concert when I was in college. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 5y
Weaponxgirl @UwannaPublishme you lucky sod! I bet that was amazing! 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Someone I know today! Emmylou harris.
I didn‘t hear about her properly until I heard about the supergroup she was in with Dolly Parton called trio ages ago. This resulted in me searching her out.
Another good pick from this book but this particular essay didn‘t leave me dying to know more like some of the others did. I will of course still search out more information than I already know

Kaye https://youtu.be/Hi5A9OCAyIk. Beautiful song in tribute to Emmy Lou, in case you haven‘t seen it yet. 5y
CarolynM Love her stuff with Gram Parsons and I'm mad about Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake It's Morning that she sang on. (edited) 5y
SW-T Old school country, folk, and bluegrass 😊 Think she founded an animal shelter too. 5y
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Weaponxgirl @Kaye thankyou! 5y
Weaponxgirl @CarolynM she is great 😊 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T ohhh, that‘s interesting to hear! Thanks as always 5y
UwannaPublishme I love all of these posts. You keep reminding me of the many concerts I‘ve been to way back when...including Emmylou‘s! 🙌🏻 5y
Weaponxgirl @UwannaPublishme yay, I‘m so glad people are still liking these! I bet that was a great concert! 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Chaka Khan today.
Someone where I know some of her songs but knew absolutely nothing about her life or any of her lesser well known songs.
Yup, yet another artist I have to look into a bit more closely. My vinyl collection is growing at a ridiculous pace because of this book

SW-T “I feel for you.” Chaka‘s AWESOME! “We can work it out” because it would be “disrespectful” not to see “eye to eye” on this one😉😊💕 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T well played! 😆 5y
SW-T Thanks! Tips 🎩😄 5y
47 likes3 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Suzi Quatro! Didn‘t realise until reading the essay that she was better know in Europe than America for a while.
I love her music, will just put in for a solo loud sing along.
I found a signed copy of her memoir in a charity shop ages ago so I suppose I should read that soon along with the other books on my ever growing list.

SW-T I only know her name because my husband used to have one of her albums. Think it was given to a friend when we moved. She‘s got pipes! 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T wait, I know someone better than you? 😳😝 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T she‘s good fun to listen and sing along to, I remember my mum liked her and as a kid I was quite happy to sing and dance along. My mum would not though let me have a leather catsuit and I wasn‘t sure why. 5y
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SW-T @Weaponxgirl Yep! You‘re the expert 😆 Not sure why your mum wouldn‘t let you have a leather catsuit🤣🤣🤣 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T nope, I thought I‘d look like both a super hero and Quatro and really couldn‘t understand her thinking 😆 5y
SW-T @Weaponxgirl 🤣🤣🤣 5y
44 likes6 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Woah, this is exactly why I read these books.
I have never heard of Betty Davis before but she sounds amazing!
Defiantly being herself in her music and on stage and always refusing to turn it down when asked by her rock label.
I think I‘ve found a new person to be obsessed with.

SW-T One of my cousins used to play Anti-Love Song nonstop! And that artwork is so her! 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I feel like I need you to come round and play me music. You seem to know them all 😁 5y
SW-T 🤣🤣🤣My family and friends are all into music so I was lucky to be exposed to a lot of different styles and artists. You never knew if you‘d be listening to salsa, bossa nova, polka, rap, folk, or bluegrass. Plus, pretty sure I‘m older than you, so I‘ve had more time to to be exposed. 😊 5y
59 likes3 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Yet another artist where I know the name but not the music very well. Bonnie Raitte, and yet again I want to know more and will keep my eyes open during carboot season.

AlaMich I love Bonnie Raitt! “I Can‘t Make You Love Me” is one of the saddest songs I know. 😢 5y
SW-T Something to Talk About is still my favorite Bonnie Raitt song 😊 5y
readordierachel I grew up listening to Bonnie. One of my mom's favorites 💕 5y
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Weaponxgirl @AlaMich @SW-T @readordierachel she‘s high up the list of stuff I‘m keeping a eye out for with such great recommendations 5y
TieDyeDude She's amazing! Check out Slipstream (new) or Luck of the Draw (classic) 5y
Suet624 A wonderful artist. 5y
54 likes6 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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June millington from the band fanny. One of the first all female rock groups who are not well known enough imo.

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Weaponxgirl
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Not technically book related but it‘s carboot season here again in the uk!
I had never heard about these artists but these records were 50p each and the tagged book had been making me want to listen to more artists I don‘t know. Was excited when I got home to see that they are both jazz artists!

Leftcoastzen Kay Starr was so popular in the 1950s. 5y
Leftcoastzen Wheel of Fortune & Rock and Roll waltz were 2 45s my folks had 5y
SW-T 😊😊😊 5y
Lynnsoprano Kay Starr I recognize and remember my mom listening to her recordings. Don‘t know Gloria Lynne, but love the title song. Singing jazz is so much fun, and I love listening to those iconic artists. 5y
48 likes4 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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This voice! Karen Carpenter, whilst I find a lot of the carpenters songs themselves a bit too twee for my personal tastes I have a lot of carpenters records because no one sounds anything like Karen carpenter.
Her skills as a singer and drummer are often overshadowed by a lot of the sadness that was in her life. Bad relationships and a eating disorder that killed her in the end (still something not taken seriously enough)

Weaponxgirl I like to imagine the wonderful songs we would have gotten if she had gotten the support she needed. 5y
SW-T @Weaponxgirl Yes, I‘ve wondered the same. 5y
Bookwomble @Weaponxgirl Like you, I find the Carpenters a bit too bland, but Karen did have an amazingly emotive voice which is very easy to listen to. 5y
64 likes3 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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LInda Ronstadt today. I‘m not very familiar with country music but I know her from trio and like what I hear.
Illustration by Lindsay bailey

JanuarieTimewalker13 Ha! Dl‘d “ when will I be loved” recently!! 5y
SW-T She did rock, country, light opera, folk, and I think some other stuff. I want to say mariachi but not positive. Great vocal range. Know she won awards but always felt she was underrated. 5y
UwannaPublishme Linda! 🙌🏻 I wore out her Simple Dreams album by playing it so much. 5y
58 likes3 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Winnie t frick again for this illustration.
Patti Labelle!
Wonderful voice, wonderful cook and wonderful person. 🖤

SW-T “So if diva means giving your best, then yes, I guess I am a diva.”~ Patti LaBelle I say Patti can call herself whatever she wants! She‘s earned it ❤️ 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T hell yeah! Besides diva isn‘t a bad term when someone has earned it! I tend to only use it as a compliment 5y
64 likes2 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Yoko Ono illustrated by Julie Winegard.
She is the quintessential archetype of a woman who is creative and individual who got swallowed up by people just connecting her with the man she was in love with. She has been vilified and held responsible for another‘s actions in a sickening way.
Yet she‘s still standing and never stopped being creative despite everything people threw at her.
This is someone I respect so much.

MicheleinPhilly Sandra Oh posted a lovely tribute to her on IG the other day. 5y
Weaponxgirl @MicheleinPhilly thanks! I‘ll have a look for it. 5y
MaureenMc Dar Williams has an excellent song called “I Won‘t Be Your Yoko Ono,” definitely more sympathetic to Ono. “ I wonder if Yoko Ono ever thought of staying solo... if she doubted John Lennon, worrying that he‘d distract her art.” 5y
SW-T 🙂❤️🙂 5y
55 likes4 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Illustration by Winnie t frick .
The gtos, a name I know but don‘t know much about them at all.
The sort of group that sounds like it could be brilliantly subversive, a band of groupies working with frank zappa to sing their own story.
Anyone have any opinions on them and if I should be researching them as extensively as I have been the other entries?

SW-T Honestly, I‘d say no, but that‘s just me. They only did one album though; maybe your library would have a copy? Rod Stewart sang on one of their tracks and I think Davy Jones wrote a song. They don‘t do much for me so admittedly I‘m biased 🙄 (edited) 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T that was the vibe I was getting but I didn‘t want to be mean and just brush them off outta hand. If the description had been a bunch of groupies got pissed off and started their own band rather than they were put together by a man I think I would have been more interested. (edited) 5y
HardcoverHearts I‘ve always felt like these were very young girls who were exploring freedom (sexual and general) under the protection, so to speak, of Frank Zappa. When you read Pamela DesBarres autobiography, she sees herself as liberated and self defining. Though she will admit to problematic relationships. I think it‘s a very interesting question regarding context- how differently would it be thought of if it wasn‘t rock and roll and LA? 5y
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HardcoverHearts As a music group- absolutely not. But as institutions in the LA scene, they were relevant and many bands saw their ascent based on if they were important enough to get the attention of these girls. Strange times. 5y
Weaponxgirl @HardcoverHearts I‘m reading this at the moment and I‘m only a few chapters in and loving her voice and hearing things from her point of view. The Pamela Desbarres is on my radar, have any other recommendations? And the context was what I was wondering about , this particular essay didn‘t give me personally enough to go on. 5y
HardcoverHearts @Weaponxgirl - I think her work is going to give you a good history and her POV. 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Illustration by Anne muntges.
Joni Mitchell, just another absolute classic. ❤️

sarahbarnes ❤️❤️❤️ 5y
Emilymdxn Joni Mitchell is one of the best songwriters ever, I love her so much! Amelia still gives me chills, its one of the songs I‘ve played most in the whole world probably! 5y
Weaponxgirl @Emilymdxn she is! I don‘t really know what to say with some of these artists. 5y
Cathythoughts Love Joni always 👍🏻✨✨✨✨♥️ 5y
55 likes4 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Lindsey Bailey is the artist for this entry.
After reading this essay this is an artist I‘m kinda ashamed I know nothing about. Mavis staples.
Long career , civil rights activist, seems like a badass all round.
Another going on the list.

CarolynM Great voice too🙂 5y
Weaponxgirl @CarolynM thanks for the heads up 😁 this book is showing me how much I don‘t know folk or gospel music. 5y
SW-T OMG! Mavis ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Bob Dylan used to have a thing for her when she was singing with her family as part of The Staple Singers. You‘re in for such a treat! 😄 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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Picture here is by Julie winegard
Dolly! This is someone I have always loved (see what I did there?) but who I didn‘t fully appreciate until I was older.
Who doesn‘t love dolly, she just fully embodies being herself and not giving two damns about what anyone else thinks about her.
Also her wit and charm is almost incomparable to anyone else.
Another love from this book. There are numerous books about dolly anyone have any favourites?

Birdsong28 Also she runs a charity that provides free books to children. 😁📚📖 5y
SW-T @Birdsong28 She‘s given so many away it‘s mind blowing! Also a huge employer through Dollywood. Amazing woman 🤗 5y
SW-T Favs are probably Dolly on Dolly (Parton), Smart Blonde (Miller), and (edited) 5y
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Weaponxgirl @Birdsong28 @SW-T it‘s amazing isn‘t it! It was also mentioned in the essay about her. 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T thankyou! I knew you‘d come through with the books, hadn‘t seen the one you tagged and it is now on the very long list 5y
Cathythoughts I‘ve never read a book about Dolly ... but I love her 😍. Plus my favorite aunt growing up was called Dolly .... she was a seamstress with an old peddle worked singer ... & ... made intricate gowns for my dolls ... 😍✨✨✨✨ (edited) 5y
Weaponxgirl @Cathythoughts that‘s such a lovely memory to have! ❤️ 5y
SW-T 🤣🤣Welcome! Occasionally my reading habit pays off! 😉 5y
47 likes8 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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I‘ve been forgetting to say who did the illustrations in this book. This is by Winnie t frick.
Cher! Please forgive me for when I was a pretentious teenager and was dismissive of your powers because I thought that rock was the only genre that mattered (don‘t we all cringe at some of our teenage opinions?)
A icon! What else needs to be said really?

SW-T I am so loving these posts! 💕😊🎵 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T thanks! I can‘t believe I missed a trick and didn‘t say if I could turn back time for this post! 😫 that‘ll teach me for posting when tired 5y
54 likes2 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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This is someone who you will have heard their work and not realised it‘s them.
Carol Kaye is a session bassist who has worked on so many songs, a lot in the 60s when session musicians weren‘t credited.
She was really respected as a musician by people like Brian Wilson and helped create the iconic sound of pet sounds by the beach boys.
Any great bassist should know and love her.

squirrelbrain Did you watch the BBC4 documentaries recently about Guitar, Drum and Bass? I bet you‘d like them... The bass one was presented by Tina Weymouth #womenwhorock. They‘ll be on iplayer I‘m sure, just called On Bass..., On Guitar etc... 5y
Weaponxgirl @squirrelbrain yes I did and you right, I loved that series! 😊 5y
squirrelbrain 😁👍 🎸 5y
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Leftcoastzen There is a documentary about the studio musicians called The Wrecking Crew. 5y
Weaponxgirl @Leftcoastzen I saw that and I found a book by the same name about them too. 5y
Weaponxgirl @Leftcoastzen as in I saw that there was a documentary. * 5y
SW-T I think she and Janice-Marie Johnson (A Taste of Honey) often get discounted but if you listen to them...wow! They can play the heck out of a bass guitar! There‘s an old series on YouTube you might like: Ladies Behind the Beat.TV Of course, that means reading even more bios and memoirs about amazing musicians 🤣🤣🤣 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T thankyou, I love those kind of shows! I was watching one on the making of pet sounds last night and just waiting for her to show up and they had nothing but praise for her of course. I think it‘s that kind of year for the bios and memoirs and I‘m ok with that! 5y
56 likes8 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Janis Joplin today 😍
I love the movement caught in this picture so much it looks like she‘s about to be break out into song spontaneously.
Her voice is one I love, gravelly and raw emotion.
Someone I already have on vinyl so my wallet gets a lil break with this one.

Carolyn11215 Ohhh Janis. One of my all-time fave female singers. Such passion! 5y
SW-T 😊😊😊 5y
39 likes2 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Not someone I know this time. Laura nyro.
From the essay I‘m now interested in knowing more.

Leftcoastzen I love her! Many of her songs were made popular by other artists.example:Blood,Sweat and Tears ,When I Die,Wedding Bell Blues by 5th Dimension.I love it when she‘s singing her great songs. 5y
Weaponxgirl @Leftcoastzen that‘s what it said in the essay! I‘m finding it interesting to see where my blind spots are. If you love her that‘s a good recommendation for me. 5y
Leftcoastzen Her voice is unusual in some way I can‘t put my finger on .It soars. 5y
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rubyslippersreads Barbra Streisand recorded a lot of her songs too. 5y
SW-T Interesting. I‘m familiar with the groups who sang her songs, but not with her. I‘ll have to check her out. 5y
batsy I love her too! I discovered her music when I was obsessed with Fiona Apple and it was said that her music bears Nyro's influence 💜 5y
Weaponxgirl @Leftcoastzen that‘s a lovely description ❤️ 5y
Weaponxgirl @rubyslippersreads I will need to look these all up! 5y
Weaponxgirl @batsy Fiona apple is someone I do know! I need to look her up now! 5y
45 likes9 comments
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Weaponxgirl
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Grace slick, the front woman of Jefferson airplane. Firstly I love this illustration so much and she is someone I didn‘t know much about as a person.
Damn I love a rebellious and socially conscious rockstar! I‘m now on the hunt for her memoir and more of her music to add to my vinyl collection.

Ericalambbrown What a cool sounding book! I will have to fine this 📚 5y
Weaponxgirl @Ericalambbrown I‘m really loving it! I love finding new to me artists or finding out more about people who I knew of but nothing about. I‘m debating getting a print copy of this too. 5y
Ericalambbrown @Weaponxgirl It looks like a print version would be worth it for the pictures alone! This one of Grace Slick is gorgeous. 5y
Weaponxgirl @Ericalambbrown I know! It‘s just the eternal problem of rearranging bookshelves to fit it in that is putting me off. 😂 my flat is very small. 5y
Ericalambbrown I understand! 🤣 it‘s only been in the last two years that I‘ve had room to indulge my book habit. 5y
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Weaponxgirl
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I need to be honest in that Marianne Faithfull is someone I knew of but didn‘t know. She suffered from the links to a famous man and declared a fashion icon so the rest of her got lost to me.
After watching a documentary about her on iplayer last night and reading this entry I am so sorry I had never paid any real attention to her before!
This is exactly why I read these types of books, I‘m searching her out from now on.

SW-T I‘m more aware of her for acting than singing. I‘ll have to check out her music. Thanks for these posts! 😊 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I knew she was an actress but haven‘t seen anything she‘s in. Just someone bombing just underneath my radar. 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I think this book will keep me busy for the year! I could burn my way through it but I like taking my time and seeing what others know about them and the conversations that keep coming up. 5y
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Dusty Springfield! I can‘t even begin to describe how much I love this woman! For me her and Aretha are the artists I adore the most.
My best friend has put dusty on in the past to wake me up when I‘m flagging.
The essay on her in this book is good but I want to insist on reading a biography about her. She is complicated in the very best way. A wonderful voice and person that I‘m sad I never had the chance to see perform.

Chrissyreadit ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Son of A Preacher Man is one of my all time favorite songs in the entire world 🙌🙌🙌 5y
Weaponxgirl @Chrissyreadit yes! Aretha decided to record it apparently after hearing the dusty version. ❤️ my friends sometimes tell me to shut up with random dusty facts. I have so many about her songs and life. (edited) 5y
TrishB The first album I was brought aged 8 was Dusty as I always used to put my mum‘s on. When I got my own record player for my birthday I got my own copy ❤️ wonderful voice. 5y
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Weaponxgirl @TrishB that‘s so lovely! 🥰 yes, one of the most distinctive voices around. 5y
batsy I love her 💜 5y
Nute I love this post! 5y
youneverarrived Love her 🖤 5y
Weaponxgirl @Nute thanks! I could gush about her forever 5y
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Diana Ross! I have a Diana and the supremes vinyl that is my ultimate go to when I need to perk up the mood. How can you go wrong with her?
What can I say other than another legend from this book.

GingerAntics What‘s not to love with Diana Ross?! 5y
Weaponxgirl @GingerAntics absolutely nothing that I can see. Reminds me I need to watch dreamgirls 5y
SW-T LOL! Its My House was on my playlist this morning ❤️ 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T she is a diva in the best kind of way! 5y
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Ronnie Spector 😍
Love what we have from her musically but another woman who was screwed over by Phil Spector. He refused to release the ronettes music when they were tipped to become even bigger.
She has a memoir that I need to read yet again.

SW-T Phil forced her to retire after they got married. Glad she started recording again after their divorce. That voice! 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I know! I just really didn‘t want to make the post about how much of a shit he was to her. Glad she recorded again too but it‘s a pity she couldn‘t capitalise on the momentum they had going at the time. She‘s an icon. 5y
SW-T That she is 😊 5y
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Not a name I knew before, Darlene Love. Why didn‘t I know her name? That would be because of Phil Spector being a dickhead that‘s why. She didn‘t get credit for her own work whilst working with him. yet they named some songs in the book and I was like oh yea I know that.
She has a memoir and yet again it‘s added to my list. I‘m so glad this book is highlighting women like this in this book.

suzisteffen @Weaponxgirl Have you seen the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom? You will know Darlene Love‘s name! (The movie made me about as furious as this book surely will.) 5y
Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen this book only has short pieces on each artist but it did mention that documentary and yup it‘s gone on my must watch list! It‘s great though to rediscover (for me at least) lots of amazing artists and give them pride of place in my listening and reading pile. 5y
Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen but it‘s awful that a lot of these bloody talented women aren‘t better known already! 5y
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Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen next up in the book is Ronnie Spector so expect more Phil Spector hate from me. 5y
SW-T I love her! Not a late night tv person, but I‘d watch David Letterman‘s Christmas show to see her perform. They did it til he retired and went off the air. 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I‘m getting the distinct impression that you have excellent taste in music! David letterman wasn‘t really a thing here that I can remember, maybe another reason her name wasn‘t familiar to me. 5y
SW-T @Weaponxgirl LOL! I listen to a lot of different things. My musical tastes, like my reading, is quite eclectic 😊 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I‘m exactly the same, I have some things I‘m more drawn to than others but overall it‘s quite a mixture 5y
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You had better respect this queen!
She is my favourite vocalist of all time! I can‘t even begin to describe how much I love this woman and her music.
She had to be in this book obviously and her death was one that hit me hard.

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Next up it‘s simply the best Tina Turner! I would recommend anyone looking up more about her and realising what a strong ass woman and inspiration she is.
That gravelly voice is so uniquely her, another artist I already knew about and loved. 🖤

Cinfhen 🙌🏻💜 5y
Birdsong28 Have you heard about this book 5y
Weaponxgirl @Birdsong28 yes! I really want to read it. 5y
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Next up Celia Cruz. I don‘t know this artist well but I‘m certainly going to be looking her up now.
I love how this book doesn‘t stick to one genre of music and is helping me expand my tastes and knowledge.

mreads I love these images and hearing about the women 5y
Weaponxgirl @mreads I‘m glad, it‘s a really diverse selection of women and musical genres. Literally the only problem is my wallet is taking a pounding with new music purchases with me trying to fill in the gaps of my music collection. 5y
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We all knew Carole kind had to be in this book didn‘t we?
Tapestry is an album I can play again and again and never grow bored of. She is an amazing songwriter and there‘s a good chance a lot of your favourite artists song were written by her. ❤️

Weaponxgirl She has also written a memoir for those interested 5y
Kimberlone Such a perfect album 5y
Cinfhen I saw the Broadway show BEAUTIFUL this past summer~ it‘s the Carole King story and WOW!!!! I didn‘t realize the scope of her songs! So amazing 🤩 5y
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Weaponxgirl @Kimberlone it is 😊 5y
Weaponxgirl @Cinfhen I would love to see that! 5y
Bookzombie There is a documentary called The Troubadour that is really good. It‘s about the club, but covers a lot King‘s and James Taylor‘s music and lives. That was when I realized how much of King‘s music I knew and enjoyed. @Kimberlone @Cinfhen @Weaponxgirl Also, I enjoyed her memoir (listened to it), but thought it could have been edited a bit more. 5y
Kimberlone @Bookzombie yes I‘ve seen the documentary it is also fabulous. I should check out her memoir though! She has an amazing story starting out in Tin Pan Alley writing songs for people like Aretha Franklin 5y
Weaponxgirl @Bookzombie I haven‘t heard about that documentary, thankyou! I can‘t even remember how I found out about her and the influence she had on the music world. 5y
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Next up in this book is the wonderful Joan Baez. Folk singer and activist of the best kind. Dylan would be nothing without her.

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The tagged book inspired these purchases, wish I wasn‘t working tonight. #booksandvinyl

kyraleseberg Alabama Shakes 😍🙌 5y
Weaponxgirl @kyraleseberg I‘m so excited to get a night off to listen to this 🖤 5y
Bertha_Mason You're in for such a treat! X-Ray Spex are a treasure. 5y
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SW-T Alabama Shakes! That‘s a good CD 😊 (edited) 5y
RebelGrrrl I adore that book, it was kind of a life changing book for me tbh! Also the music picks are A+ 🎶 ❤ 5y
Weaponxgirl @Bertha_Mason I know 😍 I‘ve been eyeing the vinyl for ages and this book just pushed me over the edge of must purchase. 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I love their whole vibe 😁 5y
Weaponxgirl @RebelGrrrl I‘m loving this book and taking my time with it, then looking at how much it‘s gonna cost to improve my collection. The final goal is to have a collection of mostly women artists that I love and that is super varied. I want at least one record from all the artists mentioned eventually 5y
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This is someone I didn‘t know much about but is now on my must listen to list. Odetta. I really love this illustration ❤️

SW-T LOVE Odetta! Her version of Gallows Tree is amazing and my all time favorite rendition of that song. 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T I can‘t believe she flew under my radar! Maybe it‘s a less well known in Britain thing? Either way I‘m now determined to get some for my vinyl collection. 5y
SW-T I think it‘s because she‘s considered a folk singer, and most folks probably think of Baez or Dylan if they‘re familiar with folk music at all. Happy vinyl shopping! 5y
Weaponxgirl @SW-T you just said who‘s up next in the book, my element of surprise is gone! 😆I have the album bookmarked for when I ect get paid. This book is not good for my wallet but it‘s great for my music collection and education! 5y
SW-T 😂😂😂 5y
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Nina Simone 😍
She is just an artist I will talk about loving for hours at a time.

mreads I think there's a documentary on Netflix too, of the same name, I've not watched it yet 5y
Weaponxgirl @mreads it‘s really good and based on this book. I haven‘t read the book yet 😊 5y
alisiakae I love her music. And the Netflix doc, I didn‘t realize it was based on a book! 5y
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Patsy cline!
She was gone too soon and a great country singer. All these short essays are adding to my must read biographies list.

Tamra I‘m not even a country fan, but she could sing! 5y
Weaponxgirl @Tamra I‘m literally only a country fan in a I like these few country artists way. 5y
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Kaye Talent 5y
MaureenMc 🙌 I love Patsy Cline! 5y
Weaponxgirl @kaye she really was! 5y
Weaponxgirl @MaureenMc me too! I‘m loving all these ladies that are being profiled in this book. 5y
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Wanda Jackson 😍
If you love rockabilly then you should know this lovely lady who pushed a few boundaries and jammed with Elvis.

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Hello big mama Thornton! The first singer of hound dog which was covered by Elvis and her version is just so raw and perfect for a breakup playlist to help you get your angry groove to.
Another one I somehow don‘t have on vinyl 😭
Another great entry in this book, I‘m quite enjoying taking my time with this one

SW-T Love Big Mama Thornton! ❤️ 5y
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First #24in48 challenge and a super sweet but simple dedication

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Next up in the book, Mahalia jackson. This is someone I don‘t have any on vinyl for but now I want some!
Slightly disappointed she didn‘t get a whole page devoted to her picture like the others did but I‘m still in love with this book

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Next up in the tagged book is the amazing sister Rosetta Tharpe. A gospel singer who basically invented rock and roll but was only recently inducted into the hall of fame.
Look her up on YouTube for an amazing performance in the uk! One of the compliments she used to get was she plays guitar like a man 😒.
Another true trailblazer and now my list of bios I want to read is growing longer.

suzisteffen SISTER ROSETTA, we all bow down before you. Wish you could‘ve won that in your lifetime. 5y
Weaponxgirl @suzisteffen amen to that! 5y
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