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77-569: The Woodentops are a British rock band that enjoyed critical acclaim and moderate popularity in the mid-1980s. The band formed in 1983 in South London with an initial lineup of Rolo McGinty (vocals, guitar, formerly of the Wild Swans and the Jazz Butcher ), Simon Mawby (guitar), Alice Thompson (keyboards), Frank DeFreitas (bass guitar) and Benny Staples replacing Paul Hookham (drums). After

154-609: A second drummer playing a separate full drumkit, such as Adam and the Ants from 1980 onwards, although other formations can also be expanded using two drummers such as Pink Fairies (1970–1971), the Glitter Band , Wizzard , Sigue Sigue Sputnik , Add N to (X) , and Rialto . Other times, the vocalist brings another musical "voice" to the table, most commonly a harmonica or percussion; Mick Jagger , for example, plays harmonica and percussion instruments such as maracas and tambourine in

231-450: A synth bass line. Two-member pop music bands such as Soft Cell , Blancmange , and Yazoo used programmed sequencers. Other pop bands from the 1980s, who were ostensibly fronted by two performers, such as Wham! , Eurythmics , and Tears for Fears , were not actually two-piece ensembles, because other instrumental musicians were used "behind the scenes" to fill out the sound. Modern bands that use this format include Ninja Sex Party . In

308-479: A Broken Heart " from their self-titled debut album , making Vixen erroneously a one-hit wonder, although their next hit, a cover of Jeff Paris 's "Cryin'", charted even higher in both Britain and the US. The band folded again in the early 1990s following musical differences, but reformed twice more in their history. Maxine Petrucci also joined Vixen, albeit as a touring bass guitarist, after her sister invited her in 1998 until

385-555: A Lion and the Dresden Dolls both feature a keyboardist and a drummer. Ratatat comprises a two-guitar band that uses a drum machine for beats. W.A.S.P. guitarist Doug Blair is also known for his work in the two-piece progressive rock band Signal2Noise, where he acts as the lead guitarist and bassist at the same time, due to a special custom instrument he invented (an electric guitar with five regular guitar strings paired with three bass guitar strings). Heisenflei of Los Angeles duo

462-543: A band are Arcade Fire and the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros . More rarely, rock or pop groups are accompanied in concerts by a full or partial symphony orchestra, where lush string-orchestra arrangements are used to flesh out the sound of slow ballads. Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca started doing performances in the late 1970s with orchestras consisting of 10 to 100 (Branca) and even 400 guitars. Some groups have

539-490: A bassist and a drummer, such as in the bands Radiohead , Pearl Jam , and the Byrds . Some five-person bands feature two guitarists, a keyboardist, a bassist, and a drummer, with one or more of these musicians (typically one of the guitarists) handling lead vocals on top of their instrument (examples being Children of Bodom , Styx , Tally Hall , The Cars and White Reaper ). The four-piece arrangement can be augmented to five with

616-511: A debut single, "Plenty" on Food Records in 1984, which received a glowing review from Morrissey in Melody Maker , they signed to the independent label Rough Trade Records , releasing a series of singles in 1985 and their debut album Giant in 1986. Generally well-received by critics, the album's sound was characterised by acoustic guitars, but also featured accordion , marimba , strings and trumpet sounds. The album reached No. 35 on

693-556: A drummer (e.g. Van Halen , The Who , Red Hot Chili Peppers , Led Zeppelin , and U2 . Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios. In some bands, the guitarist could also be an occasional keyboardist, like The Who, the Smiths , and Joy Division . Some bands have a keyboardist instead of a guitarist, like Bastille and Future Islands . In some rock bands, bassists could be occasional keyboardists like Led Zeppelin and R.E.M. Keyboardists are used in place of bass, performing with

770-695: A drummer (e.g. the Who , the Monkees , Led Zeppelin and U2 ). Sometimes, in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a keyboardist (especially a pianist) plays. Additionally, rock and pop bands can also include boy bands or girl bands , which many times have bands where the members do not play any instruments but sing and dance instead. Such is the case of Menudo , the Spice Girls and K-pop bands, for example. The usage of band as "group of musicians" originated from 1659 to describe musicians attached to

847-508: A drummer, a bassist, two custom percussionists, a turntablist , and a sampler. Brazilian band Titãs , currently a three-man band, had as many as eight members in the late 1980s, with three lead singers, two guitarists, bassist, keyboard player, and drummer. In larger groups (such as the Band ), instrumentalists could play multiple instruments, which enabled the ensemble to create a wider variety of instrument combinations. More modern examples of such

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924-436: A drummer, and a keyboardist. Although organ trios are most commonly associated with 1950s and 1960s jazz organ trio groups such as those led by organist Jimmy Smith , organ trios also exist in rock-oriented styles, such as jazz-rock fusion and Grateful Dead –influenced jam bands , for instance Medeski Martin & Wood . In organ trios, the keyboard player typically plays a Hammond organ or similar instrument, which permits

1001-602: A drummer, and typically one or more of these musicians also sing (sometimes all three members sing, e.g. the Bee Gees or Alkaline Trio ). Some well-known power trios with the guitarist on lead vocals are the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Green Day , Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble , Nirvana , and Muse . A handful of others with the bassist on vocals include Thin Lizzy (from 1970 to 1974), Primus , Rush , Motörhead ,

1078-402: A flautist. An example of a six-member rock band is Toto with a lead vocalist, guitarist, bassist, two keyboard players, and drummer. Other examples include Australian band INXS and American Blondie ; both consist of a lead vocalist, two guitarists, a keyboard player, a bassist, and a drummer. The American heavy-metal band Slipknot is composed of nine members, with a vocalist, two guitarists,

1155-509: A four-piece 1984–1995), NOFX, Skillet, or even the lead guitarist, such as Dire Straits , Megadeth , Weezer , and Creedence Clearwater Revival . Some bands, such as the Beatles, have a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist, and a bassist that all sing lead and backing vocals, with those three playing and composing on keyboards regularly, as well as a drummer. Others, such as the Four Seasons , have

1232-533: A guitarist, singer, and drummer, for instance the Doors . Some bands have a guitarist, keyboard player, bassist, and drummer, for example Talking Heads , the Small Faces , and Pink Floyd . Some bands have the lead vocalists that are also the pianist and keyboardist such as Queen and Coldplay . Some bands have the bassist on lead vocals, such as Thin Lizzy (a four-piece from 1974 onwards), Pink Floyd, Motörhead (as

1309-399: A large number of members who all play the same instrument, such as guitar, keyboard, horns, or strings. Women have a high prominence in many popular music styles as singers. However, professional women instrumentalists are uncommon in popular music, especially in rock genres such as heavy metal . "[P]laying in a band is largely a male homosocial activity, that is, learning to play in a band

1386-442: A lead vocalist, a lead guitarist, a keyboard player, and a bassist, with the drummer not being a member of the band. Five-piece bands have existed in rock music since the development of the genre. Aerosmith , AC/DC , Def Leppard and Oasis are examples of the common lineup of vocalist, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums. An alternative lineup replaces the rhythm guitarist with a keyboard–synthesizer player (examples being

1463-457: A performing band in the late 1960s; by the time they had disbanded in 1975 their first album Philosophy of the World had caught the attention of Frank Zappa and by 1980, NRBQ arranged for it to have a wide release. The Shaggs, particularly in their early years, were noted for their inability to adhere to basic norms of popular music (their drummer, Helen Wiggin, often found herself detached from

1540-512: A regiment of the army and playing instruments which may be used while marching. This word also used in 1931 to describe "one man band" for people who plays several musical instruments simultaneously. Two-member rock and pop bands (such as the White Stripes , Tenacious D , the Black Keys , Twenty One Pilots , and Royal Blood ) are relatively rare because of the difficulty in providing all of

1617-408: A related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guitarists (a lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist, with one of them singing lead vocals), a bassist, and a drummer (e.g. the Beatles and KISS ). Another common formation is a vocalist who does not play an instrument, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and

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1694-468: A self-confident "bad girl" attitude at times, always willing to challenge assumptions about how an all-female band should behave. Courtney Love described the other females in Hole as using a more "lunar viewpoint" in their roles as musicians. In the 1990s, riot grrrl became the genre associated with bands such as Bratmobile and Bikini Kill . Other punk bands, such as Spitboy , have been less comfortable with

1771-445: A singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader". According to Auslander, she was "kicking down the male door in rock and roll and proving that a female musician  ... and this is a point I am extremely concerned about ... could play as well if not better than the boys". Many bands maintain different but consistent lineups for studio recording vs. live performances. Toxic Holocaust , for instance, consisted entirely of

1848-416: A single member within the recording studio for the first 10 years of their existence but still toured as a band with supplementary members on stage. For decades Genesis maintained two consistent lineups: Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins in the studio with Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer always additionally appearing as band members in live performances. All-female band In

1925-449: A society with gender equality would not describe types of musical groups based on the gender of their members. Prominent bands who have adopted this viewpoint include American pop rock trio Haim , and Australian alternative rock trio Camp Cope . All-female bands are not restricted to the mainstream genres. The British/Australian string quartet Bond play classical crossover (first and second violin , viola , and cello ) and sing

2002-518: A string of dates across Europe. In 2014 they released Granular Tales , their first album of new music since 1988's Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway . Ten years later, they self-released another album of new music, Fruits of the Deep , which they supported with a limited UK tour. Present lineup Rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or

2079-627: Is Cyntia , who are believed to have been the first of the movement to join a major record label when they signed to Victor Entertainment in 2013. Other bands include Mary's Blood , Fate Gear , and Lovebites , the last of which won the 2018 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band. Another example of all-female band is the Brazilian death metal band Crypta , formed 2019 in São Paulo. They released their first album titled Echoes of The Soul through Napalm Records in 2021. Crypta performed at

2156-679: Is largely a peer-based... experience, shaped by existing sex-segregated friendship networks. As well, rock music "...is often defined as a form of male rebellion vis-à-vis female bedroom culture." In popular music, a gendered "distinction between public (male) and private (female) participation" in music has existed. "[S]everal scholars have argued that men exclude women from bands or from the bands' rehearsals, recordings, performances, and other social activities." "Women are mainly regarded as passive and private consumers of allegedly slick, prefabricated – hence, inferior – pop music..., excluding them from participating as high-status rock musicians." One of

2233-879: The Jazz Age and during the 1930s, "all-girl" bands such as the Blue Belles, the Parisian Redheads (later the Bricktops), Lil-Hardin 's All-Girl Band, the Ingenues , the Harlem Playgirls led by the likes of Neliska Ann Briscoe and Eddie Crump, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm , Phil Spitalny 's Musical Sweethearts, "Helen Lewis and Her All-Girl Jazz Syncopators" as well as "Helen Lewis and her Rhythm Queens were popular. Dozens of early sound films were made of

2310-570: The Melodears , from 1934 to 1939. Eunice Westmoreland, under the name Rita Rio, led an all-girl band appearing on NBC Radio and in short subjects for Vitaphone and RKO before changing her career to acting and her professional name to Dona Drake , appearing in numerous 1940s movies. Ivy Benson 's "All Girls Band" was the BBC 's resident dance band in 1943 and toured until the 1980s. All-girl bands active in vaudeville, variety shows, and early sound films during

2387-601: The UK Albums Chart . A single from the album, "Good Thing", reached No. 7 on the UK Indie Chart . The band then became more experimental and frenetic when playing live, using more electronic sounds. This is documented on the live album Live Hypno Beat (1987), recorded in Los Angeles in 1986. The band also started to become rawer and more unpredictable live, becoming one of the most exciting independent groups from

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2464-601: The Vixen and Rev It Up era made a one-time appearance on VH1 's Bands Reunited , as its Canadian host has been a fan of the band. The line-up from 2001 recorded a fourth album, Live & Learn , released between 2006 and 2007. Kuehnemund died in 2013 and Vixen was reformed with three-quarters of the "classic" line-up plus Gina Stile , the lead guitarist from the Tangerine period, to honor her legacy. Both Stile and long-time frontwoman/rhythm guitarist Janet Gardner have left

2541-461: The Wacken Open Air 2022 festival. In the 2010s, some groups that would typically fit the description of an all-female band began expressing their ambivalence towards the term, and similar terms such as "girl band" or "female-fronted band". Female musicians have written about the gendered double standard behind such descriptors, pointing out how seldom the term "all-male band" is used, and that

2618-561: The 1920s to the 1950s are documented by Kristin McGee in Some Liked it Hot: Jazz Women in Film and Television . Sally Placksin, Linda Dahl, D. Antoinette Handy, and Frank Driggs along with professor Sherrie Tucker , in her book Swing Shift: "All-Girl" Bands of the 1940s , have also documented this era. A Polish group Filipinki was established in 1959. Bands composed solely of women began to emerge with

2695-592: The 1950s and '60s, girls in their teens—in rock usually sang songs as personæ utterly dependent on their macho boyfriends...". Philip Auslander says that "Although there were many women in rock by the late 1960s, most performed only as singers, a traditionally feminine position in popular music". Though some women played instruments in American all-female garage rock bands , none of these bands achieved more than regional success. So they "did not provide viable templates for women's on-going participation in rock". In relation to

2772-504: The 1980s and 1990s have gone on to more high-profile gigs. The Pandoras ' former members include members of the Muffs ; Leather Leone , the singer from Rude Girl and Malibu Barbi, went on to sing for Chastain ; Warbride's founder and lead guitarist, Lori Linstruth joined Arjen Lucassen ; Abby Travis from the Lovedolls has played with Beck , Elastica , and Bangles ; Meredith Brooks , from

2849-424: The 1990s, Local H continued on as a two-piece when their bassist departed, with guitarist/singer Scott Lucas modifying his guitars by adding a bass pickup for the lower strings. Starting in the 2000s, blues-influenced rock bands such as the White Stripes and the Black Keys used a guitar-and-drums scheme. Death from Above 1979 featured a drummer and bass guitarist. Tenacious D is a two-guitar band; One Day as

2926-495: The 2010s brought a boom of all-female heavy metal bands forming and gaining mainstream attention. Although considered pioneers as the first to form in 2007, Destrose never achieved commercial success. Aldious have been cited as the initiators of the movement when their first album Deep Exceed (2010) topped the Oricon Indies Albums Chart and reached number 15 on the main chart. Another notable girls metal band

3003-522: The Bangles many females were frustrated at not being taken seriously or only thought of as "cute chicks playing music" and either joined rock bands or formed all-female metal bands. One such band that was playing harder music in San Francisco was Rude Girl. Originally signed to CBS Records , the band splintered before an album would be released and the remaining members released a 12-inch single in 1987 under

3080-820: The Banshees and X-Ray Spex . The expansion of punk into Europe gave rise to Switzerland's die Kleenex /LiLiPUT. In Australia in 1977 all-girl band Sweet Jayne began doing regular gigs with the original lineup: Cris Bonacci , Chris Scheri, Robyn Clark and Sally Zylstra. Labelled "Sweet and Heavy Rock", Sweet Jayne played mostly original material. Winning the Australasian Yamaha Battle of the Bands in 1978, Sweet Jayne went on through various cassette, vinyl and film clip releases and line up changes and played 700 gigs over 6 years. Sweet Jayne split up in 1983 when Chris Scheri (flute and vocals) and Cris Bonacci (guitar) were invited to

3157-666: The Beat " at No. 2 sent a strong message out to many industry heads that females who could play could bring in money. While Joan Jett played "no-frills, glam-rock anthems, sung with her tough-as-nails snarl and sneer", the Go-Go's were seen as playful girls, an image that even Rolling Stone magazine poked fun at when they put the band on their cover in their underwear along with the caption "Go-Go's Put out!". However musician magazines were starting to show respect to female musicians, putting Bonnie Raitt and Tina Weymouth on their covers. While

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3234-565: The Conchords , the Ting Tings , They Might Be Giants (from 1982 to 1992) and T. Rex (until shortly after scoring their UK breakthrough hit , at which point they expanded to a four-piece and more). When electronic sequencers became widely available in the 1980s, they made adding in musical elements easier for two-member bands to perform. Sequencers allowed bands to program some elements of their performance, such as an electronic drum part and

3311-526: The Deadly Nightshade recorded and released a third album Never Never Gonna Stop in 2012 and they continually toured until Brandt's death in 2015, dissolving the band. The 1980s, for the first time, saw long-sought chart success from all-female bands and female-fronted rock bands. On the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart for 1982 Joan Jett 's " I Love Rock 'n' Roll " at No. 3 and the Go-Go's' " We Got

3388-429: The Go-Go's and the Bangles , both from the L.A. club scene, were the first all-female rock bands to find sustained success, individual musicians paved the way for the industry to seek out bands that had female musicians and allow them to be part of the recording process. While the 1980s helped pave the way for female musicians to get taken more seriously it was still considered a novelty of sorts for several years, and it

3465-482: The Graces , went on to solo success and Janet Robin , from Precious Metal, was the touring guitarist for Brooks as well as Lindsey Buckingham and Air Supply . Sweet Jayne's Cris Bonacci became Girlschool's lead guitarist in 1985 and stayed with the band for fewer than 10 years. Girlschool , despite numerous line-up changes, have never broke up despite a brief hiatus and celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2018. In Japan,

3542-709: The Liverbirds (1962–1967), the Ace of Cups (1967), the Heart Beats (1968), and Ariel (1968–1970) which included the three members of the Deadly Nightshade . From 1964-1968 the Pandoras was an all-girl band (one of the first) playing a few original tunes and a bunch of popular covers at concerts and dances throughout New England. They started out as a trio, with Simmons College students Kathy Kinsella and Pinky Keehner on rhythm guitar and lead guitar, and Sally Levy on drums. Much later, under

3619-509: The Midwest, but in St. Paul , Minnesota , by Jan Kuehnemund during the mid-1970s. Kuehnemund folded the band a few months later, when her bandmates either dropped out or joined other bands, and she reformed it after moving to L.A. at the start of the 1980s. Vixen was sometimes described as "the female Bon Jovi ", eventually becoming commercially successful due largely to the band's signature hit " Edge of

3696-480: The Petruccis and their fellow band members were forced to disperse when Kuehnemund, feeling left out and her lead in representing Vixen being usurped, successfully sued to keep the rights to her band's name. She reunited Vixen in 2001, with a new bassist in tow, until disagreements with the band's management caused Kuehnemund's bandmates to leave, driving her to search for and hire new members. In 2004, Vixen's line-up from

3773-482: The Pity Party plays drums, keyboards, and sings simultaneously. Royal Blood and The Garden are two-piece bands that uses bass and drums along with electronic effects . The smallest ensemble commonly used in rock music is the trio format. In a hard-rock or blues-rock band, or heavy-metal rock group, a " power trio " format is often used, which consists of an electric guitar player, an electric bass guitar player, and

3850-481: The Police , and Cream . Some power trios feature two lead vocalists. For example, in the band Blink-182 , vocals are split between bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge , or in the band Dinosaur Jr. , guitarist J. Mascis is the primary songwriter and vocalist, but bassist Lou Barlow writes some songs and sings, as well. An alternative to the power trio is an organ trios formed with an electric guitarist,

3927-512: The Right was released along with the single "High in High School". The Petrucci sisters were a focal point of the band – Maxine, the lead guitarist, and Roxy , the drummer. However, based on management decisions, it was decided that it would be better if only one of the sisters was in the band and Roxy was placed in another band, the all-female, Los Angeles –based Vixen . Vixen was founded also in

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4004-756: The Rolling Stones. Ozzy Osbourne played the harmonica on some occasions with Black Sabbath . Flutes may also be used by vocalists, most notably Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues . Larger bands have long been a part of rock and pop music, in part due to the influence of the "singer accompanied with orchestra" model inherited from popular big-band jazz and swing and popularized by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald . To create larger ensembles, rock bands often add an additional guitarist, an additional keyboardist, additional percussionists or second drummer, an entire horn section , and even

4081-538: The UK to work for Mike Oldfield . The all-female heavy metal band Girlschool , from South London, formed in 1978. While somewhat successful in the UK, they became better known in the early 1980s. One of the original members of the band, Kathy Valentine , departed to join the all-female band the Go-Go's , switching from guitar to bass. Among Girlschool's early recordings was an EP titled St. Valentine's Day Massacre which they recorded with Bronze label-mates Motörhead under

4158-586: The UK, while gaining an early hit on the burgeoning club scene in Ibiza with "Why." In 1987, Thompson left to be replaced by Anne Stephenson of the Communards . The more experimental mood continued on the second album Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway , released the following year. The song "Stop This Car" was voted No. 15 out of 106 in the KROQ Top 106.7 Countdown of 1988 , outperforming many more established acts. Another of

4235-647: The United Kingdom, the advent of punk in the late 1970s with its "anyone can do it" ethos lead to the formation of such bands as the Slits , the Raincoats , Mo-dettes , Dolly Mixture , and the Innocents among others, and the formation of other groups where the female members influenced the music and lyrical content ( Au Pairs , Delta 5 ) or were the featured artist within the ensemble, notably The Pretenders , Siouxsie and

4312-667: The advent of rock and roll . Among the earliest all-female rock bands to be signed to a record label were Goldie and the Gingerbreads , to Atlantic Records in 1964, the Pleasure Seekers with Suzi Quatro to Hideout Records in 1964 and Mercury Records in 1968, the Feminine Complex to Athena Records in 1968, and Fanny (who pioneered the all-female band sound in the early to mid-1970s) in 1969 when Mo Ostin signed them to Warner Bros. Records . There were also others, such as

4389-671: The album's standout tracks, "Wheels Turning," became a dancefloor favourite. The Woodentops continued to play live, touring the world until 1992, and tracks such as "Tainted World" became a regular on New York radio station Kiss FM with DJ Tony Humphries. Vocalist and guitarist Rolo McGinty, who also wrote all of the Woodentops' songs, resurfaced with the DJ band Pluto in the 1990s and the Dogs Deluxe electronica project, and also provided vocals for Gary Lucas 's Gods and Monsters . Guitarist Simon Mawby

4466-480: The band by the end of the 2010s. With the resurgence of interest in pop-punk bands in the US in the early 1990s, along with the sunset strip "hair metal" scene becoming extremely crowded, bands who combined a "non-image" with loud raw music started were gigging at clubs like Rajis in Hollywood. Bands such as Hole , Super Heroines , the Lovedolls, and L7 became popular, while demonstrating on stage, and in interviews,

4543-661: The bands Yes , Journey , Bon Jovi , Dream Theater , and Deep Purple ). Another alternative replaces the rhythm guitarist with a turntablist , such as in Deftones , Incubus , or Limp Bizkit . Further alternatives include a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer, bassist, and saxophonist, such as the Sonics , the Dave Clark 5 , and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs . Three guitarists may be present with

4620-402: The childhood-centered issues of much of the riot grrrl aesthetic, but nonetheless also have dealt explicitly with feminist and related issues. All-female Queercore bands, such as Fifth Column , Tribe 8 , and Team Dresch , also write songs dealing with matters specific to women and their position in society. A film put together by a San Diego psychiatrist, Dr. Lisa Rose Apramian , along with

4697-501: The first self-produced all-female band in the R&;B/pop style of music to play all instruments; several of their singles - including " Meeting in the Ladies Room " and " I Miss You " charted in both R&B and pop countdowns. Leading into the 1990s, the surge of heavy metal in the 1980s helped to shed another light on the role of females in music. Because of the success of the Go-Go's and

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4774-416: The first woman to establish a Christian band, specifically an all-female group. Even though Rachel Rachel's success was short lived when they folded due to "creative differences" and too great a geographic distance, future rock bands or non-rock musical groups in the Christian genre that have only women as members followed their lead in the next decades to come. Many female musicians from all-female bands in

4851-460: The former drummer from the Motels and the Droogs , Kyle C. Kyle, the documentary Not Bad for a Girl explored some of these issues with interviews from many of the female musicians on the riot grrrl scene at the time. In contemporary Christian music history, there was the first all-female Christian rock band Rachel Rachel , which existed only during the early 1990s and who performed in an album-oriented rock style. Jennifer York became

4928-490: The gender composition of heavy-metal bands , it has been said that "[h]eavy metal performers are almost exclusively male" "...[a]t least until the mid-1980s" apart from "...exceptions such as Girlschool ." However, "...now [in the 2010s] maybe more than ever–strong metal women have put up their dukes and got down to it", "carv[ing] out a considerable place for [them]selves." When Suzi Quatro emerged in 1973, "no other prominent female musician worked in rock simultaneously as

5005-416: The keyboard player to perform bass lines, chords, and lead lines. A variant of the organ trio is a trio formed with an electric bassist, a drummer, and an electronic keyboardist (playing synthesizers) such as the progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer . A power trio with the guitarist on lead vocals is a popular record-company lineup, as the guitarist and singer usually are songwriters. Therefore,

5082-403: The label only has to present one "face" to the public. The backing band may or may not be featured in publicity. If the backup band is not marketed as an integral part of the group, then the record company has more flexibility to replace band members or use substitute musicians. This lineup often leads to songs that are fairly simple and accessible, as the frontman has to sing and play guitar at

5159-513: The management guidance of Peter Bonfils, the band had some success, including a recording contract and a couple of singles with Liberty Records ("About My Baby", b/w "New Day," and "Games" b/w "Don't Bother"), and gigs that showed all around the U.S. as well as in Newfoundland and Puerto Rico , opening for acts including the Kingsmen , Dionne Warwick , the Byrds , and Gary Lewis & the Playboys . The Shaggs were an all-female family band who earned some regional notoriety during their time as

5236-418: The music her sisters Dot and Betty were singing and playing on guitar), which somewhat ironically (and to their bewilderment) made them icons of outsider music . Roger Ebert , in his audio commentary for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ( 1970 ) gives the film credit for inspiring all-female rock bands, with the fictional band Carrie Nations created for the film, stating that such bands were quite rare at

5313-432: The musical elements which are part of the rock or pop sound (vocals, chordal accompaniment , bass lines , and percussion or drumming). Rock and pop duos typically omit one of these musical elements. In many cases, two-member bands omit a drummer, since guitars, bass guitars, and keyboards can all be used to provide a rhythmic pulse. Other examples of two-member bands are MGMT , WZRD , Pet Shop Boys , Hella , Flight of

5390-504: The name Headgirl . In 1974, the Deadly Nightshade, a rock/country band (Anne Bowen, rhythm guitar/percussion; Pamela Robin Brandt, electric bass; Helen Hooke, lead guitar/violin) was signed by RCA 's custom label Phantom. The contract made RCA/Phantom the first mainstream record label to grant a band the right to reject any advertising offensive to feminist sensibilities. The band released two albums, The Deadly Nightshade in 1975 and F&W (Funky & Western) in 1976. Reunited in 2009,

5467-413: The name Malibu Barbi. When Cara Crash and Wanda Day left 4 Non Blondes and joined Malibu Barbi their sound shifted from heavy metal to a sound described as combining a "driving beat with Johnny Rottenesque vocal and post-punk riffs". Around the same time in the Midwest, Madam X was signed to an offshoot of Columbia Records , Jet Records . In 1984, the Rick Derringer -produced album We Reserve

5544-418: The reasons that mixed-gender bands rarely exist is that "bands operate as tight-knit units in which homosocial solidarity – social bonds between people of the same sex... – plays a crucial role." In the 1960s, pop music scene, "[s]inging was sometimes an acceptable pastime for a girl, but playing an instrument...simply wasn't done." "The rebellion of rock music was largely a male rebellion; the women—often, in

5621-516: The same time. The four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. Before the development of the electronic keyboard, the configuration was typically two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer (e.g. The Beatles , KISS, Metallica , Rise Against , Weezer , the Clash , and the Smashing Pumpkins ). Another common formation is a vocalist, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and

5698-662: The time, but started to spring up in the film's wake. On November 6, 1971, Fanny became the first all-female band to reach the Hot 100's top 40, with "Charity Ball" peaking at No. 40. In 1975, the Canadian duo of sisters, Kate & Anna McGarrigle , recorded the first of a string of albums, sometimes joined by their sister Jane . The Runaways were an early commercially successful, hard-edged, all-female hard rock band, releasing their first album in 1976; band members Joan Jett , Cherie Currie , and Lita Ford all went on to solo careers. In

5775-551: The vaudeville style all-girl groups, especially short subject promotional films for Paramount and Vitaphone . (In 1925, Lee de Forest filmed Lewis and her band in his short-lived Phonofilm process, in a film now in the Maurice Zouary collection at the Library of Congress . ) Blanche Calloway , sister of Cab Calloway , led a male band, Blanche Calloway and Her Joy Boys, from 1932 to 1939, and Ina Ray Hutton led an all-girl band,

5852-652: Was briefly a member of the House of Love in the early 1990s. The Woodentops returned to live performances in September 2006. In October 2009, they performed in a special concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London's South Bank. There, they also curated an exhibition of works by artist Panni Bharti and concerts by musicians Worm, Othon and Ernesto Tomasini . In 2010, the band announced their first single in 20 years and played

5929-549: Was very much a male-dominated world. In 1984, when film maker Dave Markey , along with Jeff and Steve McDonald from Redd Kross , put together the mockumentary Desperate Teenage Lovedolls , a comically punky version of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls , it also spawned a real band. While the Lovedolls could barely play at first, because of the film, and because they were an "all-female band", they received press and gigs. Klymaxx became

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