Goldie and the Gingerbreads

Last updated

Goldie & the Gingerbreads
Goldie and the Gingerbreads.jpg
Goldie & the Gingerbreads in 1963
Background information
Origin New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres Rock
Years active
  • 1962–1968
  • 1997
Labels
Past members

Goldie & the Gingerbreads was an all-female American rock band formed in New York in 1962. [1] The quartet, primarily consisting of vocalist Genya "Goldie" Zelkowitz (later Genya Ravan), drummer Ginger Bianco, organist/keyboardist Margo Lewis and guitarist/vocalist Carol MacDonald, are considered one of the first all-female rock bands and were the first to be signed to a major record label. [2] [3] They were signed to Decca in 1963 [4] and Atlantic in 1964. [5] The band released several singles during the 1960s until their break-up in 1968, while their only album, the compilation Thinking About the Good Times: Complete Recordings 1964–1966, was released in 2021. [2]

Contents

History

Formation and early days (1962–1963)

In 1962, local musician Genya Zelkowitz (later known as Genya Ravan) was introduced to drummer Ginger Bianco (née Panabianco), in the New York City club where Zelkowitz was the lead singer of Richard Perry's band The Escorts. [6] [7] Panabianco was on stage, drumming for a friend of Perry's. This acquaintance with a female drummer inspired in Genya the idea of an all-female rock and roll band. [7] The name of the would-be band was quickly decided on: Goldie was the name given to Genya by her mother after their arrival in the United States from post-war Poland, whilst gingerbread was a play on Ginger's name. [7]

Richard Perry and the other members of the Escorts were college students. [8] When the summer concert season ended, Genya and Ginger began to look for a pianist and soon recruited Carol O'Grady. [9] Finding a female guitarist turned out to be much harder. Various ad-hoc recruits filled in as and when required, but when they accompanied Chubby Checker on his 1962 concert tour of West Germany and Switzerland, they performed without a guitarist. [10] Organist Margo Lewis, who turned out to be the group's third permanent member, replaced O'Grady and performed with the group on the Chubby Checker tour. The following year, Goldie and the Gingerbreads were signed to Decca and recruited guitarist and vocalist Carol MacDonald, who at the time was signed to Atlantic/Atco Records, as their fourth permanent band member. [4] [11]

Signing to Atlantic Records and European tour (1964–1965)

In 1964, the group released their first single, "Skinny Vinnie", through Spokane Records. [2] Although credited to Zelkowitz and Stan Green, the song was the Bill Haley composition "Skinny Minnie" with slight lyric changes. That same year, fashion photographer and director Jerry Schatzberg threw a party for the Warhol superstar Baby Jane Holzer that was later referred to by writer Tom Wolfe as "the Mods and Rockers ball, the party of the year." [12] Goldie and the Gingerbreads were booked to provide the musical entertainment and impressed the assembled attendees with both their music and their inimitable presence. [13] Among the guests at the event were the Rolling Stones and Ahmet Ertegün, the chairman of Atlantic Records, who promptly signed them to the label. [5] [2]

Later that year, the band met Eric Burdon and the Animals, whose manager contracted the Gingerbreads for a 1965 tour in England. [11] A standard group tour arranged by record companies to showcase their roster of talent, the Gingerbreads were one of up to six bands on the tour. In Britain, they toured with the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Beatles, the Yardbirds, the Hollies and the Kinks, among others. [14] After supporting the Kinks on their 1965 UK tour, the Gingerbreads recorded several songs with the Kinks' producer Shel Talmy, including a cover of "Look for Me Baby", though it went unissued. [15]

Troubles with British working visa requirements led to the band performing dates in West Germany (where many UK and US troops were then stationed as part of the NATO defences) at venues including the Star-Club in Hamburg while they waited for their British work permits to come through. [16] A subsequent appearance in Paris at the Olympia earned Goldie & the Gingerbreads a favourable introduction to the French music scene, despite technical difficulties that arose during the performance. [17]

Goldie and the Gingerbread's single "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" reached No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart in 1965. [5] Although it was also released in the United States, a recording of the same song by the heavily promoted Herman's Hermits was released nationwide with great fanfare just two weeks prior to the Gingerbreads' version, thus fatally undermining the Gingerbreads' chances for their first hit single in the U.S. [18]

Final releases and break-up (1966–1968)

In 1966, the band released the singles "Think About the Good Times" and "Sailor Boy", while their final single, "Walking in Different Circles", was released the following year. Over the course of 1967 and 1968, the group began to fragment as various members joined and departed. [5] A return to the United States in a final attempt to garner mainstream success there failed, and the band broke up in 1968. [2] Vocalist Genya's strong personality and selfish leadership has been cited as the major factor in the band's split, [6] although frustration due to making little profit from their releases may also have been a significant issue. [18]

Reunion and recognition (1997–present)

On November 13, 1997, the Gingerbreads reunited for a performance to mark their 30th anniversary and to commemorate the release of The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock. [5] Accompanying Ginger, Margo and Genya was Debby Hastings on bass and Diane Scanlon on guitar. On February 3, 1998, Goldie and the Gingerbreads were presented with a Touchstone Award from NY based Women in Music. [19] The distinction is given to women who "have the courage and inspiration to make a difference in the music industry and whose work has set new standards.". [20] At the awards ceremony, the statuettes were presented to each member of the group by Ahmet Ertegun, who signed the band to Atlantic in 1964.

In 2011, Goldie and the Gingerbreads were recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as part of its "Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" exhibit. In 2021, the band's first collection of their work, the compilation album Thinking About the Good Times: Complete Recordings 1964–1966, was released by British label Ace. [2]

Other projects

Following the band's break-up, Genya Ravan went on to form Ten Wheel Drive, while Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco later formed the nucleus of jazz-fusion band Isis. [21] Ravan would also go on to have a career in record production and radio, notably producing the Dead Boys 1977 debut album Young Loud and Snotty . She now hosts two radio shows on Little Steven's Underground Garage channel on Sirius/XM: Goldie's Garage and Chicks and Broads. Ravan's memoirs, entitled Lollipop Lounge: Memoirs of a Rock and Roll Refugee, were published in 2004 by Billboard Books. [22]

In the early 1980s, Margo Lewis founded Talent Consultants International, Ltd., a talent booking agency in New York, and later became a partner in Talent Source, Ltd. [2] She was Bo Diddley's agent since the 1980s and his manager since 1992, until his death in 2008. [23] Lewis also toured with Diddley as his keyboardist for the last 10 years of his life.

Members

Although several other musicians played with Goldie & the Gingerbreads over the years, permanent members were:

Discography

Compilations

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positions
UK [24]
1964"Skinny Vinnie"
b/w "Chew Chew Fee Fi Fum"
  • Label: Spokane
—
1965"That's Why I Love You"
b/w "What Kind of Man Are You"		—
"Can't You Hear My Heartbeat"
b/w "Little Boy"
  • Label: Decca
25
"That's Why I Love You" [A]
b/w "The Skip"
  • Label: Decca
—
1966"Think About the Good Times"
b/w "Please Please"		—
"Sailor Boy" [A]
b/w "Please Please"
  • Label: Decca
—
1967"Walking in Different Circles"
b/w "Song of the Moon"
  • Label: ATCO
—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
  1. 1 2 Single released only in the U.K. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rolling Stones</span> English rock band

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pioneered the gritty, rhythmically driven sound that came to define hard rock. Their first stable line-up consisted of vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts. During their early years, Jones was the primary leader. Andrew Loog Oldham became their manager in 1963 and encouraged them to write their own songs. The Jagger–Richards partnership soon became the band's primary songwriting and creative force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Not Fade Away (song)</span> 1957 single by The Crickets

"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly and his band, the Crickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genya Ravan</span> Polish–American rock singer and producer (born April 19, 1940)

Genya Ravan, also known as Goldie, is an American rock singer and music producer. She was lead singer of the Escorts, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Avory</span> Musical artist

Michael Charles Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies. He is the longest-serving member of the band, apart from the Davies brothers. He is also the most prolific member, again apart from the Davies brothers, who has played on twenty studio albums or nearly all of the band's creative output.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Star-Club</span> Music club on Große Freiheit street in Hamburgs St. Pauli district, West Germany

The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany, that opened on Friday 13 April 1962, and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the 1960s, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was destroyed by a fire in 1987. The address of the club was Große Freiheit 39 in the St. Pauli quarter of Hamburg. Große Freiheit is a side street of the Reeperbahn. The club had a capacity of 2,000 people, and cinema-style seating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ten Wheel Drive</span> American rock band

Ten Wheel Drive was an American rock band which existed from 1968 to 1974.

John Nicholas Shakespeare, known as John Carter, is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underground Garage</span> Sirius XM satellite radio channel

Underground Garage is the name of two different related radio outlets that present Rock 'n' Roll and Garage Rock on radio: a syndicated show and a satellite radio station. Steven Van Zandt, best known as a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, is the founder and supervisor of both outlets. Both play a mixture of past and current Garage Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voodoo Lounge Tour</span> 1994–95 concert tour by the Rolling Stones

The Voodoo Lounge Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the Rolling Stones to promote their 1994 album Voodoo Lounge. This was their first tour without bassist Bill Wyman, and their first with touring bassist Darryl Jones, as an additional musician. The tour grossed $320 million, replacing The Division Bell Tour by Pink Floyd as the highest grossing of any artist at that time. This was subsequently overtaken by a few other tours, but it remains the Rolling Stones' third highest grossing tour behind their 2005–07 A Bigger Bang Tour and their 2017–21 No Filter Tour.

Gabriel Mekler was an American songwriter, musician, and record producer who attained fame in the 1960s, helming albums for Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, and Janis Joplin. He also collaborated with R&B singer Etta James for two critically acclaimed albums in the early 1970s, mixing blues, soul, and then topped it off with Genya Ravan production jazz and rock.

<i>The Rolling Stones: Voodoo Lounge Live</i> 1995 Rolling Stones concert film

Voodoo Lounge Live is a concert video by the rock band the Rolling Stones. It was filmed on 25 November 1994 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida during the Voodoo Lounge Tour. The concert was broadcast as a pay-per-view special.

Isis was an all-female rock band formed in New York in 1972. The band was founded by Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco following the break-up of their former group Goldie & the Gingerbreads. They took their name from the Egyptian goddess Isis, and were an early example of professional women in rock music in the 1970s, becoming the fifth all-female band to be signed to a major label.

Kenneth Alan James Hawker known as Ken Lewis, was an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He is considered one of the more successful songwriters of the 1960s as a result of his collaborations with John Carter. His biggest success was "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat", which was a 1965 US number 2 hit single for Herman's Hermits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brie Howard-Darling</span> American singer-songwriter

Brie Howard-Darling is an American drummer, singer, percussionist, and songwriter of Filipino and European descent. She has recorded with such recording artists as Carole King, Ringo Starr, ELO, Keith Moon, The Temptations, Jimmy Buffett, Melissa Manchester, Janiva Magness, and Glen Campbell. She has toured extensively with Martin Mull, Kiki Dee, Jack Wagner, Bruce Willis, Robert Palmer, Carole King, Jimmy Buffett, Robbie Nevil, and Duran Duran. She has been a band member of Fanny, American Girls, Boxing Gandhis, Fanny Walked The Earth, and Cherie Currie & Brie Darling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock 'n' Roll Cities</span> 1986 single by The Kinks

"Rock 'n' Roll Cities" is a song by the British rock group, the Kinks. The song appeared on the band's 1986 album, Think Visual, and, unlike most other Kinks songs, it was written by Dave Davies rather than his brother, Ray.

Trude Heller's was a club in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City and located at 6th Avenue and West 9th Street and operated from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. It has been described as the only truly “in” spot in Greenwich Village. Some of the acts that got their starts there were Duane and Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers, Cyndi Lauper, and the Manhattan Transfer.

Rosie was an American pop group from New York, United States. The group existed from 1975 to 1978 and consisted of David Lasley, Lana Marrano and Lynn Pitney, all of whom were cast members and met during the touring show of Hair. Lasley wrote all the songs, mostly with Marrano.

Women of Rock Oral History Project is an oral history project based at Smith College focusing on American women and gender non-conforming, LGBT, and feminist rock and roll and punk music musicians from the 1970s to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Byrd</span> American musician (born 1956)

Ricky Byrd is a rock and roll guitar player, singer, songwriter and producer. He spent over a decade as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, where he contributed music and background vocals to two platinum albums, I Love Rock 'n Roll and Up Your Alley, the gold certified Album, and four others for the band.

The English rock band the Kinks staged their fourth concert tour of the United Kingdom in April and May 1965. The thirty-three concerts comprised the second stage of a world tour, following shows in Australasia and Asia and before stages held later that year in the United States and continental Europe. After the Kinks had served as a support act during all of their previous tours, including during the first leg of their world tour, the 1965 UK engagements were the band's first as the headline act. Supporting groups included Goldie and the Gingerbreads and the Yardbirds.

References

  1. ↑ Deborah Frost. "Garageland." The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock. Ed. Barbara O'Dair. 415–425. New York: Random House, Inc., 1997. 415.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Browne, David (July 1, 2021). "Goldie and the Gingerbreads Were One of Rock's First All-Women Bands. Why Are They Still So Obscure?". Rolling Stone . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  3. ↑ Lucy O'Brien. She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002. 95.
  4. 1 2 O'Brien. She Bop II. 129.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Mitch Patrick. Girls with Guitars. Liner Notes. 4. Ace Records, 2004. CDCHD989.
  6. 1 2 Frost. "Garageland." 416.
  7. 1 2 3 Genya Ravan. Lollipop Lounge: Memoirs of a Rock and Roll Refugee. London: Billboard Books, 2004. 49.
  8. ↑ Ravan. Lollipop Lounge. 42.
  9. ↑ Ravan. Lollipop Lounge. 52.
  10. ↑ Ravan Lollipop Lounge. 63.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gillian G. Gaar. She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll. Seattle: Seal Press, 1992. 64.
  12. ↑ Lisa Rhodes. Electric Ladyland: Women and Rock Culture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. 135
  13. ↑ Ravan. Lollipop Lounge. 90.
  14. ↑ Gaar. She's a Rebel. 65
  15. ↑ Ravan. Lollipop Lounge. 113–114.
  16. ↑ Ravan. Lollipop Lounge. 99.
  17. ↑ Ravan. Lollipop Lounge. 109.
  18. 1 2 Gaar. She's a Rebel. 66.
  19. ↑ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  20. ↑ "WOMEN IN MUSIC". Womeninmusic.org. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  21. ↑ Glenn O'Brien. "Isis: Eight-Piece, All-Woman Band in Musical No-Man's Land." Rolling Stone. 8 November 1973.
  22. ↑ Ravan, Genya (2004). Lollipop Lounge: Memoirs of a Rock and Roll Refugee. New York: Billboard Books. ISBN   9780823083626. OCLC   56984554.
  23. ↑ Graff, Gary (May 30, 2009). Goodman, Dean (ed.). "A year after his death, Bo Diddley in new spotlight". Reuters . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Goldie and the Gingerbreads". Official Charts Company . Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ Ravan, Lollipop Lounge. 279.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.