Inez Foxx

Inez Foxx (September 9, 1942 - August 25, 2022) was an American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal while her brother Charlie sang back-up and played guitar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Charlie Foxx began singing with a gospel choir as a child in the early 1950s, and was later joined by his sister Inez. In 1960, Inez traveled to New York City and recorded for Brunswick Records using the name Inez Johnston. In early 1963, the pair introduced themselves to Henry 'Juggy' Murray, the owner of Sue Records, and sang him their arrangement of the traditional lullaby "Hush, Little Baby". The song, re-titled "Mockingbird," was released on Sue's subsidiary label Symbol Records in June 1963. The single reached the top 10 on both the US rhythm and blues and pop chart. It was their most successful record, selling over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. It was later covered by artists including Aretha Franklin, James Taylor and Carly Simon, Dusty Springfield, Etta James with Taj Mahal and Toby Keith. 

The record company, keen to promote Inez Foxx as a solo singer, issued later recordings under her name alone, despite the presence of two voices on the records. Perhaps because "Mockingbird" was seen as a novelty record, the pair had difficulty following it up, although "Ask Me" and "Hurt by Love" made the lower reaches of the US charts, and "Hurt by Love" also reached the UK singles chart. In 1966, the pair joined Musicor Records and recorded for its subsidiary label, Dynamo. They returned to the pop charts in 1967 with "(1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days", and became known for their exciting live performances. They toured extensively in Europe and their music played a key role in the development of the Northern soul movement, upon which scene they had the very popular "Tightrope" single.

Inez Foxx together with Luther Dixon wrote The Platters' song "I Love You 1000 Times". Luther Dixon alsoproduced Inez and Charlie's 1967 Dynamo album Come By Here. Inez had some success recording on her own, beginning in 1969, but her popularity faded in the 1970s. Charlie was already working as a songwriter and record producer when they finally disbanded their act. Inez continued to record as a solo singer for Volt Records in the 1970s.

The Three Degrees

The Three Degrees is an American vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Holiday, and Freddi Poole. The group were particularly successful in the UK, achieving 13 Top 50 hit singles between 1974 and 1985.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original members were Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner. Porter and Turner were soon replaced by Janet Harmon and Helen Scott. The line-up from 1967 to 1976 was Pinkney, Valerie Holiday and Sheila Ferguson, who would go on to sing lead on most of the group's biggest hits. By 1970, they were signed to Roulette Records and they released their first album, Maybe. The title song, this time with Valerie Holiday taking the lead, took them to No. 4 on the US R&B chart. The singles, "I Do Take You" and "You're the Fool" followed, as did their second album, So Much Love. This success landed them a cameo appearance in the 1971 film, The French Connection, where they performed a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon", filmed during one of their appearances at the Copacabana nightclub in New York City.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1973, when their contract with Roulette ended, Barrett signed them to Philadelphia International Records under Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, where they had their greatest successes. The first song they recorded for the label was with the studio band MFSB, titled "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", which was the theme song for Soul Train. Their first album for the Philadelphia International label, The Three Degrees, spawned three hits: "Dirty Ol' Man" (which went gold in the Netherlands and Belgium), "Year Of Decision" (which made it to No. 13 in the UK Singles Chart), but it was the third single, "When Will I See You Again", that propelled the trio into the mainstream. It topped the UK Chart for two weeks in August 1974 (the first time this had been achieved by an all-female group since The Supremes in 1964,) and became the fourth best-selling single of the year. It also reached No. 2 in the US, where it sold over two million copies and earned the trio a gold record in December 1974.

In 1976, the Three Degrees parted company with Gamble and Huff and moved to CBS Sony/Epic Records where they released the concept album, A Toast Of Love, purely for the Far East market, although a single of the title track was released internationally. In 1976, Fayette Pinkney was replaced by former band member Helen Scott. The album, Standing Up For Love, released in 1977 was their last release for CBS/Epic. In 1978, The Three Degrees signed to Ariola Records in Europe and the US and began working with Giorgio Moroder, who had become famous as a disco producer following his work with Donna Summer. Further success was to follow, and they released two disco-styled albums on Ariola (New Dimensions in 1978, and 3D in 1979) which delivered four UK Top 20 hits between them: "Givin' Up Givin' In", "Woman in Love", "The Runner" and "My Simple Heart". 

The group's most stable line-up was from 1989 to 2010, with Cynthia Garrison joining Holiday and Scott. They achieved a final UK chart entry, reaching number 54 in 1998 with a dance cover of "Last Christmas". Garrison left the band at the end of 2010 due to health reasons, and was replaced by Freddi Poole in 2011. The group's 2016 album, Strategy: Our Tribute to Philadelphia, was their first studio album release with Poole as a member.

Mimi Roman

Mimi Roman was a 1950s country music and rockabilly musician who sang at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and was a Decca Records artist in the 1950s. She shared the stage with Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, and for a while, her career paralleled Wanda Jackson's. Little Lovin', Cheater's Luck, The Wind Up, I'm Ready if You're Willing, Have a Heart, Honky-Tonk Girl, and many more are among Mimi Roman's Rockabilly and Country hits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some sources said that Miriam Lapolito was born in Salinas, California. When she was fourteen years old, her family moved to New York. Other sources say that se was born in  New York and raised in the Bronx. She began recording for Decca Records when she was barely twenty years old, and her first release was a Hank Williams song. Her singing abilities and profession led her to Cincinnati, Ohio's WLW radio station, where she joined the cast of the Midwestern Hayride. One of the highlights of her career was a nearly eighteen-month tour with the Phillip Morris Country Music Show, which took her to over 400 cities across the United States. Carl Smith, Goldie Hill, Red Sovine, Ronnie Self, and, for a while, Little Jimmie Dickens starred in the show. The show drew viewers from 45 different states.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mimi's name never cracked the Billboard country chart, despite the fact that she recorded for a big country label and worked nonstop until she retired from the road when she was still in her twenties. 

Viuda e Hijas de Roque Enroll

Viuda e Hijas de Roque Enroll was an all-female Argentinian rock band. The band was one of the most emblematic of the rock movement of the early 1980s known as música divertida, which they fronted alongside other bands such as Los Twist, Los Abuelos de la Nada, Soda Stereo and Virus. With a modern twist of catchy melodies and comical and superficial lyrics, this band formed at the end of 1983, and became popular with their first album, in 1984, which contained the hit "Bikini amarillo", a cover version of Brian Hyland's famous song, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The band was formed by Claudia Ruffinatti, Claudia Mabel Sinesi, María Gabriela Epumer and Mavi Díaz. In 1984 they released their debut album, with songs like "Potpourri (olla podrida)", "Te encargo mi modernidad" and "Bikini a lunares amarillo", which quickly became hits. The greatest recognition came with their second album, Ciudad Catrúnica, which contained songs such as "Lollipop" and "Plata, plata". The album went on to sell more than 200,000 copies and was released throughout Latin America. They toured the Atlantic coast extensively and became the group that performed the most shows during that season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 4 April 1986 they filled the Luna Park stadium, then travelled to New York and on their return recorded and released their third album Vale Cuatro, which, although it had a good release and was well received by the press, sales were not up to expectations. To make matters worse, the record company went bankrupt, which led to internal arguments and the dissolution of the group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1990 they got together again for a concert at La Capilla, but by that time Mavi Díaz had already decided to go to Spain. In 1994 they played at Prix D'ami. Ten years after their appearance and in the middle of a period of re-releases of national groups by record companies, a compilation album of all their hits was released. In 1995 they played again at The Roxy on 14, 15 and 20 September, when they recorded their first live album with all their hits, which they called Telón de Crep. This was the last time they performed in public with María Gabriela Epumer. In 2004, at the request of the Epumer family, the Viudas got together to play in the tribute dedicated to María Gabriela that took place in El Dorrego in the city of Buenos Aires. 

The Great Kat

Katherine Thomas (born June 6, 1966), best known by her stage name The Great Kat, is an American musician best known for her thrash metal interpretations of well-known pieces of classical music. Most feature her using the electric guitar, but on some she uses the violin. Thomas is a classically trained violinist, graduating from the Juilliard School and touring for a time playing conventional classical music before crossing over to metal. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was born in Swindon, England (on a U.S. Air Force Base Military Hospital) and moved to the U.S at the age of 3. Kat began Classical piano studies at 7. At the age of 9, she began Classical violin studies in New York. At the age of 15, The Great Kat won a Full Scholarship to attend the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City as a Violin Student. She graduated with Honors from The Juilliard School and began performing, first as a Classical violin soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the exclusive "Artists International Competition" and then soloing on violin extensively in Mexico, the U.S. and Europe. She is also the winner of numerous competitions, including Gallery Concert Series Young Artists Award, the New York State Music Teachers Association Collegiate Artists Competition, the Great Neck Symphony's Young Musicians Competition and named "The New Woman To Watch" for two consecutive years by New Woman Magazine.

 

After touring the world, The Great Kat realized that Classical music was dead, so she began updating Classical Music with Speed Metal and transcribed intricate violin solos to the guitar. Kat developed a new genre of music: “SHRED/CLASSICAL” Music. Her first LP, "Worship Me Or Die!" was released in 1987. Since then she has released 6 albums and 5 EPs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Etta Cameron

Etta Cameron (Ettamae Louvita Coakley; November 21, 1939 – March 4, 2010) was a Bahamian–Danish singer. She especially sang jazz and gospel, and left her mark in the Danish music culture through her entire career from her arrival in Denmark in the 1970s. She was made a Knight of Dannebrog in 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Born in the Bahamas, which was still British at the time, she moved to the USA with her family in 1948 at the age of 9. As a child, she sang in the gospel choir of her Methodist church. In 1967, during a guest performance in London, she was offered to work in East Berlin for a few days, which turned into five years. In 1969 she appeared as a singer in the film Not With Me, Madam! and in 1970 appeared in the film He, Du! entitled Jungle City, USA. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1972 she moved to Copenhagen, from where she toured with her own band from 1975. She has performed as a jazz singer with, among others, the NDR Bigband, the Big Band of Radio Denmark, Kurt Edelhagen, Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Ed Thigpen, Horace Parlan, Herb Geller, Frank Foster, Dusko Goykovich, Ben Webster, Palle Mikkelborg, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Thilo Wolf, Poul Godske and Marilyn Mazur. She also performed in musicals such as South Park, interpreted pop ballads and toured with her own gospel choir Voices of Joy from 1982. 

In 1976 she had a minor hit in the German singles charts: I'm a Woman from the LP of the same name reached number 42. Also popular was the single Wild Widow. She appeared with this title in the 30th episode of the Radio Bremen television programme Musikladen in the same year. In those years, her records were strongly influenced by disco and soul. Cameron taught at the Music Academy in Lund, Sweden, from 1986 and at the Rytmisk Music Conservatory in Copenhagen from 1987, where she was a professor from 1995.

Cameron died on March 4, 2010, in Aarhus, Denmark, after a long illness.

Carole Pope

Carole Ann Pope (born 6 August 1950) is a British-born Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged new wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian entertainers to achieve mainstream fame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pope met her longtime musical partner Kevan Staples at a band audition in Scarborough. In 1968, they began performing together as a duo in Yorkville, which was Toronto's live music and arts district at the time. In 1970, they adopted the name O, changing it to The Bullwhip Brothers the following year. In 1975, Pope and Staples recruited several backup musicians and formed the band Rough Trade. Pope often performed in black leather pants and bondage attire. The band's first album, Rough Trade Live, was produced by Jack Richardson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1981 and subsequently the Juno Award for Best Female Vocalist in 1982 and 1983. She and Staples co-wrote the 1983 single "Transformation," recorded by Nona Hendryx. Pope also appeared as a guest vocalist on the Payola$ single "Never Said I Loved You," which was a top 10 hit in 1983. She teamed up in 2000 with the Payola$ founder Paul Hyde to sing the duet "My Brilliant Career" on his album Living Off the Radar. She sang the role of Primavera Nicholson in the COC production of R. Murray Schafer's Patria I in November 1987. During the 1980s, Rough Trade won a Genie Award and earned four gold and two platinum records. Although the band did not record or perform extensively after its final Deep Six in '86 tour, they did not officially break up until 1988. 

Pope's solo career has been lower-profile than her time with the band. Pope issued a debut solo single in 1988 ("Nothing but a Heartache/I'm Not Blind"), but did not issue a follow-up release for several years afterwards. In 1991, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue opportunities in soundtrack work and acting. Pope issued an EP, Radiate, in 1995. In 2000, Random House published Pope's autobiography, Anti Diva. Soon afterwards, Pope re-recorded the Rough Trade single "High School Confidential" for the Queer as Folk (Season 1) soundtrack. She also appeared in the Toronto production of The Vagina Monologues in 2001, then moved to New York City to continue writing and recording. In 2005, 21 years after her last EP, Pope returned to Los Angeles and released Transcend, her debut full-length solo album.

In 2011, Pope released Landfall, her second full-length album, featuring a duet with Rufus Wainwright. That year she also was a guest vocalist on the album The Hills Are Alive by the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata. In 2015, Pope signed with Squirtgun Records (distributed by eOne Entertainment) to re-release the Music for Lesbians EP on 23 June 2015. On 22 September 2017, Pope released the single, This Is Not A Test. An accompanying music video, directed by Jasun Mark, was released on 8 May 2018.

Rock Goddess

Rock Goddess are an English all-female heavy metal band formed in Wandsworth, South London, in 1977 by sisters Jody Turner and Julie Turner. The band were initially active during the new wave of British heavy metal musical movement, releasing two singles that entered the Top 75 charts in the UK. The band had a cult following throughout the 1980s and reformed in 2013. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The band was formed in Wandsworth, South London in 1977, by sisters Jody Turner (vocals and guitar) and Julie Turner (drums) when they were thirteen and nine years old respectively. They recruited high school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar and that completed their first line-up. Later Donnica Colman joined, adding a second guitar, and after her departure, Jackie Apperley replaced her, also on second guitar. After Apperley left, the band rehearsed intensively as a trio, and placed a track on a sampler album, which circulated in the London music underground. Meanwhile, their manager John Turner, Jody and Julie's father, who owned a music store and rehearsal rooms, used his musical connections to get the band their first gigs. Finally, after an appearance at the Reading Festival in 1982, the band obtained a recording contract with A&M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They released their eponymous debut studio album with record producer Vic Maile in February 1983, and at that time there were temporary legal problems – Julie Turner was still a minor attending high school, and she was restricted in the number of live shows that she could participate in. Also during this period, Kat Burbella briefly joined the band as a second guitarist, and Tracey Lamb became disgruntled and quit the band, initially forming the band She with Burbella, but then joining Girlschool in 1987. She was replaced by Dee O'Malley, who played the bass guitar and keyboards on the band's second studio album, Hell Hath No Fury, which was produced by Chris Tsangarides and released in October 1983. The band co-headlined with Y&T, supported Iron Maiden and Def Leppard on UK and European tours, and embarked on their own headlining tours. O'Malley left the band just before their first US tour. Rock Goddess left A&M with their third album unfinished and unreleased. O'Malley was replaced by Julia Longman on bass guitar, and Becky Axten on keyboards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1987, their third studio album was released exclusively in France, with the title Young and Free, however, due to insurmountable problems Rock Goddess disbanded shortly thereafter. In 1988, the Turner sisters reappeared as the Jody Turner Band with two male musicians, but they did not go beyond the local club circuit. Jody Turner fronted a new line-up of Rock Goddess in 1994. After a name change to Braindance, the band disbanded again in 1995. They played their last gig at the pub Thomas O'Becket. In March 2013 it was announced that the original line-up of Jody Turner, Julie Turner, and Tracey Lamb had reformed and would start recording a new album. The three of them began the process of recording a new album tentatively titled Unfinished Business. The album failed to appear, but in 2017 a 3-track EP was announced. It's More Than Rock and Roll was released on 19 May 2017, and a video for the title track was released via Vintage TV on 21 April that year. Their last LP was released on the 1st of March 2019 where it gained a top 10 placing the UK rock/metal chart and a top 40 placing in the national indie chart.

Angelyne

Angelyne (born Ronia Tamar Goldberg, October 2, 1950) is an American singer, actress, media personality, and model who came to prominence in 1984 after the appearance of a series of iconic billboards in and around Los Angeles, California, with only one word, "Angelyne". These caught the attention of local media outlets, and soon she received several offers for film roles, magazine interviews, and television show appearances. The main trademark of her celebrity persona is a pink Corvette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1978, Angelyne joined the punk band Baby Blue. They performed in local clubs in L.A. and once opened along with Rubber City Rebels for The Screamers' show at the Whisky a Go Go. The punk rock club The Masque served as a rehearsal place for the band. They released a single "Rock n' Roll Rebel" with a b-side, "Fantasy Man". Only 1,000 copies of the record were made and distributed in England. The band wasn't getting much attention, so they decided to promote it by posting her picture around town. In 1979, the single "Too Much to Touch" was released under the name Angelyne, also promoted by posters and flyers. 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1982, she released a self-titled debut album on an independent label Erika Records. The 12" picture disc contained 11 songs, including two versions of "Sexy Stranger", a cover of Elvis Presley's hit "Teddy Bear," and the main single "Kiss Me L.A.". Another series of bus-shelter posters promoted the album. In July 1983, Erika Records released another Angelyne single, "My List", accompanied by a music video. In February 1984, Angelyne's first billboard proclaiming "Angelyne Rocks" went up on Sunset Boulevard.

In 1986, she released her second album, Driven to Fantasy, on her label, Pink Kitten. An enhanced pink vinyl re-issue of the album was later released in Italy. In June 1987, an 85 feet high mural depicting Angelyne was painted on the side of a building on Hollywood and Vine. The same year, her friend Nina Hagen got her recording with Michael "Doc" Dosco, who had previously worked with Hagen on her album Nina Hagen in Ekstasy. He wrote and produced several songs for Angelyne, including "Animal Attraction," which was later featured in Julien Temple's movie Earth Girls Are Easy, where Angelyne had a cameo. The single was released in 1988 with remixes by Italian producer Pino Toma. Hagen mentioned Angelyne in her song "Super Freak Family," and her voice can be heard in "Pillow Talk".

Angelyne is also an artist; she began painting in 1998 and has had several art shows in Los Angeles. She has run for Governor of California twice, during the recall elections of Gray Davis in 2003 and Gavin Newsom in 2021.