Episode 7: Women who Rocked the 70s
How might the space created for women in 70s rock been different if Janis Joplin had not died in 1970? (Photo by David Gahr, June 1970)
PLAYLIST
“Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” by Janis Joplin (1969)
“Finest Lovin’ Man” by Bonnie Raitt (1971)
“Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac (1977)
“Over My Head” by Fleetwood Mac (1975)
“Barracuda” by Heart (1977)
“Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders (1979)
SUMMARY
Rock and roll was a man's world in the 1970s. Would that have been any different if Janis Joplin had not died just as the 70s were beginning? The world will never know but what is known is that women in the music industry faced challenges that men did not, simply because of their gender. This episode reviews the contributions of Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Chrissie Hynde in an attempt to understand how women found their place in rock while society as a whole still struggled with granting women their full complement of civil rights.
SOURCES USED TO CREATE THIS EPISODE
Cohen, Sascha. “Women’s Equality Day: The History of When Women Went on Strike.” Time.com. August 26, 2015. https://time.com/4008060/women-strike-equality-1970/
Dalton, David. “Janis Joplin’s Full Tilt Boogie Ride.” Rolling Stone. August 10, 1970. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/janis-joplins-full-tilt-boogie-ride-254786
Fleetwood Mac. “Dreams.” Rumours, Warner Brothers Records, 1977.
Fleetwood Mac. “Over My Head.” Fleetwood Mac, Reprise Records, 1975.
Grant, Sarah. “Heart’s Ann Wilson on Sexism in Rock, Why #MeToo is a ‘Power Issue.’ Rolling Stone. January 17. 2018. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/hearts-ann-wilson-on-sexism-in-rock-why-metoo-is-a-power-issue-126503/
Heart. “Barracuda.” Little Queen, Portrait Records, 1977.
“Janis Joplin: The Queen of Rock.” NPR. January 13, 2013. https://www.npr.org/2013/01/19/169799810/janis-joplin-the-queen-of-rock
Joplin, Janis. “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder.) I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, Columbia Records, 1969.
McNair, James. “The Story Behind Brass in Pocket” Louder. November 26, 2016. https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-story-behind-the-song-brass-in-pocket-by-the-pretend
O’Brien, Lucy. She Bop II: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop, and Soul. New York: Continuum Publishing. 2004.
The Pretenders. “Brass in Pocket.” Pretenders, Sire Records, 1979.
Raitt, Bonnie. “Finest Lovin’ Man.” Finest Lovin’ Man, Warner Brothers Records, 1971.
Robinson, Lisa. “New Again: Chrissie Hynde” Interview. October 25, 2016. https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/new-again-chrissie-hynde
Sheffield, Rob. “Stevie Nicks: Wisdom from the Rock and Roll Legend.” Rolling Stone. February 28, 2019. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/stevie-nicks-interview-tom-petty-drag-queens-game-of-thrones-prince-801112/