An Army of Lovers

Women's Music of the '70s and '80s

Plot

In California, a month before the Stonewall Riots in 1969, Maxine Feldman penned a song, “Angry Atthis,” about the shame surrounding lesbians. She didn’t know where she was going to sing her new song until comedy duo Harrison and Tyler asked her to open their shows. On the other side of the country and three years later, Alix Dobkin released Lavender Jane Loves Women, the first record produced, engineered and played by women.

Maxine and Alix had no business plan. They didn’t fit the mold set by mainstream music but they saw great potential to create a powerful soundtrack for women claiming their place as lesbians and feminists. A myriad of musicians joined them, from a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, to singer-songwriter Cris Williamson, to activist/singer Holly Near, to jazz/classical/gospel performer Mary Watkins and many more; collectively they have sold millions of albums.

Venues, radio shows, record distributors, and sound technicians sprung up to host and work with these musicians. Grateful fans traveled hundreds of miles to attend performances. These women (and a few men) created artist-run independent record labels―perhaps the first in history―and organized music festivals that drew thousands and still exist today. Before Lilith Fair and riot grrrls, there was women’s music!

“I stood in those crowds, sang along with Meg Christian and Casse Culver and women who played rock & roll and bluegrass and all the music that echoed in my bloodstream. Jamie Anderson has caught the lightning and put it on the page.” - Dorothy Allison

Contents:
Introduction: Songs about our lives
Why don't you start a record company? : women's music begins in the seventies
It's too late to stop us! : festivals, venues, and multi-performer tours of the seventies
Orange juice cans and the burgeoning network : women's music continues through the seventies
A well-established industry : the eighties
Trouble in paradise
Building a network from the ground up
Outside the US
It's just folk music, right?
Instrumentalists : making other performers sound great
The goddess needs music : spirituality and religion in women's music
Women's music isn't funny? : comedic musicians and stand-up comics
Beyond the eighties : changes, decline, and hope
Appendix A. Women's music producers and venues featuring touring musicians
Appendix B. Performers with a national or regional presence