Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Am I the Same Girl? : THE DIVA APRIL 20, 2009
I have been thinking a lot about the different identities that women are expected/allowed to have. One that seems extremely omnipresent recently, particularly with reference to women making music, is the identity of THE DIVA. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a diva is: "[It. diva goddess, lady-love, ‘fine lady’:
A distinguished female singer, a prima donna.
Yet, the diva has recently been equated to bitch, a difficult woman, or a demanding lady. And, perhaps as a result, female diva artistry has been taken for granted and relegated to the much scorned status of "Top 40"-- not-serious, adolescent music. I am now thinking of the bit of scholarship I have read on the image of the "teeny bopper" by Angela Robbie and how the subcultural identity has created its own space for GIRLS to maneuver. And as we know, tastes, just as much as anything is completely constructed. So I wonder how this type of music has become emblematic of the inauthentic or understood to be not-serious.
This show was my attempt at highlighting some of the women who have been relegated to the "diva" category in popular culture, and understanding them as musicians and artists making music. Let's try to strip away the social conventions of elitist pop-hating ways, and listen to what it means for these women to claim divadom and fully assume that identity.
Divas - This is New Radio
Monday, March 9, 2009
Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad: Country Queens & Rockabilly Babies Ladies Febuary 9, 2009
I was thinking a lot about the idea of girldom and how it relates to the identity of being "country." Perhaps it is because I am writing my thesis about blues tourism in the Mississippi Delta, and am currently exploring Raymond Williams's The Country and the City, in any case, the word country is a complex and rich cultural category that indexes a wide range of meanings. This show was my was of thinking about gender and country-ness in terms of music. What does it mean for grrrls to be country? How is country-ness constructed? Who is allowed to be country? and how does this category manifest in musical form? I am concerned with the way that grrrls interact with this country identity. The link below is to the show I did on country ladies. Of course, this remains a reflection of my own tastes in female country music ladies, and by no means, aims to present an exhausted list of all the country queens. I always welcome new suggestions and directions!This is New Radio Country Grrrls
Track Listing:
Kitty Wells- It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
Anita Carter- John Handy Was a Desperate Little Man
Maggie Dee and the Ramblers- Waitress
Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn- Silver Threads and Golden Needles
Dottie West- I Don't Wanna Play House
Skeeter Davis- Half a Mind
Patsy Cline- Walkin' After Midnight
Lucinda Williams- Can't Let Go
Molly Bee- Bayou Joe
Benda Lee- Walkin' to New Orleans
Mother Maybelle Carter- Foggy Mountain Top
Crystal Gale- Clock on the Wall
Arlene Harden- Lovin Man
Lynn Anderson- Rose Garden
Tammy Wynette- Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad
Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard- TB Blues
Lucinda Williams- Make Me Down a Pallet on Your Floor
Anita Veal & Bob Hooks Band- Daddy Let Me Go
Skeeter Davis- Hillbilly Song
Johnny Cash & June Carter- Jackson
Brenda Lee- Let's Jump the Broomstick
Jerry Lee Lewis & Linda Gail- We Live in Two Different Worlds
Janis Martin- Will You Willyum
Bobbie Gentry- Sweet Peony
Loretta Lynn- Woman Enough
Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard- Long Black Veil
Annie Bird- Wandering Boy
Patsy Cline- Have you Ever Been
Goldie Hill- Live From Tomorrow
Lucinda Williams- Drop Down Daddy
Emmylou Harris- Blue Kentucky Girl
Aunt Molly Jackson- I Love Coal Miners, I Do
Bobbie Gentry- Ode to Billie Joe
Linda Ronstadt- That'll Be the Day
Dolly Parton- You Ole Handy Man
Carolyn Hester- The Rivers of Texas
Brenda Lee- Dynamite
Saturday, March 7, 2009
You Don't Own Me: Grrrl Groups January 26, 2009
On January 26, 2009, 4-6 am Central Standard Time, in Chicago, Illinois on WHPK 88.5 the Pride of the South Side, This is New Radio showcased G[ir]rrl groups.
Reflecting on this show, I wish I would have had included more girl groups and added much more information about each song/artist, since every girl's story is simply fascinating, however, two hours is a temporal constraint, which does not allow such elaboration. But lucky for you, I can offer some insight for those interested in learning more about girl groups.
A few books to check out:
Whitall, Susan
1998. Women of Motown An Oral History. Avon Books: New York. (part of For the Record Books edited by Dave Marsh).
Warwick, Jacqueline
2007. Girl Groups Girl Culture Popular Music and Identity in the 1960s. Routledge: New York.
Greig, Charlotte
1989. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Girl Groups From the 50s On. Virago Press: London.
The Liverbirds- Peanut Butter
Below is the link for the show:
Girl Groups - This is New Radio
Track Listing:
Earl-Jean- I'm Into Something Good
The Supremes- Love is Like an Itching in My Heart
Goldie and the Gingerbreads- VIP
The Cookies- Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys Do
Lindy Lane- Low Grades and High Fever
Dusty Springfield- Take Another Little Piece of My Heart
The Shangri-las- Give Him a Great Big Kiss
The Angels- My Boyfriend's Back
The Chiffons- My Boyfriend's Back
The Chantels- Well I Told You
The Luv'd Ones- Up Down Sue
Mary Wells- My Guy
The Crystals- He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)
Brenda Holloway- I've Been Good to You
The Feminine Complex- Love Love Love
The Shirelles- Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?
ID- Those Ever Loving Baby Blues
Lesley Gore- You Don't Own Me
The Puppets- Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart
The Shangri-las- He Cried
The Marvelettes- Please Mr. Postman
The Pleasure Seekers- What a Way to Die
The Liverbirds- Diddley Daddy
Patti and the Bluebelles- Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Dana Gillespie- You Just Gotta Know My Mind
Lori Burton- Nightmare
The Ronettes- You Came, You Saw, You Conquered
Ellaine and the Shandells- Tell Me That You Care
The Starlets- No, No, No (You Don't Love Me)
The Ikettes- I'm Blue
Martha and the Vendellas- Dancing in the Streets
Dusty Springfield- Breakfast in Bed
The Jayettes- Sally Go Round the Roses
The Honeys- The One You Can't Have
The Toys- Lover's Concerto
The Termites- Tell Me
Alma Cogan- Snakes, Snails, Puppy Dog Tails
The Ronettes- Be My Baby
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