Genya Ravan with the great drummer Bobby Chen and well-known Philadelphia DJ, Michael Tearson just earlier this month.

(Gratuitous Ad Alert- Genya is stylin with one of our  custom tinted reading glasses, the TwentyTwenty 105.)

Genya Ravan is a true rock & roll pioneer. Founder of the first all female rock band to be signed by a major label, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, Genya also went on to become one of the first female producers in the music industry. She has sung everything from R&B to rock, to blues, to fusion, -here with Ten Wheel Drive-


Genya Ravan with Ten Wheel Drive- "Pulse".

Read on, there's lots more after the jump-

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-On November 17th, 1974 I went to my first rock concert. It was billed as "Heavy Metal Sunday" at the Baltimore Civic Center and the line-up included Blue Oyster Cult, Steppenwolf, PFM, and Aerosmith (touring for their first album.)  The opening act was Ruth Copeland and as I walked into the center she and her band were knocking the dust out of the rafters! So why am I blathering about my first rock concert? Genya Ravan paved the way for Ruth Copeland as well as Suzie Quatro and Joan Jett and all of the great women rockers that followed. That's why.

Genya, as Goldie in Goldie and the Gingerbreads toured in the UK with the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Kinks and The Yardbirds to great acclaim. In her biography, "Lollipop Lounge", she notes of that era, "In the 1960's, it was really unusual for girls to pick up instruments unless they were somewhat strange to begin with. What mother would encourage her little darling to play drums or bass or trombone back then? The same went for music classes. Back then the piano, or even the violin, was considered a suitable instrument for a young girl, but the notion of training to play rock 'n' roll was unimaginable. Rock 'n' roll was what juvenile delinquents did, not young ladies."


Genya Ravan (Goldie) - "Whipping Post"- Allman Brothers cover.


Genya Ravan - "Hold on I'm Coming"
Genya still performs in New York. Check her out -
GenyaRavan.com
Genya's autobiography, "Lollipop Lounge" as a must read- real book and Kindle edition
Bitch Magazine- Has a cool article about Genya as part of a women in rock series.
BTW- Our favorite song is the title track from "Cheesecake Girl"  which has a fantastic review on PunkGlobe.com

Thanks for being awesome Genya!
-Steve and Rhonda