Fanny (band)
| Fanny | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1970–1975; 2007 |
| Labels | Reprise Records |
| Past members | |
| June Millington Jean Millington Alice de Buhr Nickey Barclay Patti Quatro Brie Brandt-Howard Cam Davis |
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Fanny was an American girl band, led by Jean and June Millington. They were pioneers as one of the first rock bands to feature all women, and the third to sign to a major record label, after Goldie & the Gingerbreads and The Pleasure Seekers (Mercury Records). They reached the Top 40 two times, with "Charity Ball" in 1971 and "Butter Boy" in 1975, peaking at #40 and #29 respectively in the Billboard Hot 100.[1] Fanny was the first all-female band to release an album on a major label.[2]
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[edit] Career
Fanny was formed by guitarist June Millington (born April 14, 1948, Manila, Phillipines), her bass guitarist sister Jean (born May 25, 1950, Manila, Phillipines), and drummer Alice de Buhr (born 1950, Mason City, Iowa, USA); keyboard player Nickey Barclay (born 1951, Washington DC, Maryland, USA) [2] joined the band after they arrived in LA with a record deal secured with Richard Perry. The group signed with Warner Bros imprint Reprise Records in 1969, and released four albums by 1973.[2] With young engineer Leslie Ann Jones as their road manager and live sound mixer,[3] Fanny toured worldwide, opening for Slade, Jethro Tull and Humble Pie,[4] gaining widespread popularity in the UK, and charted in the U.S. with "Charity Ball" in earlier years, and "I've Had It", and "Butter Boy" being the highest charted Fanny singles in 1974, from the Rock and Roll Survivors album on then-Warner owned Casablanca Records in 1974 (after Patti Quatro and Brie Brandt joined the band). In 1971, Fanny were session musicians and did arrangements for Barbra Streisand's album Barbra Joan Streisand.[2][5][6]
Fanny fan David Bowie said in Rolling Stone - 29 December 1999: "One of the most important female bands in American rock has been buried without a trace. And that is Fanny. They were one of the finest... rock bands of their time, in about 1973. They were extraordinary... they're as important as anybody else who's ever been, ever; it just wasn't their time."[2]
June and Jean Millington continued to record and release albums together after Fanny disbanded, most recently "Play Like a Girl" on June's label Fabulous Records. June, described by Guitar Player as the hottest female guitar player in the music industry, has had a career producing albums as well, for artists including Holly Near, Cris Williamson and Bitch and Animal. Jean has also done studio work for many artists, including Keith Moon, Bowie and Roderick Taylor. Jean continues to play bass guitar both in the recording studio and in concert, and is also an herbalist.[2]
Patti Quatro continued to do studio work for artists, including Suzi Quatro, ELO, Keith Moon and France Gall, as well as touring. Patti is also involved, with her sisters, in the retrospective release of the early Quatro musical female bands, "Cradle" and "The Pleasure Seekers".
Brie Howard, now going by the name Brie Howard-Darling, continued on as one of the top session and touring musicians of the 80s and 90s, playing and recording with everyone from Carole King, Jimmy Buffett and Elton John to Robbie Nevil and Jack Wagner. She also fronted the band American Girls (who put out a lone effort on I.R.S. Records in 1986) as its drummer and co-lead vocalist.
Her next band was the Boxing Gandhis, of which she is co-lead vocalist and percussionist. The band put out two records (Boxing Gandhis in 1994 and Howard in 1996) before breaking up in 2001. The band has since reformed for periodic gigs around L.A.
A reunion show with the Millington sisters and de Buhr was held at Berklee College of Music on April 20, 2007,[7] where the band members received the Rockrgrl Women Of Valor award for their achievements.
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Original line-up
- Jean Millington: bass guitar, vocals
- June Millington: guitar, vocals
- Nickey Barclay: keyboards, vocals
- Alice de Buhr: drums, vocals
[edit] Later members
- Patti Quatro: guitar, vocals - sister of Suzi Quatro
- Brie Brandt-Howard: drums, vocals
- Cam Davis: drums
[edit] Album discography
- Fanny (1970; Reprise Records)
- Charity Ball (1971; Reprise Records)
- Fanny Hill (1972; Reprise Records)
- Fanny Live (1972; Slick Music)
- Mother's Pride (1973; Reprise Records (produced by Todd Rundgren)
- Rock and Roll Survivors (1974; Casablanca Records)
- First Time in a Long Time, 4-CD retrospective (2002; Rhino Records)
- Rock and Roll Survivors CD (2009; Cherry Red Records)
- Play Like a Girl (2011)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Chart Awards: Fanny". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/fanny-p17433/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Berklee.edu/news
- ^ Gaar, Gillian G. (2002). She's a rebel: the history of women in rock & roll (2 ed.). Seal Press. p. 142. ISBN 1580050786. http://books.google.com/books?id=m09vjqEmeX4C&pg=PA142.
- ^ Boston.com
- ^ Anderman, Joan (20 April 2007). "Rocking the Boat". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/04/20/rocking_the_boat/?page=3.
- ^ "Barbara Joan Streisand: Credits". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/barbra-joan-streisand-r24151/credits. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
- ^ Bramfoto.com/bostonglobe
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Kickstarter Project: Play Like A Girl
- Fan forum and portal: Fanny Seven Roads (F7R)
- Metalmaidens' general history on the band
- F7R on MySpace
- The Flamekeepers: Fanny fans group on YouTube
- Boston Herald article touching on 2007 reunion
- Berklee press release announcing the Rockrgrl award
- NY Daily News article on new album Play Like a Girl
