She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop & Soul

by Lucy O'Brien

Book Overview

Popular music grew out of ragtime, vaudeville and the blues to become global mass entertainment. Women like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were the original pop divas, yet eighty years after they blazed a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140251553
• ISBN13: 9780140251555
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Encyclopaedic work

She Bop is an in-depth look at the history of women in blues, country, folk, pop, rock, soul and world music. In the Prologue the author tells of her own introduction to the music world in a girl group, The Catholic Girls, in Southampton, England in 1979. Based on more than 250 interviews conducted between 1984 and 1995 plus many secondary sources, She Bop is not a simple chronological history but rather an exploration of themes, trends and genres. It looks at how women have negotiated their place in the music industry, the importance of role models and even rivalry. The author examines the issues that have challenged women from the blues through 1940s swing to MTV at various stages in the development of pop, for example how they deal with stardom, how they negotiate everything from contracts to image, the genres in which women predominate and women on the business side: managers, executives, publicists, journalists, producers and A & R people. In addition, women as consumers of music are discussed. Some chapter headings include: From Blues To The Jazz Age, Dream Babes In 1950s Pop, Motown, Spector And 1960s Svengalis, Whatever Happened To The Rock Chick? Punk, Performance Art And PMT Pop, Female Singer/Songwriters Of The Grand Hotel, Madonna, Manipulation And MTV, Artistry, Androgyny, Deconstructing The Disco Diva, The True Story Of Women In Rap And Reggae, Women In World Music, Women And Protest Pop. Because of its length, this is quite a daunting tome but it soon enough becomes an engaging read. There are some factual errors, probably because of sloppy editing (the 6-day War took place in 1967 not 1957) and a few other contradictions often on the same page. Also, O'Brien's feminist theorizing can become tiresome but her knowledge and enthusiasm for the music ultimately make She Bop a gripping read. She Bop is also a handy reference work; it concludes with Notes, a Selected Discography, Selected Bibliography, Index Of Names and Index Of Albums and Singles. Photographs enhance the text.

She rocks & folks & pops & souls

She Bop II is an encyclopedic work on the history of women in blues, country, folk, pop, rock, soul and world music. This 2nd edition updates the story until 2001 with major new interviews and an additional chapter on millennial trends like Girlpower, Alanis Morissette and Lilith Fair, soul singers like Erykah Badu and Lauren Hill, plus pop singers like Mariah Carey and Britney Spears. In the Prologue the author tells of her own introduction to the music world in a girl group in Southampton, England in 1979. They were called The Catholic Girls. Following this, in the Introduction O'Brien details some key changes for women in music since the publication of the first edition of She Bop in 1995. Based on more than 250 interviews conducted between 1984 and 2001 plus many secondary sources, She Bop is not a simple chronological history but rather an exploration of themes, trends and genres. It looks at how women have negotiated their place in the music industry, the importance of role models and even the internecine rivalry. It examines the issues that have challenged women from the blues through 1940s swing to MTV at various stages in the development of pop, for example how they deal with stardom, how they negotiate everything from contracts to image, the genres in which women predominate and women on the business side: managers, executives, publicists, journalists, producers and A & R people. In addition, the author discusses women as consumers of music. The chapters are as follows: Riffin' The Scotch: From Blues To The Jazz Age Stupid Cupid: Dream Babes In 1950s Pop The Real Thing: Motown, Spector And 1960s Svengalis Can The Can: Whatever Happened To The Rock Chick? Final Girls: Punk, Performance Art And PMT Pop Ladies Of The Canyon: Female Singer/Songwriters Of The Grand Hotel Lipstick Traces: Madonna, Manipulation And MTV She Wears The Trousers: Artistry, Androgyny And The Lesbian Question I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Deconstructing The Disco Diva In Search Of Our Mothers' Gardens: The True Story Of Women In Rap And Reggae Oye Mi Canto: Hear My Voice - Women In World Music Talkin' Tough: The Enemy Within - Women And Protest Pop Talkin' Business: Nuts `N' Bolts And All The Necessaries Girlpower: The New Generation The book concludes with 15pp of Notes, a Selected Discography, Selected Bibliography, Index Of Names and Index Of Albums and Singles. There is one color plate with photographs of Madonna, Mary J Blige, Debbie Harry, Billie Holiday, Alanis Morissette, Lauren Hill, Janis Joplin, Britney Spears and Diana Ross, plus many black & white photographs throughout the text. Because of its length, this is quite a daunting tome but it soon enough becomes an engaging read. There are some factual errors, probably because of sloppy editing (the 6-day War took place in 1967 not 1957) and a few other contradictions often on the same page. Also, O'Brien's feminist theorizing can become tiresome at times, but her knowledge and enthusiasm for the m

Pre-Lilith and Beyond Mere Pop Tarts

This book has been lauded as one of the most thorough, impressive histories of women in the music industry, and with good cause. British music journalist Lucy O'Brien (author of "Annie Lennox") goes above and beyond the usual "women in pop" formula to include not only extraordinary performing artists like Suzanne Vega and Billie Holliday, but also the groundbreaking female writers, producers, and engineers that aren't as often recognized by the media.O'Brien culls her information from more than 200 interviews conducted in Britain and the US over a 10-year period, beginning in 1984. Sifting through the genres of jazz, reggae, rap, folk, country, world, rock, and soul, she looks to those at the forefront of feminism in pop music, examining the extraordinary sense of self that propelled each of these women to not just ride the trends, but to create them.But don't dismiss this as a "just the facts" view of women in the music industry; it's much more. O'Brien is realistic and savvy enough to readily admit that there are issues that challenge women continually, including the ethics of blatantly leveraging one's sexuality as a marketing tool, the permeating lack of unity among women in the industry, and the self-destructive behavior that plagues many.Including a great collection of support material, such as photos, a bibliography, and a discography, She Bop is great addition to every rock fan's library.

lucy o'brien?she bops!

though written almost five years ago, lucy o'brien's _she bop_ is still one of the definitive books to cover the role of women in the music industry. like _rolling stone: women in rock_ and _women on top_, o'brien extensively documents the often-overlooked contribution that women have made to all forms of music, since the birth of the recording industry. o'brien peppers her account with excerpts from actual interviews accumulated during her years as a music journalist. in contrast with other books on the same subject, o'brien provides a uniquely english view, including artists that are often passed over, even in femenist music anthologies. by documenting the contributions made by women such as lisa lisa, shara nelson and martha wash, o'brien's book seems more thorough than those that focus only on industry divas. this book is an absolute must for anybody interested in the way that recorded music is dealing with issues of sex.