Songs, Albums & Quotes of Karen Carpenter, Cher, Joan Jett & Pat Benatar: An Intro for Gen Z

By James Curtis Geist

Karen Carpenter
Between her contralto and brother Richard's baritone, The Carpenters produced quality and lyrically sophisticated pop songs. They had success with "Top of the World," "Superstar," "We've Only Just Begun," "Hurting Each Other," and "Sing." They created nine Gold Albums and sold over 100 million albums until the untimely and schoking sad death of Karen from anorexia.

Cher
She is known from "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" variety television show and their hits "I Got You Babe," "Bang Bang," and "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves." They sold over 40 million albums, but Cher as a solo act sold over 100 million albums with "Believe," "If I Could Turn Back Time," "Song for the Lonely," and "DJ Play Me a Christmas Song." Cher was inducted in the Rock Hall of Fame in 2024 and given Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.

Joan Jett
She is one of the few female rockers to cross over from punk and was a Runaway (1977-78) with their hit "Cherry Bomb" before starting her own record label, Blackheart Records. Twenty-three record companies refused to sign the band that sang "Bad Reputation." Her manager sold her records from the back of his car trunk after her concerts, and one year later, she was signed with one of the majors. She is know for "Crimson and Clover" and "I Love Rock and Roll." She was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Pat Benatar
She is a trail-blazer and rule-breaker. She started singing in elementary school, and after singing on Halloween of 1977 in a Cat Woman outfit and getting a standing ovation, her career began to take off. She is a trained mezzo-soprano who sang Pepsi commercial jingles before getting 19 hits in the Top 40 sucha as "Invincible," "Heartbreaker," "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," "We Belong" and other hits. She and husband "Spider" Neil Giraldo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. They have four Gold Albums and six Platinum Albums.

This book includes the backgrounds, influences, discographies and achievements of the female singers/rockers above. The impact of these bands cannot be overstated and is a proper introduction for Gen Z.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FNK529MV
• ISBN13: 9798299294460
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 90 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"