Coming up on today’s Moncrieff, Sean will be talking to Mick Houghton about his new biography of Sandy Denny, one of the most influential folk-singers ever.
Denny, whose troubled life ended tragically at the age of 31 in 1978, has long-been regarded as a defining figure in the British music scene, and her albums are seen as a driving force behind such contemporary artists as Laura Marling, Florence + the Machine and Joanna Newsom.
To hear Sean’s interview with Mick Houghton, tune in live to Moncrieff at 3pm: http://www.newstalk.com/player/
While Denny’s music is certainly influential, her name is certainly not as well known these days as it once was. But she’s not alone in having helped to shape the contemporary music scene and have fallen into obscurity. Here are five other female artists who defined music, but that perhaps you’ve never heard of...
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Starting out as a gospel singer in the 1930s, Tharpe quickly mixed blues and jazz into her upbeat performances, and essentially invented rock and roll music as we know it. While performing in cabaret clubs surrounded by naked women alienated her Christian fan base, her influences can be seen every musician from Elvis to Aretha Franklin.
Sophie Tucker: The daughter of Russian immigrants to the US, Tucker’s music was so risqué that in the 1920s she was labelled ‘the last of the red-hot mamas’. Originally singing for tips at her family’s restaurant, she quickly moved on to the vaudeville scene and made it as part of the legendary Ziegfeld Follies. Making use of her rampant sexuality, her work can be seen in generations of empowered limelight-loving stars from Mae West to Mama Cass.
Mamie Smith: This recording artist actually changed history, producing the first ever blues record and seeing it sell more than a million copies in 1920. What was so remarkable was that her audience was almost entirely African American, a target market that record labels denied even existed in the first place. The phenomenal success of Smith’s Crazy Blues would open the eyes and ears of record-label executives to black music, and would influence generations of performing artists forever.
The Shangri-Las: Best known for their hit Leader of the Pack, the 60s girl group would prove influential and have a massive impact on punk musicians in the 70s – and still today. Understanding better than most the power of image, the sweet-faced girls packed a serious punch with seriously dark lyrics revealing something with a bit more bite than traditional bubble-gum pop.
Poly Styrene: Poly broke ground by being the lead singer of the punk band X-Ray Spex, at a time when the punk scene was almost entirely dominated by men. Add to that being a woman of colour, and she was breaking ground every day. Her music and songs covered everything from politics, race and female body image, and she never missed an opportunity to stick it to the man at every turn.
