Whether boogie-woogie artists or the modern K-pop sensations, it’s practically impossible to imagine a world music scenario sans girl-bands. And yes, we’re talking about ‘all-women’ bands, without any male member! There’s a long line of female groups who bowled us over with their amazing music, lyrics, and more. Pop, rock, electronica, R&B, country- name them, and there are umpteen girl gangs who not only had fun at what they did but ensured we have our dose too! Here’s taking a look at five such popular bands that inspired several contemporary artists and groups.
1959 – The Supremes
The band initially went by the name Primettes and was the sister avatar for the male group Primes. Later, the band expanded after Florence Ballard recruited Mary Wilson, who happened to be her bestie. Mary got Diana Ross on board. However, the group didn’t sign their big deal after their first audition was over with Motown Records in 1960. But in 1961, the head of Motown, Berry Gordy, offered the women a contract. They embraced the name Supremes and gave birth to a new band!
Early failures didn’t mar their spirits, and in 1964 they released Where did our Love Go, which became the No.1 smash hit. Diana parted ways in 1960, but by that time, the band bagged almost a dozen hits! Except for The Beatles, no other group could flaunt this. Despite the commercial success rate dying down by the 1970s, The Supremes continue to remain the most successful girl bands of all time.
1978 – The Go-Go’s
In the late 70s in LA, The Go-Go’s started as a punk band. Their first release, We Got the Beat was a runaway hit in dance clubs. Besides, it also got success as an import with the UK. With Beauty and the Beat, this girl band became the first among females to write down their songs and play instruments on a No.1 charting album.
They soon won the nomination for the prestigious Grammy Award for the category- Best New Artist. We Got the Beat escalated to one of the top 10 smashing hits! While they parted ways in 1985, they reunited several times. Belinda Carlisle from the band became a successful solo singer.
1981 – The Bangles
Much like the former, this girl band formed in 1981 in LA as a significant part of the Paisley Underground scene. This was during the 1960s when rock music influenced at large. A few releases later, Bangles luckily signed with Columbia Records, one of the major labels. A music video featuring Leonard Nimoy with the title Going Down to Liverpool broke all records in the UK pop singles chart.
Soon after that, they had another smashing hit with the song Manic Monday, written by Prince Following closely was Walk Like an Egyptian. By the time it was the late 1980s, interpersonal and artistic differences became prominent, and the group part ways. They got reunited later, only to produce two additional studio albums.
1989 – En Vogue
The formation of this group was because of the joint efforts of producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy. Together, they got a contemporary R&B group, inspired largely by the golden times of girl groups. Auditions happened in 1988, and En Vogue was born. Their debut album, Born to Sing, came out in 1990. And their first single, Hold On, became a chart-topper.
Almost ten years later, En Vogue released a total of six top 10 pop hit singles and received seven Grammy Award nominations! The late 1990s proved a tad detrimental for the group, but live performances and new music occurs even today.
1996 – Spice Girls
This band was akin to the on-your-face answer to successful boy bands in the mid-1990s. Previously, the five-member group was popular as Touch, but they chose to rename themselves after a few spats with the management over creative aspects. Wannabe, their debut single released in 1996 and was the first “in a string of six consecutive” No. 1 pop hits that the UK saw.
What was attractive about the band was not merely the songs. But the fashion sense that the girls brought about. Alongside was the ‘girl-power’ message. By 2000, they all went their ways yet stayed successful in the glam world, notably ‘Posh’ or Victoria Beckham, an acclaimed designer and wife of soccer sensation David Beckham.
The list doesn’t end here. But these bands indeed deserve a noteworthy mention.