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Women's
Music Magazines
About
my research references: I am very fortunate to have in my archives
fairly complete sets of several wonderful women's music magazines,
and
as so few people would have access to them, I am sharing them here.
Musica
Click
for Every Issue of Musica
Musica
was edited by Indy Allen, out of Troutdale, Oregon, and the first
issue was a
three-page newsletter (March 1974). By the fifth issue (Spring 1976)
it had grown to
13 pages of news about festivals, new releases and artist info. The
last issue I have is
from Spring 1977, but it has no volume number so I cannot tell if
there were any issues
between #5 and it; and I do not know if any other issues were done.
Paid
My Dues
Click
for Every Issue of PMD
Paid
My Dues was a remarkable magazine of women's
music information, reviews,
interviews, etc. Volume 1 number 1 came out in early 1974, with an
amazing 38 pages.
A
side comment: in those years it was often hard to determine the names
of people
putting out magazines. I know, because I was involved with a gay newspaper
(in Norfolk)
in the late 70s. There were two forces going on. One was the common
sense element of
not wanting to publish your name in a gay/lesbian identified magazine.
Many people would
have been in danger of losing their jobs if publically named. Also,
there was a "community
spirit" of some of these ventures, where no one wanted to take
"credit" for a joint effort.
Anyway, Paid My Dues lasted until 1980 and released 15 issues. Some
of the people
responsible were Dorothy Dean (founder), Kathryn Gohl, Karen Corti,
Judy Erickson,
Kathyrn Judd, \Toni Armstrong Jr, and many others. Toni Armstrong
Jr went on to
found Hot Wire Magazine (The Journal of Women's Music), published
from 1984 - 1994.
Shown
above on the covers are guitarist Jerene Jackson and Kay Gardner.
Hot
Wire
Another
women's magazine in my collection, that is a major resource to me,
is the superb
magazine Hot Wire. Its subtitle was "The Journal of Women's
Music and Culture," and for ten
wonderful years it covered this genre in both an entertaining and
scholarly way.
Publisher Toni Armstrong Jr masterly ushered the magazine through
30 issues,
and I'm very pleased that I have all in my archives.
And
check out my Sept 2005
show for a terrific interview with Toni Armstrong Jr,
perhaps THE expert on women's music publications
And
now you can read every issue on their new site
http://www.hotwirejournal.com/
As a devotee of this
magazine I compiled some additional information, ready to download.
Listing
of the Soundsheets
with many of the magazine articles about them
Scans
of the Discs
the actual flexi-discs, almost all of them
Women's
Music Newsletter
This
was a regional, quarterly newsletter published out of Seattle by Toby
Langen and Molly McGee,
and included "reviews of new record releases as well as profiles
and interviews with performers
and others involved in the production of women's music and culture."
I have eight issues in my
collection of the eight-page publication, and as copies did not contain
a volume number I cannot
tell if any copies preceded the first one I have, and do not know
if others followed. My copies
span from "Fall 1987" to "Winter 1989"
Click
for Women's Music Newsletter (Seattle)
Lesbian
Tide
No,
"Lesbian Tide" was not a music magazine, but it was excellent
in its coverage of women's music.
It was published out of Los Angeles, from 1971 through 1980, the prime
time for this important history.
I have a handful of the issues and am sharing about 50 of the articles
and music ads from it.
Click
for Lesbian Tide Articles and for Entire
Issues
My
Sisters' Song -- Womens' Records (1975)
This
is an amazing discography of "woman-made" music, compiled
by Mary Jo Valenti
and Linda J. Larkin, edited by Dorothy K. Dean. It contains 20 pages
of listings, and at
times the criteria must have been, when in doubt, include the artist...for
example,
Doris Day and Cher would not be considered "woman-made,"
but better to have too
much information than not enough. And again, while I would love it
to be so, this is not
a listing of lesbian artists, but just to have the raw data in so
much detain is a blessing.
Click for My
Sister's Song
And,
while not "music-related," Lisa Ben's magazine "Vice
Versa"
is certainly historic; now you can read every issue, on my site
Vice
Versa
And
below, from a 1977 issue of "Sing Out!" is a listing of
"Feminist Phonograph Records & Tapes."
Now, this was not a lesbian magazine, it was a folk magazine, but
it gave amazing coverage to
lesbian artists and many early and historic recording appear on the
listing. I did spot some errors:
in the title of Maxine Feldman's song "Angry Atthis," and
Margie Adam's name has no "s" on the end,
but all in all a remarkable list from a time when it was a a blessing
just to see a list like this. Also
note the listing of a tape by Casse Culver that pre-dated her album.
Click
for selected info from "OutLoud!"
Below,
I've never seen a copy of "Dyke Music," but here is a review
and ad
from Lesbian Tide, Mar/Apr 1979
if you can help me find a copy, please email
me
Sisters,
a San Francisco publication, just a little on music,
but as it is So early, Nov 1973, you can find it all here
Of music interest is Family of Women, pp 4-7
And
check out my Sept 2005
show for a terrific interview with Toni Armstrong Jr,
perhaps THE expert on women's music publications
Please
visit the archive for Dyke, A Quarterly
not music-related, but I love it when archiving is well done
No
link, but another to be aware of...
And
Here's an Excellent Blog Post on early Lesbian Magazines