Lollipop Lounge

by Genya Ravan

Holocaust survivor, trailblazing perfomer, pioneer producer, and hell-raising iconoclast, Genya Ravan takes readers on an unforgettable ride through a 40-year career in music. From the highs of being the lead singer in Goldie & the Gingerbreads, the first self-contained all-female band; touring Europe with the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and the Hollies; and working as the first female producer hired by a major record label, to the lows of harrowing recoveries from alcoholism, drug addiction, and cancer, Genya Ravan lived the rock and roll lifestyle to the hilt, barely surviving to tell the tale. Brutally honest, hysterically funny, and ultimately inspirational, Ravan tells her story as only she could.





• For fans of Ravan's work with Goldie & the Gingerbreads, Ten Wheel Drive, and her solo recordings

• The title refers to a famous NYC nightclub and the first venue in which the author ever performed

• Author toured with such popular bands as the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and the Hollies

Genres: Music, Biography Memoir

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Larry-bob Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genya Ravan is definitely a survivor. Starting with surviving a concentration camp when she was a girl, then going through sex, drugs, and rock'n' roll, surviving addiction, and then surviving cancer.

Ravan was in one of the first all-women bands that played their own instruments, Goldie and the Gingerbreads. Then she fronted a jazz fusion band called Ten Wheel Drive, and then recorded several solo records. And she also did record production, including producing the Dead Boys and Ronnie Spector.

The most detail is devoted to Goldie and the Gingerbreads. It was interesting reading this immediately after Frock Rock Women Performing Popular Music by Mavis Bayton - many of the observations Bayton made about all-women bands apply to Goldie and the Gingerbreads. For instance, because female instrumentalists were so rare, the band had to make do at times with players who were not entirely compatible either musically or in terms of personal relations. And there were definitely a lot of problems encountered being an all-women band in a male-dominated industry.

Reading this made me thing "what if" quite a bit. What if Goldie and the Gingerbreads had been able to record songs that really represented them well and had been able to have a hit? What if she had managed to have a label that really supported her in her solo career? What if Genya had managed to get sober sooner? Imagine the influence on other musicians if she had been better known.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent autobiography by NYC music icon Genya Ravan. She’s led a very interesting life and tells it all in the book. She survived a Polish concentration camp, drug/alcohol addiction, and lung cancer (where the original prognosis was that she had 3-6 months to live – that was back in the early 90’s). Her music career spanned 5 decades as both a singer/songwriter and producer but, in the opinion of many, never got the credit she deserved. She founded the first all-girl band (Goldie and the Gingerbreads) to have a number one single and toured with all the great bands of that time. The story is very well told (she is the only author listed so I assume she wrote the book herself) and holds your interest throughout. It’s filled with great stories about life on the road, her encounters with music legends, and the difficulty of making it in the music industry. She’s also very honest about her personal and strengths and shortcomings.

[Hindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating life story by a woman who has rocked since the early 60s. From girl group to record producer, Genya is still strong. The story begins when she was 7, with her family's escape from a concentration camp. Every stage of her life is a reiteration of that survival.

[Cyni · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride, this book is so full of open recounts. Lots of information on what it was like to be a female in rock N Roll back then. She shares her opinions, and experiences well. A strong busy woman in Rock.
A must have for a Genya Ravan fan. But it is a good read if you never even heard of her too.

[Meilan]

It is a fascinating look at the place of women in the beginning of rock and roll. Her account of the lower East Side tenement life in the 40's and 50's is riveting, as is her survival of the holocaust.

[Ian "Marvin" Graye]

I love this woman.

She belted out songs like "Steve (Go All the Way With Me)" and "Junkman (I'll be Your Twilight Lover") in the 60's and 70's and I think she's still going.

[Meliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. I can't wait to listen to the cd to hear what songs go with each chapter.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. Couldn't put this one down.