She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop & Soul

by Lucy O'Brien

Popular music grew out of ragtime, vaudeville and the blues to become global mass entertainment. Yet nearly eighty years after Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith first blazed the trail, have their female successors achieved the recognition and affirmation they deserve?
The first hands-on history of women in rock, pop and soul, She Bop tells it like it is - on stage, on camera and working in a male-dominated industry. Adding a feminist perspective to her incredibly detailed knowledge of the stars and their music, and including an abundance of personal interviews, Lucy O'Brien tells these women's stories and their struggle not only for acceptance, but also for recognition and success, in a culture they are still striving to call their own. She Bop traces the different stages of women's progress in the music industry, from the early years of ragtime and the Jazz Age up to the present.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Feminism, Gender, Biography

480 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this book can be summed up in one song: Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog." The Elvis version never made sense to me (why is he calling someone a hound dog?), but when I heard Big Mama's huge, deep voice bellow out this insult, it all made sense. This is a woman's song.

It's so great to see a history of women in popular music. It's an impossible task in many ways, but the author does a nice job of covering some of the most important pioneers. As with any book that covers popular music, I'm sure there are performers who could have been added, and drawing boundaries around who is rock, pop and soul isn't simple. But well worth checking out. It serves as a reminder of how far we've come and how far we have to go. I plan to pick up the second volume at some point.

[Sarah]

I have an arc of this that has been on my shelf since it came out. I've pulled it down a handful of times over the years, but it always seemed a little scant on whoever I was looking for. How could there only be one line about Fanny? Anyway, I read most of it today. There are some odd motives ascribed here and there, in ways that seem to be the author's assumptions more than anything else. I prefer the quotes, but those are delivered haphazardly. I'd love to read the full interviews, honestly. I'm glad this exists, and maybe the later editions clean up some of the issues I have.

[Tosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kimley and yours truly discuss She Bop by Lucy O'Brien on our Podcast BOOK MUSIK. You can hear it here: Book Musik podcast.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

haven't finished this yet. it's OK. one thing I found a bit irritating was the author's speculation on why these women made certain choices in their careers and making it sound like its not speculation and ascribing all of their motivations to something having to do with being female. that's a pretty bad sentence, I know. but anyway, if you are a musician who happens to be a female, I guess you are always technically a "female musician," but maybe not everything you do as a musician is a direct fight against oppression or determined by your menstral cycle or something.
another irritating thing was that I noted several inaccuracies (i.e., suzi quatro played fonzie's "sidekick," "Leatherface," and Mecca Normal is a female duo). And since I don't know everything about everything, I am guessing there are a few more mistakes that I didn't catch.
The part I have enjoyed most so far is the stuff about British women in music, which I didn't know much about. The treatment seems a bit more more thorough and insightful. The author is british, so maybe that is why. The author has also written a biography of Dusty Springfield which I would like to read.

[Dorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched, and written, this was fun to read and covers alot of genres of women in music. I really enjoyed last chapter, " Talkin'' Business". As the title describes, this chapter is about the women who have given so much by their involvement within the business side of music. This is an area that is so essential yet so little is written.
Very strong recommendation to anyone who loves music, and ESP to those who love women in music!

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for a friend a few years ago, and ended up reading it before I sent it to her. It's a really good overview of the history of women in popular music. It examines many of the big issues women have to face in the music industry (sexism, racism, promotion, etc.) Some names you will recognize, others you will likely not. I think this is a great book about women in music, and great book about music in general.

[Ryn McAtee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent book. The writing was strong, and it was a wonderful collection of quotes from some outstanding women. On the whole though, I wish there had been deeper focus on fewer people, as opposed to a couple of paragraphs about hundreds. I found it hard to keep them straight, and was disappointed when some of my favorite artists got only two paragraphs or less.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history of women in music. I used this as a research paper source in college more times than I can count (I was a music business major).

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book about women in these genres. Definitely worth it!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Bop is a through the looking glass view of the music industry. From A to Z look at what the music industry cares, uses, and produces. Women are getting it done but at a higher price.