2/3/2017 4:24:21 AM
Female artists I have loved

2/3/2017 4:24:21 AM

Female artists I have loved
Over the years I have enjoyed and been influenced by many great female artists. As I'm new here I thought I'd start a thread dedicated to some of them. I hope some of you will share and add your memories. I'll start with :-

Helen Reddy

Back in the '70s I was a big, big fan of Helen Reddy. I loved the tone of her voice and the slight Australian accent. She almost always sung songs that were relevant to strong women. She had a good range and was very melodic.

Yesterday with the help of youtube, I took myself back to those songs I knew so well, I played and sang along joyfully and the years melted away.

Then I decided to check what happened to Helen or even if she was still alive.
I was delighted and surprised to find that as recent as last month Helen performed her "I am woman" as part of the women's protests in US. I watched the live video.

At first I couldn't find where the lovely voice was coming from, then I spotted a plump little old lady with grey hair center stage. Helen Reddy (aged 75) was singing live without any backing music, her voice was just as I remembered. Well done Helen, still standing up for women's rights.

Sadly she was holding a copy of the lyrics to her most famous song, and the rumors are she's getting a little forgetful these days, but aren't we all.

2/3/2017 7:10:46 AM ---- Updated 2/3/2017 7:15:59 AM

My next lady is :-

Agnetha Faltskog

The blonde one in ABBA. I didn't know this lady prior to her becoming a quarter of that amazing band but in fact she was already very successful in Sweden in her own right.

Pretty Agnetha had a very Scandinavian look and a lovely accent, she, like the rest of the band wore outrageous clothes but she carried them so well. Although she had solo parts in many of their songs I think the one that shone out for her was "Thank you for the music" it was almost her life story in song.

Agnetha had a warm depth to her voice, it rung out with confidence and emotion lit up her features. I remember she had a rough time touring after her kids came along and eventually her marriage to Bjorn broke down but she sang her way painfully through the split with songs like "Knowing me knowing you" and "The winner takes it all" and "One of us"

After ABBA she had solo success once again in Europe mostly, mainly with covers, she also famously dropped out of the business for 15 years.

Yesterday I listened again to her cover of "If I thought you'd ever change your mind" it was so much better than any other cover of that song, somehow she can hang on to, or emphasize notes to get maximum emotive impact. Her influences are quoted as Connie Francis, Marianne Faithfull, Aretha Franklin and Lesley Gore but I actually preferred her to all of those. I think there was more to Agnetha than met the eye.

Agnetha is 66 now, mature but still attractive and with the same honeyed vocals.

Tomorrow my ladies will be #Dusty Springfield and #Madeline Bell

2/3/2017 9:34:07 AM ---- Updated 2/3/2017 9:34:53 AM

My favorite female artist of all time is Welsh singer-songwriter Jem (full name - Jemma Griffiths). She writes all of her own music, which is a unique and eclectic fusion of genres, like trip hop, electronica, pop rock, folk, new wave, and others (there are even elements of Latin and other world music in some of her songs). She also has a lovely voice - not a particularly huge vocal range, but a rare smoky and velvety timbre. She used to be kinda famous in the mid 2000s, when some of her songs were used in TV shows like The O.C., Six Feet Under, Desperate Housewives, Without a Trace, and Grey's Anatomy...

Now, she might actually qualify as an indie artist, since her third album "Beachwood Canyon" (out last summer, after 8 years of waiting by fans like me) was released by a small independent label - Orchid Entertainment - which I can't find any info about online, so it must have been founded by Jem herself. So maybe we should invite her to this site and see if she might wanna join...LOL ;)

2/3/2017 9:39:28 AM

My favorite female artists in order are

Carole King
Karen Carpenter (only behind Carole cause she's not a songwriter)
Carly Simon
Silvia from Sugarplum Fairies
Joni Mitchell
Jillianne Wright

2/3/2017 9:42:26 AM

And yeah, I agree about Agnetha (I even know how to pronounce her name, even though I can't speak Swedish LOL)... Both she and Anni-Frid are great singers, and I obviously love the songwriting by Benny and Bjorn, since ABBA are my 2nd favorite band of all time (after the Beatles). And I don't care about the outrageous clothes - that was mostly before I was born, and I only care about the music anyway. :P

2/3/2017 9:50:16 AM

I do not care what anyone thinks. I love love love love Taylor Swift and this is my all-time favorite Taylor Swift song. Love love love it!

2/3/2017 9:56:08 AM

And I also LOVE Mary Halvorson. LOVE her!

2/3/2017 11:10:26 AM ---- Updated 2/3/2017 11:11:57 AM

Welsh singers are the best in the World aren't they! I have so many I like right back to Mary Hopkin, Shirley Bassey and Bonnie Tyler. Charlotte Church has an amazing voice as does Katherine Jenkins.

I'll be adding Carole King and Karen Carpenter to my list, maybe a couple of others too, but don't know The Sugaplum lady or Jillianne

Mary Halvorson Quintet, Wow that was some weird music. I'm not really a Country fan either sorry, but I'll leave room to feature Dolly Parton.

2/3/2017 11:12:01 AM

Yeah, Shirley Bassey! Bond girl numero uno!

2/3/2017 11:47:20 AM

Hey don't get me started on Bond girl singers, there's been so many great ones.

I really like Sheena Easton (For your eyes only) but I suppose Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Adele, Gladys Knight, Rita Coolidge, Alicia Keys, Lulu, and Carly Simon weren't too bad either. Even Nancy Sinatra had a good sound but I can't remember who sang Die another day ;)

2/3/2017 12:28:53 PM

@ Memorie Laine, I've been told The Sugaplum lady and Jillianne actually have pages on this site... ;)

2/3/2017 12:44:24 PM

Well Sugarplum Fairies have a page, yes. Jillianne changes her artist name a lot so it's hard to tell where to find her on any given day. :rolleyes

2/3/2017 12:51:16 PM

I thought of 2 other singers I love.

Cat Dowling of Alphastates who have a page here,

and the devine Miss M, Bette Midler, whose version of Do You Wanna Dance is the sexiest song ever made.

2/3/2017 1:21:14 PM

As for my Welsh girl Jem, here she is, if someone happens to have never heard her before:


As you can see from the almost 5 million views on the video (though it was uploaded 9 years ago), she is not completely unknown...

But from the only 8,000 views she has on her non-video (just an audio track with a still pic) of her new single from last year - "Beachwood Canyon", it seem she is now almost in the same boat as you guys... Which is an interesting position to be in, for an artist formerly signed to a major label :) But, knowing what kind of a person she is, I'm willing to bet she doesn't care about the money and/or fame...

2/3/2017 10:37:23 PM

I used to listen to Jem and I think she's got an unusual style, a mix of Trip hop and new wave. Dido has a similar sound if you know her. Beth Orton too. I believe it's called Folktronica

2/3/2017 10:58:51 PM

Yeah, I know those 2 as well - they are good :) But Jem has even more genres and styles mixed into her music - the song "24" has some sort of indie rock or alternative rock feel to it (not sure, as I am not very knowledgeable about music genres using electric guitars), and the song "I Want You To..." is Latin fusion. There are some pop-rock ballads too. And her new album (from 2016) has a softer sound (not much trip-hop beats) and several songs with a '60s retro feel, which I obviously love, since I have been into exactly that kind of stuff these last few years (e.g. MonaLisa Twins).

2/4/2017 7:40:02 AM

... Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Carol King, Alanis Morissette, Natalie Merchant, Mazzy Star, and then there is PINK! -M-

2/4/2017 12:51:11 PM

Patti Smith, Birdy, Lana del Rey, Gin Wigmore, Aretha Franklin, in no particular order.

2/4/2017 1:21:14 PM

Caught Patti Smith in the late 70s in SF...

here's a song co-written w bruce springsteen...

2/4/2017 1:39:42 PM

I like Patti too, and Marianne Faitfhful. Saw Patti open for Neil Young around 2 years ago. Love Horses album.

2/5/2017 7:48:47 AM ---- Updated 2/5/2017 7:54:59 AM

I use to listen to Aretha Franklin on my way to gigs...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGdxpnGK2o4

Amy WineHouse... Janis Joplin...


Most recently I really dig Esme Patterson... She also did some tunes with Shaky Graves


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWg-YoBv-do

Oh yeah and Chrissie Hynde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YA3hZEDPNI

2/5/2017 8:04:22 AM

Laura Nyro, Elizabeth Frazer, Alison Goldfrapp

2/5/2017 8:14:51 AM

Jeff, Chrissie Hynde's book is really good.

2/5/2017 11:57:35 AM

Hey, thanks for all the contributions, I was going to go into detail about all the gals who meant something to me and why but when I looked at my list I realized that maybe I've been seeking out the same singers all along, the ladies with a warm, sultriness and an amazing range.

I also had Dusty Springfield, Karen Carpenter, Brenda Lee, Mama Cass, Elkie Brooks, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Crystal Gayle, Helen Shapiro, and Eva Cassidy.

2/5/2017 2:10:32 PM

JeffH - I forgot Amy Winehouse! How could I?

2/7/2017 12:24:05 PM

Etta James & Christine McVie.

2/7/2017 2:17:25 PM

Here are 3 women artists I have promoted to radio who I think are fantastic and live right here at IMP, each has a world class quality and successful in their own right. blues rock and jazz

SUMMER AND THE SINNERS
SUMMER

BEVERLY JAYNE
BEVERLY JAYNE

ELIZABETH GEYER
ELIZABETH

I have a few more women I have worked with and promoted to radio, and I will post those sometime down the road


bryon

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