Women's Music

Women's music is music written by, for, and about women which began as a recognizable genre during the women's movement of the 1970's and continues today as a source of empowerment and social change.

Kimball, Gayle, ed. Women's Culture : The Women's Renaissance of the Seventies. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981.

Part three of this anthology of addresses, essays, and lectures concerns the beginnings of women's music as a genre. Ruth Scovill contributed an essay called "Women's Music" in which she defines and analyzes this emerging genre; There is also an interview called "Female Composition" with composer, conductor, and flutist Kay Gardner, then Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Women's Symphony in Boston. Perkins -- CALL NUMBER: 305.40973 W873, 1981

Schwartz, Ellen. Born a Woman : Seven Canadian Women Singer-Songwriters. Winlaw, British Columbia: Polestar, 1988.

Biographies of seven Canadian women who combined the folk music revival of 60's and 70's with the women's movement to create their musical style. With quotations, photos, and accounts of careers, personal philosophies, and their definitions of women's music. Music -- CALL NUMBER: 780.92 S399, B736, 1988

Hanisch, Carol. Fight on sisters : and other songs for liberation. New Paltz, NY: Franklin Printing, 1978.

Radical Songbook containing 12 songs (music and lyrics) including political ballads and feminist music written because singing movements have brought about social change throughout history. With titles like "Bedroom Backlash", "You Better Stop Blaming Women", and "Not With My Life You Don't". She includes a story with every song. Special Collections Library -- CALL NUMBER: E Pam #4832

Silverman, Jerry. The Liberated Woman's Songbook. New York: Macmillan Co., 1971.

A songbook with lyrics of classic tunes to inform the present day women's movement. Silverman calls for a "unity of ingredients: militancy, love, and song to combat the ills of society". Lilly -- CALL NUMBER: 784.4973 S587L, 1971

Christian, Meg. The Best of Meg Christian. Oakland, CA: Olivia Records, 1990.

17 tunes by an original musician in the genre and one of the founders of Olivia records, a label devoted to women's music. Released in the "Women's Music Classics" series. Music Media Center -- CALL NUMBER: CD 2074

Dobkin, Alix and Kay Gardener, Lavender Jane Loves Women. New York: Women's Wax Works, 1975.

16 songs about being a woman and a lesbian in the 70's with titles like "View From a Gay Head" and "The Woman In Your Life Is You". Music Media Center -- CALL NUMBER: SC 88

Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance (ALFA) Archives and Periodicals Collection

The ALFA collections are an incredibly rich source of information about feminist and lesbian activism and communities, especially in the Southeast, from the early 1970s to the present. These collections contain ephemera as well as publications relevant to women's music. Detailed guides are available for these collections. Special Collections Library -- CALL NUMBER: X

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