Rock Goddess
Encyclopedia
Rock Goddess was an all-female heavy metal
band
from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
era that briefly enjoyed cult status in the early 1980s in Great Britain
.
, South London
in 1977, by sisters Jody Turner (guitar
and vocals) and Julie Turner (drum
s) when they were thirteen and nine years old respectively. They recruited school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar
and Donnica Colman on keyboards
to complete the first line-up. The girls rehearsed intensively and, through a friend, managed to place a track on a sampler album
, which circulated in the London music underground. Meanwhile, John Turner, Jody and Julie's father, who ran a music shop used his connections to get the band their first gigs. Finally, after the production of a four tracks demo tape and an appearance at the Reading Festival
in 1982, the band obtained a recording contract
with A&M
.
They released their eponymous debut album
with producer Vic Maile
in 1983 as a power trio
, without Colman, who had already left the group. At that time, there were temporary legal problems, because Julie Turner was still a minor attending school and she was restricted in the number of live shows she could play. Also in this period, Kat Burbella briefly joined the band as a second guitarist. Tracey Lamb became disgruntled at what she perceived to be the domination of the Turners and quit Rock Goddess to initially form the band She with Burbella, but ending up joining Girlschool
in 1987. She was replaced by Dee O'Malley, who played bass and keyboards on the band's second album, Hell Hath No Fury
, produced by Chris Tsangarides
and released in 1984. The band co-headlined with Y&T
and Iron Maiden
on UK
tours, and with Saxon
in France
. O'Malley announced her pregnancy just before Rock Goddess' first US tour and left the band in 1986. She was replaced by Julia Longman on bass and Becky Axten on keyboards.
After their contract with A&M
expired in 1987, the already recorded in 1985 Rock Goddess' third album was released only in France, with the title Young and Free
. However, their career was cut short by financial and contractual problems, which forced them to disband shortly thereafter. In 1988, the Turner sisters reappeared as The Jody Turner Band with two male musicians, but they did not go beyond the local club circuit. Jody Turner fronted a new line-up of Rock Goddess in 1994, to promote the re-release of Young and Free on the British Thunderbolt record label
. After a name change to Braindance, the group disbanded again in 1995, after playing their last gig at the Thomas O'Becket public house
.
The band reformed in 2009 to play the Hard Rock Hell
music festival in Prestatyn
, Wales
, but split before they had a chance to perform.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
era that briefly enjoyed cult status in the early 1980s in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
History
The band was formed in WandsworthWandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
in 1977, by sisters Jody Turner (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals) and Julie Turner (drum
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s) when they were thirteen and nine years old respectively. They recruited school friend Tracey Lamb on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Donnica Colman on keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
to complete the first line-up. The girls rehearsed intensively and, through a friend, managed to place a track on a sampler album
Sampler album
A sampler is a type of compilation album generally offered at a reduced price to showcase a selection of artists signed to a particular record label...
, which circulated in the London music underground. Meanwhile, John Turner, Jody and Julie's father, who ran a music shop used his connections to get the band their first gigs. Finally, after the production of a four tracks demo tape and an appearance at the Reading Festival
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in 1982, the band obtained a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
.
They released their eponymous debut album
Rock Goddess (album)
Rock Goddess is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band, Rock Goddess. All songs were written and composed by Jody Turner.- Track listing :#"Heartache" – 3:45#"Back to You" – 1:54 #"The Love Lingers Still" – 2:53...
with producer Vic Maile
Vic Maile
Vic Maile was a British record producer. After starting his career as sound engineer with Pye mobile studios for The Animals on their song, "We Gotta Get out of This Place", Maile worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The...
in 1983 as a power trio
Power trio
A power trio is a rock and roll band format where the traditional power trio has a lineup of guitar, bass and drums, leaving out the rhythm guitar or keyboard that are used in other rock music to fill out the sound with chords...
, without Colman, who had already left the group. At that time, there were temporary legal problems, because Julie Turner was still a minor attending school and she was restricted in the number of live shows she could play. Also in this period, Kat Burbella briefly joined the band as a second guitarist. Tracey Lamb became disgruntled at what she perceived to be the domination of the Turners and quit Rock Goddess to initially form the band She with Burbella, but ending up joining Girlschool
Girlschool
Girlschool are a British heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 30 years...
in 1987. She was replaced by Dee O'Malley, who played bass and keyboards on the band's second album, Hell Hath No Fury
Hell Hath No Fury (Rock Goddess album)
Hell Hath No Fury was the second studio album by British heavy metal band, Rock Goddess. All songs were again written and composed by Jody Turner...
, produced by Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides
Chris Tsangarides is a British Grammy-nominated record producer, sound engineer, and mixer. He is best known for his work with many heavy metal bands, including Judas Priest, Anvil, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Helloween, and Yngwie Malmsteen...
and released in 1984. The band co-headlined with Y&T
Y&T
Y&T is an American hard rock/heavy metal band formed in 1974. They hail from Oakland, California...
and Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
on UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tours, and with Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. O'Malley announced her pregnancy just before Rock Goddess' first US tour and left the band in 1986. She was replaced by Julia Longman on bass and Becky Axten on keyboards.
After their contract with A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
expired in 1987, the already recorded in 1985 Rock Goddess' third album was released only in France, with the title Young and Free
Young and Free
Young and Free is the third studio album by British all-female heavy metal band Rock Goddess. It was recorded in 1985 and was released in 1987 by the small French label JID only in France, after expiration of the deal with A&M Records...
. However, their career was cut short by financial and contractual problems, which forced them to disband shortly thereafter. In 1988, the Turner sisters reappeared as The Jody Turner Band with two male musicians, but they did not go beyond the local club circuit. Jody Turner fronted a new line-up of Rock Goddess in 1994, to promote the re-release of Young and Free on the British Thunderbolt record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. After a name change to Braindance, the group disbanded again in 1995, after playing their last gig at the Thomas O'Becket public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
.
The band reformed in 2009 to play the Hard Rock Hell
Hard Rock Hell
Hard Rock Hell is a three day music festival currently held at Pontin's Holiday Village, Prestatyn, Wales. The idea of holding the festival at in a holiday camp gives the organisers pre-built venues and stages and because of the on-site accommodation allows them to hold a multi day festival over...
music festival in Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, but split before they had a chance to perform.
Albums
- Rock GoddessRock Goddess (album)Rock Goddess is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band, Rock Goddess. All songs were written and composed by Jody Turner.- Track listing :#"Heartache" – 3:45#"Back to You" – 1:54 #"The Love Lingers Still" – 2:53...
(1983) - UKUK Albums ChartThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#65 - Hell Hath No FuryHell Hath No Fury (Rock Goddess album)Hell Hath No Fury was the second studio album by British heavy metal band, Rock Goddess. All songs were again written and composed by Jody Turner...
(1983) - UK #84 - Young and FreeYoung and FreeYoung and Free is the third studio album by British all-female heavy metal band Rock Goddess. It was recorded in 1985 and was released in 1987 by the small French label JID only in France, after expiration of the deal with A&M Records...
(1987)
Singles
- "My Angel" (1983) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#64 - "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock 'n' Roll)" (1984) - UK #57
- "Satisfied Then Crucified"