What do Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, Madonna, Annette Funicello, Selena Gomez, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner and Lady Gaga have in common?
All are “girl singers,” to use a rather quaint term coined in the big-band era to identify the woman with the pipes standing and delivering in front of the combo.
Rosemary Clooney called herself a “girl singer,” with some irony, long past her girlhood — she gave her 1999 biography that very title. Clooney was a young girl of 13 when she went pro, though she kept working, raising five children along the way while scoring hits like “Hey There” and “Mambo Italiano,” until her death in 2002 at age 74.
“In the ’40s, the girl singer was commonplace and glamorous,” said Mark Maxson, a guitarist and an educator at Weber State University, who formerly taught an online course on the history of rock 'n' roll. “A beautiful gown, one or two songs — walk on and off. Romance and mystery was part of what they were all about.”
In the decades that have passed, the role of the frontwoman has changed considerably, and diversified as well. But some of the stereotypes still linger to be battled by the women of music.
Anna Wilson, a jazz and country singer who bases out of Nashville, Tenn., and the Ogden Valley, knows the territory.
“In Nashville, they often call them the ‘chick singers,’ ” she said. “The stereotypical chick singer is someone who really wants to sing but does not understand a whole lot of what is really going on with the music. But of course, there are a lot of female artists who might only sing onstage, but who know exactly what is going on.
“And there are now plenty who play, write produce, all of it — multifaceted in their artistry. Women can do it all these days if they want to.”
That added sparkle
Maxson was a touring guitarist for many years, working with both male and female lead singers. Adding a little sex appeal to the band, he said, was a big part of the attraction — adding a feminine element for bookers.
But as a musician, Maxson was more concerned with the depth a strong female vocalist could bring.
“I remember being in a power trio — we were good, and heck, we were cute enough — but booking agents would say outright to me, ‘Too bad you don’t have a good-looking girl singing in your group,’ ” said Maxson. “But for a band, what it really does is (it) extends the range and material you can do as a band. There is nothing more ridiculous than a guy trying to do justice to a Cindy Lauper tune, or something like that. And the harmonizing you can do! Having that female voice brings in a whole 'nother color to your soundscape.”
The Ogden country rock band Cheatwood has two female singers front and center, Kelli Jensen and Kimber Burks. They take turns singing lead, and also harmonize.
Cheatwood is competing for the Utah title of the Texaco Country Showdown, a national contest for country bands. Radio’s The Eagle, 101.5 FM, selected 10 finalists based upon audio submissions, and each band or artist gets a spot performing at the Utah State Fair.
What Burks likes about this particular contest is that it was based solely on an audio submission. And yet, when they take the stage at the fair, discussion does turn to what Burks and Jensen will wear, even within the band.
“The guys in our group have said, ‘It is you guys’ jobs to look pretty so they will want to listen to us,’ ” said Burks. “I understand the whole idea of women being the beauty of creation — there are those expectations. But still, it’s like, even if we weren’t pretty, but had these good voices, would people not want to watch us?
“The guys just don’t get that as much. That is one of the problems I have with (‘American) Idol’ — they’ll tell these girls, ‘You don’t have the look to be a pop star.’ I think that is just kind of ridiculous in this day and age.”
Taken seriously
Candye Kane, a Los Angeles-based awarding-winning rocking blues vocalist (including a nod by the Blues Foundation Awards as the best contemporary blues female singer in 2011) has been in the business for 20 years. She is an avowed feminist who has done her time fighting for all manner of civil rights.
(Read review of Candye Kane's latest album here)
But Kane has also done what she needed to, in order to take care of herself and her two sons, including working for a time in the adult movie industry.
“I have never been afraid to use my sexuality to get what I wanted musically — which meant, I might show some cleavage on a record cover, or had fun with my body, or dressed provocatively,” said Kane.
She said she recently reconsidered some of these issues when she added a gifted 27-year-old guitarist named Laura Chavez to her band.
“I told her, ‘This is really a competitive business, and you use whatever tools you have — whether you are pretty or smart or capable.’ She said, ‘No, it is about being the best at your craft. I don’t want to be a good girl guitar player. I want to be a good guitarist.’ ”
Kane tells of one recent show where Chavez, guitar in hand, approached the soundman before the show to ask specifics about her stage setup.
“And she was told by him, ‘When the guitar player gets here, I will tell him.’ Now that was just blatant chauvinism, and it hurt.”
Wilson, who has been singing and working with the Nashville set two decades, says that while she realizes the good-old-boy mentality will never disappear completely, great strides have been made in her time.
“I am proud to be a part of a generation that followed the early work of the feminist movement and helped break down walls and open doors,” said Wilson. “I feel like the young women of today can walk proudly into their field, and if they have the skill set, gift and talent, it is less and less likely they will have to hear, ‘You’re pretty good for a girl.’ They’ll just hear that they are good at what they do.”
