Artist: The WomenfolkFrankly, I didn't quite know what to expect that night; there I was,
driving through the smog to a coffee house in Pasadena to hear a group
of five young women sing folk songs, and I must admit that I felt somewhat
dubious about the whole affair (after all, it's a long drive from Hollywood)!
I arrived, ordered my cider, looked at the inevitable forest of microphones
sprouting from the stage, and sat down to wait.
After a delay, no longer or shorter than the one appropriate to a live
recording, the lights dimmed, the off-stage announcer delivered his
introduction in rich, round tones, and out came the Womenfolk, five
young women of all shapes and sizes, each bearing a guitar. In the
recording booth I faintly heard someone say, "Tape is rolling."
Five guitars strummed in unison; five fresh, female voices filled the
room with sound; and one blasé folk singer (me) was instantly
and utterly mesmerized. That night I lost my heart, not to one woman,
but to five: to Elaine Gealer, short, cute and hilarious, who plays
a mean guitar; to Joyce James, cool, poised and velvet-voiced
and completely professional; to Leni Ashmore, the tallest, with
black hair, flashing eyes, and a delicious sense of humor; to Babs
Cooper, an All-American blonde who undoubtedly makes the best
apple pie in town when she's not singing; and to Judy Fine,
whose mournful eyes, dead-pan expression and high soprano
combine to produce the most delightfully comic effects at
the most unexpected times.
Let me hasten to add that besides being wholly feminine, witty and
charming young women, each with a clearly defined personality, they
can also sing--and play--marvelously well. Each of them has been a
solo performer, which, among other things, enables them to cope with
an unusually wide variety of material, from blues to ballads, from
spirituals to satire. And yet, within this variety, they maintain a consistent
attitude toward their material; they view the songs they sing, not as
museum pieces, but as living, modern expressions that have
relevance for our own time.
Is this beginning to sound like a love letter to five women? If it is, I can't help it;
the Womenfolk are just great, and I'm not ashamed to say it. In this age of
male singing groups lustily proclaiming their maleness to all who will
listen, one sometimes gets the impression that all women are supposed
to do is to listen admiringly, or perhaps to pluck out an occasional mournful
sound on a dulcimer, sighing gracefully the while.
Not so the Womenfolk. One of their chief attractions for me is the fact that they
are the first female singing group to arrive on the scene in many a year who
are not afraid to be themselves as women, and to state the female point of view
as artists and as people.
Since that first night in Pasadena, the Womenfolk have taken off in a big way.
Club owners have gotten the word through the show business grapevine and
are bidding for their services; they already are signed for several major
television shows, and , for my money, that's just as it should be.
Elaine, Joyce, Leni, Babs and Judy--it's a pleasure and privilege to be on
the same label with you... long live THE WOMENFOLK!!!
-- Alex Hassilev of The Limelighters
I'm starting to wish one of The Womenfolk could be our first woman president.
driving through the smog to a coffee house in Pasadena to hear a group
of five young women sing folk songs, and I must admit that I felt somewhat
dubious about the whole affair (after all, it's a long drive from Hollywood)!
I arrived, ordered my cider, looked at the inevitable forest of microphones
sprouting from the stage, and sat down to wait.
After a delay, no longer or shorter than the one appropriate to a live
recording, the lights dimmed, the off-stage announcer delivered his
introduction in rich, round tones, and out came the Womenfolk, five
young women of all shapes and sizes, each bearing a guitar. In the
recording booth I faintly heard someone say, "Tape is rolling."
Five guitars strummed in unison; five fresh, female voices filled the
room with sound; and one blasé folk singer (me) was instantly
and utterly mesmerized. That night I lost my heart, not to one woman,
but to five: to Elaine Gealer, short, cute and hilarious, who plays
a mean guitar; to Joyce James, cool, poised and velvet-voiced
and completely professional; to Leni Ashmore, the tallest, with
black hair, flashing eyes, and a delicious sense of humor; to Babs
Cooper, an All-American blonde who undoubtedly makes the best
apple pie in town when she's not singing; and to Judy Fine,
whose mournful eyes, dead-pan expression and high soprano
combine to produce the most delightfully comic effects at
the most unexpected times.
Let me hasten to add that besides being wholly feminine, witty and
charming young women, each with a clearly defined personality, they
can also sing--and play--marvelously well. Each of them has been a
solo performer, which, among other things, enables them to cope with
an unusually wide variety of material, from blues to ballads, from
spirituals to satire. And yet, within this variety, they maintain a consistent
attitude toward their material; they view the songs they sing, not as
museum pieces, but as living, modern expressions that have
relevance for our own time.
Is this beginning to sound like a love letter to five women? If it is, I can't help it;
the Womenfolk are just great, and I'm not ashamed to say it. In this age of
male singing groups lustily proclaiming their maleness to all who will
listen, one sometimes gets the impression that all women are supposed
to do is to listen admiringly, or perhaps to pluck out an occasional mournful
sound on a dulcimer, sighing gracefully the while.
Not so the Womenfolk. One of their chief attractions for me is the fact that they
are the first female singing group to arrive on the scene in many a year who
are not afraid to be themselves as women, and to state the female point of view
as artists and as people.
Since that first night in Pasadena, the Womenfolk have taken off in a big way.
Club owners have gotten the word through the show business grapevine and
are bidding for their services; they already are signed for several major
television shows, and , for my money, that's just as it should be.
Elaine, Joyce, Leni, Babs and Judy--it's a pleasure and privilege to be on
the same label with you... long live THE WOMENFOLK!!!
-- Alex Hassilev of The Limelighters
