Queer Music Heritage Home
Page
Women's
Music Magazines
About my research
references: I am very fortunate to have in my archives
fairly complete sets of several wonderful women's music magazines,
and
as so few people would have access to them, I am sharing them here.
Musica
Click
for Every Issue of Musica
Musica
was edited by Indy Allen, out of Troutdale, Oregon, and the first
issue was a three-page newsletter
(March 1974). By the fifth issue (Spring 1976) it had grown to 13
pages of news about festivals, new releases
and artist info. The last issue I have is from Spring 1977, but it
has no volume number so I cannot tell if
there were any issues between #5 and it; and I do not know if any
other issues were done.
Paid
My Dues
Click
for Every Issue of PMD
Paid
My Dues was a remarkable magazine of women's music information,
reviews,
interviews, etc. Volume 1 number 1 came out in early 1974, with an
amazing 38 pages.
A
side comment: in those years it was often hard to determine the names
of people putting out magazines.
I know, because I was involved with a gay newspaper (in Norfolk) in
the late 70s. There were two forces
going on. One was the common sense element of not wanting to publish
your name in a gay/lesbian
identified magazine. Many people would have been in danger of losing
their jobs if publically named. Also,
there was a "community spirit" of some of these ventures,
where no one wanted to take "credit" for a joint effort.
Anyway, Paid
My Dues lasted until 1980 and released 15 issues. Some of the people
responsible were Dorothy Dean (founder), Kathryn Gohl, Karen Corti,
Judy Erickson, Kathyrn Judd,
Toni Armstrong Jr, and many others. Toni Armstrong Jr went on to found
Hot Wire Magazine (The Journal
of Women's Music), published from 1984 - 1994.
Hot
Wire
Another
women's magazine in my collection, that is a major resource to me,
is the superb magazine Hot Wire.
Its subtitle was "The Journal of Women's Music and Culture,"
and for ten wonderful years it covered this genre
in both an entertaining and scholarly way. Publisher Toni Armstrong
Jr masterly ushered the magazine through
30 issues, and I'm very pleased that I have all in my archives.
And
check out my Sept 2005 show for a terrific
interview with Toni Armstrong Jr,
perhaps THE expert on women's music publications
And
now you can read every issue on their new site
http://www.hotwirejournal.com/
Women's
Music Newsletter
This
was a regional, quarterly newsletter published out of Seattle by Toby
Langen and Molly McGee,
and included "reviews of new record releases as well as profiles
and interviews with performers
and others involved in the production of women's music and culture."
I have eight issues in my
collection of the eight-page publication, and as copies did not contain
a volume number I cannot
tell if any copies preceded the first one I have, and do not know
if others followed. My copies
span from "Fall 1987" to "Winter 1989"
Click
for Women's Music Newsletter (Seattle)
Lesbian
Tide
No,
"Lesbian Tide" was not a music magazine, but it was excellent
in its coverage of women's music.
It was published out of Los Angeles, from 1971 through 1980, the prime
time for this important history.
I have a handful of the issues and am sharing about 50 of the articles
and music ads from it.
Click
for Lesbian Tide Articles
And,
while not "music-related," Lisa Ben's magazine "Vice
Versa"
is certainly historic; now you can read every issue, on my site
Vice
Versa
Shown
above on the covers are guitarist Jerene Jackson and Kay Gardner.
And
below, from a 1977 issue of "Sing Out!" is a listing of
"Feminist Phonograph Records & Tapes." Now, this
was not a lesbian magazine, it was a folk magazine, but it gave amazing
coverage to lesbian artists and many
early and historic recording appear on the listing. I did spot some
errors: in the title of Maxine Feldman's
song "Angry Atthis," and Margie Adam's name has no "s"
on the end, but all in all a remarkable list from a
time when it was a a blessing just to see a list like this. Also note
the listing of a tape by Casse Culver
that pre-dated her album.
And check
out my Sept 2005 show for a terrific interview
with Toni Armstrong Jr,
perhaps THE expert on women's music publications
Below,
my first Youtube Videos, Click to View
