Rock Goddess
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1977 in Wandsworth, South London, England |
| Founder | Jody Turner, Julie Turner |
| Defunct | 2022 |
| Headquarters | Wandsworth, South London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe, United States |
Key people | Jody Turner, Julie Turner, Tracey Lamb, Jenny Lane |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Rock Goddess was a pioneering all-female heavy metal group from England, established in Wandsworth, South London, in 1977 by siblings Jody Turner and Julie Turner.
Originating amid the new wave of British heavy metal era, the band secured two singles within the UK Top 75 charts. Throughout the 1980s, they cultivated a dedicated fanbase and reunited in 2013.
History
The band was created in 1977 by sisters Jody Turner (vocals, guitar) and Julie Turner (drums), who were just thirteen and nine years old at the time,[1] and soon enlisted their schoolmate Tracey Lamb to play bass, completing the initial ensemble.[2] After brief stints with second guitarists Donnica Colman and Jackie Apperley, Rock Goddess stabilized as a trio, gaining early recognition through an underground London sampler.[1] Their father and manager, John Turner, utilized his industry contacts to arrange their first performances.[2] Following their appearance at the 1982 Reading Festival, they secured a contract with A&M.[1]
Their debut album, self-titled and produced by Vic Maile, was issued in February 1983,[2] although legal age restrictions limited Julie Turner's ability to perform live.[1] During this phase, Kat Burbella briefly joined as a second guitarist. Tracey Lamb departed due to dissatisfaction and later became part of Girlschool in 1987.[2] Dee O'Malley succeeded Lamb on bass and keyboards for their sophomore album, Hell Hath No Fury, produced by Chris Tsangarides and released in October 1983.[2] The band co-headlined tours with Y&T, supported acts like Iron Maiden and Def Leppard across UK and Europe, and also led their own headline tours. O'Malley exited before their inaugural US tour due to pregnancy. Subsequently, they left A&M Records with an incomplete third album.[3] Julia Longman and Becky Axten joined on bass and keyboards respectively.[1]
In 1986, Rock Goddess provided backing vocals on Samson's Joint Forces album; Jody Turner shared lead vocals on the song Trump.
Their third album, titled Young and Free, was released exclusively in France in 1987. Confronted with considerable difficulties, the band dissolved shortly afterward.[2] The Turner sisters briefly performed locally as the Jody Turner Band in 1988,[3] before Jody revived Rock Goddess in 1994. After changing their name to Braindance,[1] they disbanded again in 1995 following minimal activity.
An attempted reunion for the 2009 Hard Rock Hell festival did not materialize as they split before taking the stage.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
In March 2013, the original trio of Jody Turner, Julie Turner, and Tracey Lamb reunited to work on a new album tentatively called Unfinished Business.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Although this album never surfaced, they released a three-track EP entitled It's More Than Rock and Roll on 19 May 2017, accompanied by a video premiere on Vintage TV.
On 10 July 2018, bassist Tracey Lamb left the group,Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name returning to Girlschool in 2019. Jenny Lane was revealed as her successor in October 2018.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Their comeback record This Time experienced a delay from October 2018 to March 2019 but reached the top ten of the UK rock/metal chart and entered the top forty on the national indie chart.[4]
In August 2022, Rock Goddess announced their official disbandment.
Final lineup
- Jody Turner – lead vocals, guitar (1977–1987, 1994–1995, 2013–2022)
- Julie Turner – drums (1977–1987, 2013–2022)
- Jenny Lane – bass guitar (2019–2022)
Previous members
- Tracey Lamb – bass guitar (1977–1983, 2013–2019)
- Dee O'Malley – bass and keyboards (1983–1987)
- Aki Shibahara – bass guitar (1994–1995)
- Nicola Shaw – drums (1994–1995)
- Isabella Fronzoni – guitar (1994–1995)
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Record Label | UK Albums Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Rock Goddess | A&M | 65 |
| 1983 | Hell Hath No Fury | 84 | |
| 1987 | Young and Free | JID | – |
| 2019 | This Time | Bite You to Death | – |
EPs
| Year | Title | Label | UK Albums Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | It's More Than Rock and Roll | Cargo | – |
Singles
| Year | Title | B-side | Album | UK Singles Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | "Heavy Metal Rock 'n' Roll" | "Satisfied Then Crucified" | Rock Goddess | – |
| 1983 | "My Angel" | "In the Heat of the Night" | Rock Goddess | 64 |
| 1984 | "I Didn't Know I Loved You (Till I Saw You Rock and Roll)" | "Hell Hath No Fury" | Hell Hath No Fury | 57 |
| 1986 | "Love Has Passed Me By" | "Jerry" | Young and Free | – |
See also
External links
- Rock Goddess at Encyclopaedia Metallum
- Rock Goddess at Metaladies.com
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmaidens - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedLarkinHR - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedker191 - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedThis Time
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- 1977 establishments in England
- 2022 disestablishments in England
- English all-female bands
- A&M Records artists
- English heavy metal musical groups
- Rock music groups from the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Musical groups established in 1977
- Musical groups disestablished in 2022
- Musical groups reestablished in 2013
- English musical trios
- New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups
- All-female metal bands