Fanny

I want to thank Lisa for inviting me to write for her Women Music March. She posted this on March 20, 2025. She has been doing this for years and it gets better and better. Thanks, Lisa! She has had some great artists this month.

Joe Elliott: “I had no idea who they were, but this four minutes of music, and I was hooked.”

Kathy Valentine: They made 5 records. The Go Gos get a lot of attention for what we did and we only made 3 records.

Earl Slick: It’s always the ones that start it gets f**ked

David Bowie: They were one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time, they were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody’s ever mentioned them. They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever; it just wasn’t their time.

When you hear about an all-female band…the Bangles, Runaways, and Go-Go’s come to mind but this band was completely different. These women rocked…not pop-rock but some hard blues rock. They were pioneers and had a huge impact on those other female bands, and those bands all cited Fanny as an influence.

They had a blues edge about them and weren’t as commercial. They never got that one big hit single to break them to the masses. They had a few songs with a pop flavor that really should have made it, such as All Mine… that would get my vote.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings:

They were formed in the late sixties in Sacramento by two Filipina sisters (their family left the Philippines in 1961 while kids), Jean and June Millington. June Millington was the lead guitar player and her sister Jean was the bass player. They started out in high school with the name The Svelts and then Wild Honey but the band was then renamed Fanny, not with a sexual connotation but to denote a female spirit.

Career

Fanny released their self-titled debut album in 1970, making them one of the first all-female bands to be signed to a major label and record a full album with complete creative control. Their blend of rock, funk, blues, and pop set them apart. They would be the first all-female band to release an album on a major label (Reprise) and land four singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and two in the top 40.

Like any other band, they had to pay their dues. They opened up for artists such as Jethro Tull, Humble Pie, Slade, Leon Russell, Van Morrison, Chuck Berry, Deep Purple, and many more. When you are opening for artists of that caliber, you are very good. Their range was incredible. They played on Barbra Streisand’s 1971 album Barbra Joan Streisand. So they could play almost anything.

They went on to release an album every year from 1970 to 1974, making it 5 studio albums in total in the 1970s, while touring relentlessly. By their third album,m Mother’s Pride, guitarist June Millington quit after it was released because she felt restrained by the band. After some changes, with her sister Jean still playing bass, the band released their last 1970s album, Rock and Roll Survivors. The album contained their highest charting single with Butter Boy, which charted at #29.

Fanny broke up in 1975, reunited in 2018, and released an album titled Fanny Walked the Earth. I simply adore these women because they could keep up with anyone in any field. One night Deep Purple missed a gig and Fanny filled in for them for that night without complaints.

Discography: (wiki)

Studio Albums

Fanny (1970)
Charity Ball (1971) (No. 150)
Fanny Hill (1972) (No. 135)
Mothers Pride (1973)
Rock and Roll Survivors (1974)
Fanny Walked the Earth (2018, as Fanny Walked the Earth)

Live Albums

Fanny Live (1998; recorded 1972) (reissued as Fanny: Live in 1972)
Live on Beat-Club ’71-’72 (2024)

Singles

“Ladies’ Choice” / “New Day” (1970)
“Nowhere to Run” / “One Step at a Time” (1970)
“Changing Horses” / “Conversation with a Cop” (January 1971)
“Charity Ball” / “Place in the Country” (September 1971) (No. 40)
“Ain’t That Peculiar” / “Think About the Children” (March 1972) (No. 85)
“Wonderful Feeling” / “Rock Bottom Blues” (July 1972)
“Young and Dumb” / “Knock on My Door” (October 1972)
“All Mine” / “I Need You Need Me” (January 1973)
“Last Night I Had a Dream” / “Beside Myself” (April 1973)
“I’ve Had It” / “From Where I Stand” (June 1974) (No. 79)
“Butter Boy” / “Beggar Man” (January 1975) (No. 29)

In recent years, Fanny has participated in reunion events, introducing their songs to new audiences. These performances have served both as a tribute to their historical impact and as a celebration of their music. They have a documentary out…watch it! It’s called FANNY: The Right To Rock that I placed at the top.

…

Fanny – Charity Ball

Bonnie Raitt: Fanny was the first all woman rock band that could really play and get some credibility within the musician community.

When people think of female rock bands, this band doesn’t come up much but should. The usual suspects are the Go-Go’s, Bangles, and Runaways because they had more commercial success. The Runaways had more after they broke up.

Out of those three bands, The Runaways resembled more of a “rock band” but the talent level wasn’t up to these ladies. The other two had their moments but were mostly top-40 pop-rock bands…nothing wrong with that. There have been a few all-female rock bands (not enough) but this one…to me is the most talented one I’ve heard. They were not a “girl group”…they were a full-fledged rock band.

Fanny was formed in the late sixties in Sacramento by two Filipina sisters, Jean and June Millington. Fanny would be the first all-female band to release an album on a major label (their self-titled debut, on Reprise, 1970) and land four singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and two in the top 40. The band played blues, rock, and some pop.

David Bowie, who wrote the band a fan letter in the early 1970s – and two decades later in a Rolling Stone interview was still talking about how criminally overlooked they were. Bowie said: “They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever; it just wasn’t their time, revivify Fanny. And I will feel that my work is done.”

They never got that one big hit single to break them to the masses. They had a few songs with a pop flavor that really should have made it such as All Mine… that would get my vote. Fanny broke up in 1975, reunited in 2018, and released an album titled Fanny Walked the Earth. I simply adore these women because they could rock.

The album Charity Ball peaked at #150 on the Billboard Album Charts. The title cut peaked at #40 on the Billboard Album Charts in 1971.

They have a documentary out called Fanny: The Right To Rock.

Joe Elliott: “I had no idea who they were, but this four minutes of music, and I was hooked.”

Kathy Valentine: They made 5 records. The Go Gos get a lot of attention for what we did and we only made 3 records.

Earl Slick: It’s always the ones that start it gets f**ked

Charity Ball

Dance, ooh, stand, oohMove to charity ballDance, ooh, stand, oohMove to charity ball

Get the musicians readyGet them good and hot, good and hot, wooStand and deliverGive ’em everything you’ve gotYou got my number

Charity ballOoh, stand, oohMove to charity ballDance, ooh, stand, oohMove to charity ball

Come on and grab a partnerWe’re gonna roll ’till the break of dawnAnd I need youI need youI need youOh, charity ball

Oh yeah, now I’m ready (I wanna be there)Yes, I’m ready (I wanna be there)Oh, I’m ready (I wanna be there)Charity ball

Oh, I’m ready (I wanna be there)(I wanna be there)(I wanna be there)

…

Fanny – All Mine

This song has a pop sound that is really catchy. Al Mine would have fit the top 40 at the time perfectly. The more I’ve listened to this band the more I’ve become a fan. This song was the B side to the single with Summer Song as the A side.

Fanny played hard rock, soul, some Motown-ish music (like this one), and just rock and roll. I did get a comment from someone who saw them live in the 1970s. The comment was LOUD and very good as they opened for bands such Procol Harum, Humble Pie, Deep Purple, and David Bowie.

When you are an all female band opening up for these bands…you are not a novelty…you are the real deal. They were more successful in the UK and Europe, where audiences appreciated their music and respected their work.

Did the public ignore them because they were all female? If so, the public missed out.

They fit in with different genres and they deserved more attention. This song was written by the sisters June and Jean Millington. It was on their Mother’s Pride album.

Fanny released a studio album in 2018 called Fanny Walked the Earth. Their last album before that one was Rock and Roll Survivors released in 1974.

June Millington: “We knew we had to prove we could play and deliver live. Otherwise, no one would believe it.”

All Mine

Oh, when you’re looking for someone to love
It isn’t easy to live without love
And when you’re lonely, it’s harder to laugh
You made it easy, that’s all in the past

Oh baby, I love when you give to me; you’re all mine, all mine

It’s hard live when you’re by yourself
We need to give to somebody else
You need a lover to rock you to sleep
And lend a shoulder when you’re dead on your feet

Oh baby, I love when you give to me; you’re all mine, all mine
Oh baby, I love when you give to me; you’re all mine, all mine

It’s hard live when you’re by yourself (by yourself)
We need to give to somebody else (somebody else)
You need a lover to rock you to sleep (rock you to sleep)
And lend a shoulder when you’re dead on your feet

Oh baby, I love when you give to me; you’re all mine, all mine
All mine (mine, all mine)
I’m in love with you, say you love me, too etc

…

Fanny – Last Night I Had A Dream

The vocals on this song won me over when I heard it. Keyboard player Nickey Barclay nails the vocals on this song. She goes from 0 to 100 and she turns into a Janis Joplin. It builds up slowly and then Barclay wails the vocal while June Millington breaks out on the slide guitar at the end to a huge crescendo. The drummer Alice de Buhr does a really cool rhythm pattern for this song…

There have been a few all female rock bands (not enough) but this one…to me is the most talented one I’ve heard. They were not a “girl group”…they were a full fledged rock band. They didn’t have the pop song to take them over the top but for what they did…they didn’t need it.

The live version I have on the Midnight Special is much better than the studio cut. This song was written by Randy Newman and it has such wonderful lines in it.

I saw a vampire, I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me, but you scared me the most
In the dream I had last night

From all the clips I’ve seen of Fanny live…their live sound just wasn’t caught in the studio and they were much better live. BTW…love the eye-shadow or glam-shadow (thanks Vic)…what ever it is…another reason to love the seventies.

Last Night I Had A Dream

Last night I had a dream
You were in it, and I was in it with you
And everyone that I know
And everyone that you know was in my dream
I saw a vampire, I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me, but you scared me the most
In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night

In my dream

Last night I had a dream
Scared me before you know I woke up screaming
Saw all of my in-laws and whole lot of outlaws
In my dream
I saw the wolfman Jack and saw the mummy too

In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night
In that dream

It started out in a barnyard at sundown
And everyone was laughing
And you were lying on the ground

You said, “honey, can you tell me what your name is?”
“Honey, can you tell me what your name is?”
I said, “damn damn what your game is”

You know what my game is

In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night

I saw a vampire, I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me, but you scared me the most
In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night

In the dream I had last night, in my dream
In the dream I had last night, in my dream

….

Birtha – Too Much Woman (For a Henpecked Man)

Birtha was an all female rock/soul band from the seventies…and they didn’t mess about. They were really aggressive in their sound. Birtha was formed in 1968 by singer-bassist Rosemary Butler and guitarist-singer Shele Pinizzotto. The band consisted of Shele Pinizzotto, Rosemary Butler, Sherry Hagler, and drummer Olivia “Liver” Favela. All of them sang and provided backup vocals.

In the early seventies there were not loads of all female rock bands around. Fanny was probably the most successful one during that time. The other band I found was Isis… they were more of a horn rock band. Birtha was straight ahead rock and roll with some soul leanings.

The group immediately started playing the club circuit and toured from California to Alaska. From 1968 to 1971 Birtha worked to tighten and refine their rock sound and in 1971 they started writing their own material. Birtha signed a record contract with Dunhill Records in 1972 and recorded their first album, Birtha with record producer Gabriel Mckler and Engineers, David Hassinger and Val Caray.

Birtha released their self-titled debut album in 1972. It features nine songs, six of them written by the band. Too Much Woman (For a Henpecked Man) was written by Ike Turner. It was on Ike and Tina’s album Come Together released in 1970.

Birtha worked hard and toured constantly. They opened up for such acts as Fleetwood Mac, Alice Cooper, Poco, Black Oak Arkansas, Cheech and Chong, B.B. King, Three Dog Night, and The James Gang.

Birtha disbanded in 1975. The only member to continue in music was Rosemary Butler, who did backing vocals for James Taylor, The Doobie Brothers, Nicolette Larson, Neil Diamond, the Charlie Daniels Band, and numerous other artists. She also released a solo album in 1983.

I’m including two songs to give more of a selection of their music. As with Fanny…this band should have been heard…they were super talented.

Too Much Woman (For a Henpecked Man)

I wanna be loved, not teased
I don’t want no man on his knees
A henpecked man I can’t respect
‘Cause I’m a hard woman to handle, and I know that

He’s gotta be staid
Use his head to turn me on
Not give it all

My Mama was mean, my Papa was cruel
I never got the chance to do like the other girls
But now I’m a woman, sweet twenty-one
I wanna find myself a man and have myself some fun

He’s gotta be staid
Use his head to turn me on
Not give it all
Get it on, y’all

Pullin’ cotton sacks is all I’ve ever known
The man I find has got to be strong
‘Cause a weak man I can’t stand
Because I’m too much of a woman to have a henpecked man

He’s gotta be staid
Use his head to turn me on
Not give it all
So get it on

Fanny – Special Care

I posted a different song from this band a while ago. I’ve been listening to them recently and they were a special (see David Bowie quote below) band. The musicianship of Fanny was outstanding.

Their name was Wild Honey but…according to Wiki… The band was then renamed Fanny, not with a sexual connotation but to denote a female spirit

These women rocked…not pop rock but blues rock. They were pioneers before the Runaways, Bangles and the Go Go’s…and those bands all cited Fanny as an influence. Fanny was different than those bands… They had a blues edge about them.

Fanny was formed in the late sixties in Sacramento by two Filipina sisters, Jean and June Millington. June Millington was the lead guitar player and her sister Jean was the bass player. June could play circles around many rock guitarists. Fanny would be the first all-female band to release an album on a major label (their self-titled debut, on Reprise, 1970) and land four singles in the Billboard Hot 100 and two in the top 40. The band played blues, rock, and some pop.

Fanny toured worldwide, opening for Slade, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, and Humble Pie. They were praised by David Bowie, John Lennon, George Harrison, Lowell George, Sly Stone, and Bonnie Raitt but yet vanished without much fan fair. They were touring and releasing records between 1970 – 1975.

This song was on their Charity Ball album. The album peaked at #140 in the Billboard Album Charts. The title song charted at #40.

The worked with producers such as Vini Poncia, Geoff Emerick, and Richard Perry. They also worked with

June was described by Guitar Player as the hottest female guitar player in the music industry in the 70s. She made a career as a producer for artists including Holly Near, Cris Williamson and Bitch and Animal. June also operates a music camp for young girls. Jean has done studio work for many artists, including Keith Moon, David Bowie, and Roderick Taylor. Jean also married Bowie’s guitarist Earl Slick and is presently an herbalist. The Millingtons continued to record together after Fanny as well, most recently on the 2011 album Play Like a Girl on June’s label Fabulous Records.

They also worked with Barbra Streisand. Jean commented that they heard horror stories about her from other musicians but she treated the band with nothing but respect.

These ladies need to be heard and remembered.

David Bowie:

“They were one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time,” “They were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers, they were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody’s ever mentioned them. They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever; it just wasn’t their time.”

This is a trailer for documentary about Fanny…it’s short and interesting.

Special Care

You there in the corner
Staring at me
Do you think I’m blowing my cool
Playing the fool?

You there in the window
Staring at me
Do you think I’m trouble?
Would you like to shoot me down?
(Shoot me down, down, down, down)

Now, now, now, special care
(Special care)
Has been taken
To make you aware
(Special Care)
You’re forsaken
If you don’t care
(Special Care)

They’re gonna come burn your house down
(Burn it down, down, down, down)

Woaaaaa. Wooooaaaaaa
(Guitar Magic)
Ooaaaa
(Special Care)
Oo-hoo-hoo
(has been taken to make you aware)
Oo-hooooo
(You’re forsaken. If you don’t care)

Ohh-huh, they’re gonna come and burn it down
Down, oh, yeah, oh yeah, oh, do it, do it, do it

(Special Care)
(Special Care)
(Special Care)
(Special Care)
(Special Care)

Fanny – Ain’t That Peculiar

I’m always on the lookout for new old music…I’ve heard this band mentioned by rock stars before like David Bowie…I see why a lot of musicians liked them. They opened up for some huge bands. They were one of the pioneer all-female rock bands.

Fanny was formed in the late sixties in Sacramento by two Filipina sisters, Jean and June Millington. Fanny would be the first all-female band to release an album on a major label (their self-titled debut, on Reprise, 1970) and land four singles in the Billboard Hot 100 and two in the top 40. The band played blues, rock, and some pop.

They never got that one big hit single to break them to the masses. The broke up in 1975 and reunited in 2018 and released an album titled Fanny Walked the Earth.

They really impressed David Bowie…he said in 1999:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/fanny-lives-inside-the-return-of-the-pioneering-all-female-rock-band-125635/

Lowell George of Little Feat was another fan of the band and jammed with the group when they were in Los Angeles

Ain’t That Peculiar was a song written by Pete Moore, William Smokey Robinson, Bobby Rogers, and Marv Tarplin. Marvin Gaye covered it in 1965.

Fanny’s version peaked at #85 in the Billboard 100 in 1972.

Ain’t That Peculiar

You do me wrong but still
I’m crazy about you
Stay away too long
And I can’t do without you

Every chance you get
You seem to hurt me
More and more
But each hurt makes my love
Much stronger than before

I know that flowers
Grow with the rain
But how can love
Grow with the pain

Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar

You tell me lies that
Should be obvious to me
But I’m so much
In love with you, baby
That I don’t want to see

That the things you do and say
Are designed to make me blue
Now, it’s a doggone shame
My love for you makes
All your lies seem true

Now, if the truth
Makes love last longer
Why do lies make
My love stronger

Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar

You do me wrong but still
I’m crazy about you
Stay away too long
And I can’t do without you

Every chance you get
You seem to hurt me
More and more
But each hurt makes my love
Much stronger than before

I know that flowers
Grow with the rain
But how can love
Grow with the pain

Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar
Ain’t that peculiar