Four Bitchin' Babes
Encyclopedia
The Four Bitchin' Babes is a group of female singer-songwriters with rotating membership, performing mainly humorous, satirical or light-hearted songs in the folk
genre. The group was described as "slyly outre" writing songs about the "humorous satire of everyday life" with an "inherent charm" ranging from "sentimental to lusty, spiritual to hysterical". The artists have made numerous albums and have worked with Celine Dion
's producer Jeff Bova. Followers of the band have been termed Babeophiles.
, described by the Boston Globe in 2010 as a "folkie's folkie". After the success of a compilation album
she produced, On a Winter's Night, she put together a road show of artists who appeared on the album: herself, Patty Larkin
, Chicago native Megon McDonough
, and Sally Fingerett
. The foursome toured throughout the United States, after which Lavin decided to create a live album
of their performance at The Birchmere
. This album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume I was released on Philo/Rounder Records
in 1990.
After the release of Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me..., Larkin was signed by Windham Hill Records
, and left the band. She was replaced by Julie Gold
, best known for the song From a Distance
. The group now known as Four Bitchin' Babes continued to tour, and released their second album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume II in 1993. In the meantime, artists such as Cheryl Wheeler
, Janis Ian
, and Mary Travers would substitute in concert for band members who were unavailable. In 1994, Debi Smith
replaced Julie Gold
, and in 1995, Dan Green (Fingerett's husband at the time) produced the Babes' third album, Fax It, Charge It, Don't Ask Me What's For Dinner: More Life According To Four Bitchin' Babes on Shanachie Records
. Fingerett's song Lovely Mistake was described as a "clear-eyed look at gaining wisdom set to a contemporary groove." Smith, in 1998, recorded a solo album entitled More Than Once, including her song Snowbound.
In 1997, Lavin, busy with other projects, chose Camille West
to replace herself in the band, and the same year, the new lineup released another live album, Gabby Road: Out Of The Mouths Of Babes, also recorded at the Birchmere. In 2001, the band, still with the same membership, released a fifth album, The Babes: Beyond Bitchin, produced by Jeff Bova (also producer for Céline Dion
, Billy Joel
, and Madonna
), in addition to a live concert DVD
. Later that year, McDonough left the band to perform a one-woman show, and was replaced by Suzzy Roche
, formerly of The Roches
. In 2002, they released the album Some Assembly Required. McDonough, in an interview in the Chicago Tribune
, saw parallels between her life and that of Patsy Cline
, since both artists had young children, hard-working husbands, yet lived a life on the road. In 2004, both West and Roche left the group and were replaced by Nashville songwriter/singer Nancy Moran
and comedic singer/songwriter/teacher Deirdre Flint
. In 2006, they toured for their CD "Hormonal Imbalance: A Mood Swinging Musical Revue". As of 2009, the group is still touring, currently promoting their latest CD, "Diva Nation: Where Music, Laughter & Girlfriends Reign!", which was released in October 2009 and was produced by band members Sally Fingerett and Debi Smith (Hem and Haw Productions).
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
genre. The group was described as "slyly outre" writing songs about the "humorous satire of everyday life" with an "inherent charm" ranging from "sentimental to lusty, spiritual to hysterical". The artists have made numerous albums and have worked with Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
's producer Jeff Bova. Followers of the band have been termed Babeophiles.
History
The band was founded in 1990 by Christine LavinChristine Lavin
Christine Lavin is a New York City-based singer-songwriter and promoter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded numerous solo albums, and has also recorded with other female folk artists under the name Four Bitchin' Babes...
, described by the Boston Globe in 2010 as a "folkie's folkie". After the success of a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
she produced, On a Winter's Night, she put together a road show of artists who appeared on the album: herself, Patty Larkin
Patty Larkin
Patty Larkin is a Boston-based singer-songwriter. redefines the boundaries of folk-urban pop music with her inventive guitar wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics...
, Chicago native Megon McDonough
Megon McDonough
Megon McDonough is an American folk/cabaret singer-songwriter and actress, from Chicago, Illinois. After her early solo recording career brought national attention, she became a founding member of Four Bitchin' Babes, performing and recording with them from 1990 to 2001 and then resuming her solo...
, and Sally Fingerett
Sally Fingerett
Sally Fingerett is an American folk singer/songwriter. She was a founding member of Four Bitchin' Babes and continues to record with the band....
. The foursome toured throughout the United States, after which Lavin decided to create a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
of their performance at The Birchmere
The Birchmere
The Birchmere is a concert hall in Alexandria, Virginia, known for presenting performers in the bluegrass, country, folk, and jazz genres. The main stage has table seating with dinner service. The room seats 500 people and the tables in front are about two feet from the stage...
. This album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume I was released on Philo/Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
in 1990.
After the release of Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me..., Larkin was signed by Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
, and left the band. She was replaced by Julie Gold
Julie Gold
Julie Gold is a New York singer-songwriter. She is best known for Bette Midler's version of her song "From a Distance" which won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991....
, best known for the song From a Distance
From a Distance
"From a Distance" is a song written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Some think this song was inspired by a PF Sloan song of the same name. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for Home Box Office and writing songs in her free time...
. The group now known as Four Bitchin' Babes continued to tour, and released their second album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume II in 1993. In the meantime, artists such as Cheryl Wheeler
Cheryl Wheeler
Cheryl Wheeler is an American singer-songwriter of contemporary folk music, based in New England. To date, she has recorded several folk albums, and has toured extensively throughout the United States....
, Janis Ian
Janis Ian
Janis Ian is an American songwriter, singer, musician, columnist, and science fiction author. Ian first entered the folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-sixties; most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century...
, and Mary Travers would substitute in concert for band members who were unavailable. In 1994, Debi Smith
Debi Smith
Debi Smith is an American folk singer/songwriter. She has been a member of Four Bitchin' Babes since 1994.Smith began her career performing with her sister, Megan Smith, as The Smith Sisters. They released five albums together on Flying Fish Records, which featured accompaniment from musicians such...
replaced Julie Gold
Julie Gold
Julie Gold is a New York singer-songwriter. She is best known for Bette Midler's version of her song "From a Distance" which won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991....
, and in 1995, Dan Green (Fingerett's husband at the time) produced the Babes' third album, Fax It, Charge It, Don't Ask Me What's For Dinner: More Life According To Four Bitchin' Babes on Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
. Fingerett's song Lovely Mistake was described as a "clear-eyed look at gaining wisdom set to a contemporary groove." Smith, in 1998, recorded a solo album entitled More Than Once, including her song Snowbound.
In 1997, Lavin, busy with other projects, chose Camille West
Camille West
Camille West is a satirical folk singer/songwriter. She was a member of Four Bitchin' Babes from 1997 to 2004. Her songs include "L.A.F.F. ," a protest song about bathing suits that are not designed to accommodate women's bodies; "B.O.B...
to replace herself in the band, and the same year, the new lineup released another live album, Gabby Road: Out Of The Mouths Of Babes, also recorded at the Birchmere. In 2001, the band, still with the same membership, released a fifth album, The Babes: Beyond Bitchin, produced by Jeff Bova (also producer for Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
), in addition to a live concert DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. Later that year, McDonough left the band to perform a one-woman show, and was replaced by Suzzy Roche
Suzzy Roche
Suzzy Roche , originally from Park Ridge, New Jersey, is best known for her work with the female vocal group The Roches, alongside sisters Maggie and Terre...
, formerly of The Roches
The Roches
The Roches are a female vocal group of three songwriting Irish-American sisters from Park Ridge, New Jersey, known for their "unusual" and "rich" harmonies, quirky lyrics, and casually comedic stage performances.The Roches have been active as performers and recording artists since the mid-1970s,...
. In 2002, they released the album Some Assembly Required. McDonough, in an interview in the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
, saw parallels between her life and that of Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
, since both artists had young children, hard-working husbands, yet lived a life on the road. In 2004, both West and Roche left the group and were replaced by Nashville songwriter/singer Nancy Moran
Nancy Moran
Nancy Moran is an American folk-rock singer/songwriter, based in Nashville, Tennessee. She joined Four Bitchin' Babes in 2005. The group is currently on tour promoting the latest CD "Diva Nation....Where Music, Laughter & Girlfriends Reign!" ....
and comedic singer/songwriter/teacher Deirdre Flint
Deirdre Flint
Deirdre Flint is a satirical folk-rock singer/songwriter. A former elementary school teacher, she joined the folk/comedy group Four Bitchin' Babes in 2005....
. In 2006, they toured for their CD "Hormonal Imbalance: A Mood Swinging Musical Revue". As of 2009, the group is still touring, currently promoting their latest CD, "Diva Nation: Where Music, Laughter & Girlfriends Reign!", which was released in October 2009 and was produced by band members Sally Fingerett and Debi Smith (Hem and Haw Productions).
Songwriting
Typically, the Babes' albums consist of songs written by the individual members, all of whom have or have had solo careers as well. Songs appearing on their albums, such as "Microwave Life" (by McDonough), "B.O.B. (Battery-Operated Boyfriend)" and "L.A.F.F. (Ladies Against Fanny Floss)" (by West), and "Don't Mess With Me (I'm Somebody's Mother)" (by Fingerett), satirize modern life, especially from a mature female perspective.Discography
- Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes (1990) (with Patty Larkin, Christine Lavin, Megon McDonough, and Sally Fingerett)
- Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume II (1993) (with Christine Lavin, Julie Gold, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Fax It, Charge It, Don't Ask Me What's For Dinner: More Life According To Four Bitchin' Babes (1994) (with Christine Lavin, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Gabby Road: Out of the Mouths of Babes (1997) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- The Babes: Beyond Bitchin (2001) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Meet the Babes (DVD) (2001) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Some Assembly Required (2002) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Suzzy Roche, Sally Fingerett)
- Hormonal Imbalance...A Mood-Swinging Musical Revue (2006) (with Sally Fingerett, Debi Smith, Nancy Moran, and Deirdre Flint)
- Diva Nation...Where Music, Laughter & Girlfriends Reign! (2009) (with Sally Fingerett, Debi Smith, Nancy Moran, and Deirdre Flint)