Vicky Aspinall
Encyclopedia
Vicky Aspinall (born c. 1956, England
) was the violinist in the English post punk band The Raincoats
from 1978 to 1984, and a founder in 1992 of Fresh Records, a UK
independent record label
with 18 UK Top 40 hits
and 23 Club chart #1s to date.
Aspinall was a member of Jam Today, a part of the ‘Women’s Music Movement’ which developed in the late 1970s, playing a hybrid of jazz and rock similar in approach to groups like Henry Cow
. She has been credited, by Gina Birch of The Raincoats, with making The Raincoats more aware of feminist ideas.
She was recruited to The Raincoats after she noticed an advertisement which read "female musician wanted: no style but strength" in a radical bookshop in Camden Town
.
She is a classically-trained violinist, having graduated from the Royal College of Music
, London, in the late 1970s.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) was the violinist in the English post punk band The Raincoats
The Raincoats
The Raincoats are a British post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England.-Career:...
from 1978 to 1984, and a founder in 1992 of Fresh Records, a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
with 18 UK Top 40 hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
and 23 Club chart #1s to date.
Aspinall was a member of Jam Today, a part of the ‘Women’s Music Movement’ which developed in the late 1970s, playing a hybrid of jazz and rock similar in approach to groups like Henry Cow
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
. She has been credited, by Gina Birch of The Raincoats, with making The Raincoats more aware of feminist ideas.
She was recruited to The Raincoats after she noticed an advertisement which read "female musician wanted: no style but strength" in a radical bookshop in Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
.
She is a classically-trained violinist, having graduated from the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
, London, in the late 1970s.