Bio by She Rox All Female Bands: The 1960’s have been called by many, one of the best decades in modern music, this was true for all-female playing bands as well that proved to be a growing a trend during the decade, thanks in part to early ground breakers like Goldie and the Gingerbreads and Texas based Heartbeats, easily the two first documented all-female bands from the early 1960’s. All-female pop bands were on the rise during this decade but none ventured into the rock arena, at least not until 1967 when Los Angeles, California based Birtha began. Comprised of Sherry Hagler on keyboards, Rosemary Butler on bass, Michele “Shele” Pinizzotto on guitar and drummer Olivia “Liver” Favela on drums. The band spent years playing and honing in their sound before being signed to a record label in 1972, and releasing their debut self-titled album. By this time another L.A. based all-female rock band, Fanny, was making a name for themselves as well and Birtha would spend most of their career dodging constant comparisons to Fanny and found themselves pitted by the music industry against each other, even though Birtha pre dates Fanny by two years. All-female bands were still quite a novelty during the early 1970’s but Birtha and Fanny were far from being the only two, however both bands did lead the pack and branched out into major media attention. Fanny would be the first all-female band to land a Top 40 U.S. hit, an achievement that eluded Birtha, but with both being from Los Angeles, both playing a no frills rock and roll, and releasing albums at the same time, this is where the similarities end. Birtha had a more blues sound to their brand of rock and roll, and toured the U.S., Canada and Europe with such major acts as B.B King, Fleetwood Mac, and the Kinks. Birtha would release their second album Can’t Stop the Madness in 1973, and received favorable reviews however failed to break into commercial mainstream. By the end of 1973, the band would release their last material, a cover single of Steely Dan’s, Dirty Work as a last attempt to achieve the fame that their more than earned by spending years of making a name for themselves. When the single failed to do so Birtha was dropped by their label, and spent the next two years playing shows and touring before calling it a day in 1975. Birtha as a band did not reach the heights of success that they should have, and during a time when the music industry did not have room for more than one successful all-female band, Birtha remained true to themselves, a footnote by some in music history, their contribution to women in rock, not just all female bands, is unparalleled, and pioneering even some fifty years after they began.
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