Isis (the female band)

[Magic]

Since there was some confusion in the female elimination thread about this group being all male........

I thought I would introduce everyone to these ladies.

They made 3 albums in the 1970's. All of their music is horn rock , heavy into rhythm and blues. Their music is very soothing and reminds me of Sade. This group originally started in the 60's as Goldie & the Gingerbreads.

Unfortunately, their music is very scarce on the net. Their last album of 1978, Breaking Through, is on last.fm with all the tracks for you to listen to.

One Woman

Get Crazy

This isn't the kind of music I would listen to often, but it is cool to find a band that has dissolved but still made huge strides for women in the music business.

This band was the 5th group of females to ever be signed to a major record label. So sad they dissolved in the 70's.

If you would like to read further about these ladies:

http://store.itsaboutmusic.com/isis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis_(horn-rock_band)

 

[Flower]

I know of Isis because I'm a big fan of "Goldie & The Gingerbreads" ....


Biography

The first two albums
~
Isis was formed in 1972 by Carol MacDonald (vocals/guitar) and Ginger Bianco (nee Panabianco; drums), former members of 1960s female rock band Goldie & The Gingerbreads. To fill out the line-up, they recruited Susan Ghezzi (guitar), Stella Bass (vocals/bass), Nydia 'Liberty' Mata (percussion) and a horn-section featuring Jeanie Fineberg (sax/vocals), Lauren Draper (trumpet/vocals) and Lolly Bienenfield (trombone/vocals).

Isis built a solid following on the New York club circuit, and in 1973 became the fifth all-female band to sign to a major label (Buddah Records). In the fall of 1974 they released their self-titled debut album. The Isis album was produced by George "Shadow" Morton and drew comparisons to Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, and Santana, as well as Black Sabbath, Yes and Jethro Tull. The album cover -- a photograph of the bandmembers in nothing but metallic bodypaint -- created a sensation, and the LP reached Billboard's Top 100 chart.

Despite receiving positive reviews for the album and live appearances, Isis failed to reach a mainstream audiences. One possibility for the resistance encountered by the band may have been singer Carol MacDonald's unwillingness to deny her homosexuality, which she sang about in the song "She Loves Me".

As time went on, the group scored support slots with the biggest acts of the day, including KISS, Aerosmith, The Beach Boys, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, among others. In 1974, Susan Ghezzi (guitar) was replaced by Renata Ferrer and Lauren Draper was replaced by Ellen Seeling. The band also added Edith Dankowitz (sax/vocals) and former Gingerbreads organist, Margo Lewis (B-3).

In 1975, this incarnation of Isis recorded the group's follow-up album Ain't No Backin' Up Now, with producer/songwriter Allen Toussaint at his studio in New Orleans. (Toussaint had just completed recording "Lady Marmalade" with LaBelle). Ain't No Backin' Up Now relies on soul, funk and discoinfluences and featured a guest-appearance by guitarist June Millington, fresh from the break-up of Fanny.

Breaking Through and breaking up

Without commercial success, it was difficult to keep the group together. Equally challenging was finding qualified female musicians to join the band. By 1976, the core line up was Carol MacDonald, Margo Lewis, Jeanie Feinberg, Ellen Seeling and new members Faith Fusillo (vocals/guitar), Barbara Cobb (bass), Vivian Stoll (drums)and Lynx (sax/guitar/vocals).

In 1977, the band signed with its second label, United Artists, and released their third album Breaking Through, produced by Len Barry. Frustrated by the inability to turn great reviews into commercial success, the LP was a departure from its two previous releases and was geared specifically to the commercial market. However, this LP, like the others, was once again a commercial disappointment. Alumni members Nydia Mata, Ellen Seeling, Lolly Bienenfield, Lauren Draper and Jeanie Fineberg, as well as newcomer Laurie Frink, also appeared on the album.

The band (with Frink and other gust members) toured to support the release of the LP throughout the USA and the Caribbean. The group opened for chart topping BT Express and Dr. Buzzards Savannah Band on the west coast swing, and for Blondie on the east coast dates.

After the touring to support Breaking Through, the group took up residence for a time at Greenwich Village landmark "Trudy Hellers" on 6th Avenue and 9th Street, where they played nightly. However, the continued lack of commercial success eventually led the group to disband by the end of the 1970s.

 

[Flower]

Isis 2001: the Second Coming

On November 13, 1997 Carol MacDonald and Ginger Bianco (who spent years not making music) participated in a one-off Goldie & the Gingerbreads reunion. This took place thirty years after the initial break-up of that group, and 22 years after their last performance together as members of Isis.

Eventually MacDonald and Bianco decided to form a new version of Isis with Lolly Bienenfield (now playing with Jazz Diva) as the third core-member. The new members were Denny Cole (guitar), Bonnie Parker (bass), Pam Fleming (trumpet), Laura Dryer (sax) and Paula Jeanine (percussion).

This line-up debuted on January 26, 2001 at the New York Bottom Line headlining a female musicians' night. Plans for a new album, however, never materialised.

The original members and their replacements later gathered at a Women in Music jam; it turned out to be the final chapter in the band's history as health reasons soon forced lead singer (and the band's sole constant member) Carol MacDonald to quit.

MacDonald died on March 12, 2007. Six months later, on September 20, Ginger Bianco was given the Women Breaking Barriers Award by the GLBT Historical Society, partly for her work in Isis.



Btw ~ This is a great book ~

 

[R. Evans]

Good stuff Magic and Flower. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Flower]

It seems that ISIS was one of those groups that are better live ~

ISIS was a great live band, capable of blissful improvisations. They needed to be seen live to be fully appreciated, where their energy and ability to draw in an audience was legendary. Concert reviews from the era show that audiences loved them. In the beginning, they shared billings with Fanny, another notable all-female band, then on Reprise Records. Invitations and tours followed with the likes of Three Dog Night, Leon Russell, the Beach Boys, Kiss, ZZ Top and Aerosmith, among others.


I get a kick out of this video ~

 

[Flower]

 

[Flower]

 

[Magic]

Those are some great videos, Flower.

 

[Hepcat]

I get a kick out of this video ~

Cool video!

***:

 

[FoxyPage]

I didn't see the female elimination thread but I am assuming people confused them with the amazing metal band.

Didn't know a female band had the same name.