When Fanny Rocked

Their self-titled LP — groundbreaking because all of the instruments and vocals were done by women — received a lukewarm response. "We got asked all the time about the male studio musicians who must've played on the album," Alice said. "Those questions stopped after the third or fourth album."

The band's third album, Fanny Hill

Jean added, "The first time we played anywhere, people expected us to prove ourselves."

"We got used to that," said June, referring to the skepticism, "and just played our asses off and people loved it. It became so much fun."

Alice de Buhr

Photo credit: Bob Riegler

Alice recalled a gig from hell in Joliet, Ill., where the promoters expected a topless band. Nickey remembered a performance where there was a dressing room for "the band" and one for "the girls" because the venue assumed they were a topless vocal group.

Was there a lot of groupie groping and hotel room destruction? Not exactly. "We never did a whole lot of partying because no one knew how to approach us," Alice explained. "It wasn't 'Hey baby!' Men politely asked what kind of drums I played and other questions like that. Women didn't know how to respond to us. Maybe lesbians would've gone back to the hotel with us, but there was no protocol for that."

Jean added, "That whole gender thing made it awkward, but usually the people who approached us tended to be really nice guys."

June and Alice once spent the night with Mick Jagger, but it wasn't what it sounds like. Alice recalled: "We got ripped and had a great time. He was a perfect gentleman."

Sometime around this period, Perry arranged for them to record with Barbra Streisand. "When Barbra came in to the studio it was just like watching Funny Girl," June remembered. She said she didn't know if she could do the song. I said, 'Look Barbara, it's OK,' and sang it with her. When she was ready, Barbra did three takes and she slammed it every time. She sang better on the first take than most people. [Women's music pioneer] Cris Williamson is like that too."

June added, "I don't remember a lot of gigs but I remember hanging out with people like Paul and Linda McCartney."

Several years later, she met another famous Beatle. "I was in New York doing some album work for Holly [Near, the activist-singer] when I got a message that Earl Slick [Bowie's guitar player] wanted to meet me at a local restaurant," she said. "When I walked in I saw a whole group of people. John Lennon stood up and mimicked playing a guitar. He really wanted to meet me, and that's why Earl arranged the meeting. I hung out with him at the studio and had a lot of great conversations. Everyone was afraid to hang out with him, but I wasn't."

In some circles, Fanny was considered a feminist band, although they shunned that label. Jean clarified, "We didn't want the emphasis to be that we were girls, lesbians or politically active — we wanted it to be just about the music."

She continued: "Unfortunately, the label wanted us to wear skimpy outfits. It didn't bother me as much as it did June. I've always been more femmey so it wasn't that big a stretch. It did bother me that there was so much emphasis on beauty. You don't want your reputation built on that."

Alice remembered one particular set of costumes. "We were banned at the Palladium [in London] because they thought our outfits were risqué. I wore a tank top made from coins. I had to wear pasties or the coins would pinch my nipples. June's outfit was turquoise, Jean wore crystals, and Nickey's shirt had sequins. It was all very Las Vegas showgirl."