Sign-In
Cart
Olivia on the Record: A Radical Experiment in Women's Music
Paperback
Literary CriticismPop/RockWomen's Studies
Publisher Price: $18.95
ISBN13: 9781951874018
Publisher: Aunt Lute Books
Published: Oct 20 2020
Pages: 260
Weight: 0.80
Height: 0.70 Width: 5.40 Depth: 8.40
Language: English
Foreword INDIES 2020 Silver Award Winner in LGBTQ+ Nonfiction
Independent Press Awards 2021 Winner in LGBTQ nonfiction
Golden Crown Literary Awards 2021 Nonfiction Winner
The burgeoning lesbian and feminist movements of the '70s and '80s created an impetus to form more independent and equitable social and cultural institutions-bookstores, publishers, health clinics, and more--to support the unprecedented surge in women's arts of all kinds. Olivia Records was at the forefront of these models, not only recording and distributing women's music but also creating important new social spaces for previously isolated women and lesbians through concerts and festivals.
Ginny Z. Berson, one of Olivia's founding members and visionaries, kept copious records during those heady days--days also fraught with contradictions, conflicts, and economic pitfalls. With great honesty, Berson offers her personal take on what those times were like, revisiting the excitement and the hardships of creating a fair and equitable lesbian-feminist business model--one that had no precedent.
In a time when lesbians' participation in mainstream culture and politics is often taken for granted, we need to recognize the miraculousness of what Olivia achieved. A few years after Stonewall, Olivia not only created the first women's record label, but in the face of pervasive bigotry and repression carved out a vibrant political space for lesbian freedom. --Barbara Smith, co-founder of the Combahee River Collective
The women's music movement was a revolution for rights and dignity, carving out a space where none existed before: for women to seize ownership of their own narrative, for lesbians who had never been reflected in popular music, for women to write love songs to other women. A small collective of idealistic women with absolutely no experience in the music business created a model that would change the landscape for all women, indeed, for all people. --Vicki Randle, musician
Ginny Berson's important memoir of building Olivia Records into a beloved lesbian institution is a timely narrative from a founding organizer. Ginny walks us through the politics, radical self-discovery, aching romantic tension, and quirky community organizing that characterized an era. In these chapters, we gain a front row seat to the collective processing that produced and distributed lesbian records, and meet the first generation of fans to experience women's music as lesbian liberation. --Bonnie J. Morris, PhD, author of Eden Built by Eves, The Disappearing L, and The Feminist Revolution
Also in
Pop/Rock
The Ultimate Guide to Vinyl and More: All You Need to Know about Collecting Essential Music from Cylinders and CDs to Lps and Tapes
Thompson, David
Paperback
This Ain't the Summer of Love: Conflict and Crossover in Heavy Metal and Punk
Waksman, Steve
Paperback
A Screaming Life: Into the Superunknown with Soundgarden and Beyond
Thayil, Kim
Tepedelen, Adem
Hardcover
Where the Music Had to Go: How Bob Dylan and the Beatles Changed Each Other--And the World
Windolf, Jim
Hardcover
Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of the Strokes (and Rock 'n' Roll)
Hyden, Steven
Hardcover
What Do You Do When You're Lonesome: The Authorized Biography of Justin Townes Earle
Bernstein, Jonathan
Hardcover
Little Book of Elvis Presley: Inspirational Quotes from the King of Rock 'n' Roll
Croft, Rod
Hardcover
Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles
Emerick, Geoff
Massey, Howard
Paperback
Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead, and an American Awakening
Newton, Jim
Hardcover
Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola - The Aor Glory Years 1976-1986
Rees, Paul
Hardcover
Taylor Swift by the Book: The Literature Behind the Lyrics, from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets
Feder, Rachel
Tatreau, Tiffany
Hardcover
Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion
Deville, Chris
Hardcover
Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011
Goodman, Lizzy
Paperback
Paint by Sticker (Official): Music Icons: Re-Create 10 Classic Photographs One Sticker at a Time!
Workman Publishing
Paperback
Dolly Parton: The Stories Behind the Songs: The Very Best Tracks, Explored and Explained
Zaleski, Annie
Hardcover
The Silver Snarling Trumpet: The Birth of the Grateful Dead--The Lost Manuscript of Robert Hunter
Hunter, Robert
Paperback
Lessons & Lace: Everything I Know about Dreams, Heartbreak, and Magic I Learned from Stevie Nicks
Brodsky, Rachel
Hardcover
Brain Games - Puzzles and Quizzes: Dolly Parton Facts and Information
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
Azerrad, Michael
Paperback
We're Having Much More Fun: Punk Archives for the Present from Cbgb to Gilman and Beyond
McEnaney, Tom
Peraino, Judith A.
Paperback
Friends of the Devil: West Texas Cowboys, Brown-Eyed Women, and Other Sunshine Daydreamers from the Songs of the Grateful Dead
Pappademas, Alex
Hardcover
The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall: Photos and Stories from the Formative Years, 1966-1977
Marshall, Jim
Davis, Amelia
Gans, David
Hardcover
Brain Games - Puzzles and Quizzes - Taylor Swift: The Ultimate Swiftie Activity Book Picture Puzzles, Trivia, Crossword, Word Search & More Unauthoriz
Kaplan, Arie
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Mystery Train, 50th Anniversary Edition: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music
Marcus, Greil
Paperback
Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
Hawkins, Martin
Escott, Colin
Paperback
The House That Rock Built: How It Took Time, Money, Music Moguls, Corporate Types, Politicians, Media, Artists, and Fans to Bring the Rock Hall to Cle
Feran, Tom
Nite, Norm N.
Paperback
Let's Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies
Des Barres, Pamela
Paperback
Loud and Clear: The Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound and the Quest for Audio Perfection
Anderson, Brian
Hardcover
And on Piano ...Nicky Hopkins: The Extraordinary Life of Rock's Greatest Session Man
Dawson, Julian
Paperback
The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years 1962-1970
Lewisohn, Mark
Paperback
There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and the End of the Heartland
Hyden, Steven
Paperback
The Rolling Stones: On Tour: The Official Celebration of the Greatest Live Band of All Time
Sexton, Paul
Hardcover
Richard Manuel: His Life and Music, from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to the Band
Lewis, Stephen T.
Hardcover
Love Goes to Buildings on Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever
Hermes, Will
Paperback
The Jacksons: Legacy: From the Family Archives / The 50th Anniversary Book
The Jacksons
Bronson, Fred
Paperback
The Silver Snarling Trumpet: The Birth of the Grateful Dead--The Lost Manuscript of Robert Hunter
Hunter, Robert
Hardcover
Pink Floyd All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track
Margotin, Philippe
Guesdon, Jean-Michel
Hardcover
The Taylor Swift Book: The Ultimate Guide to the Music, Life, Eras, and Legacy of an Icon
MacKenzie, Malcolm
Hardcover
Sharing in the Groove: The Untold Story of the '90s Jam Band Explosion and the Scene That Followed
Ayers, Mike
Hardcover