Published in 1992
467 pages
Gillian G. Gaar writes regularly about music, entertainment, and travel. She enjoys taking pictures for her articles and books as well. Her first book was She’s A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll, first published in 1992, and updated in 2002; Yoko Ono wrote the book’s preface, and it still gives her a thrill to see her name on the cover. Other areas of expertise include Nirvana, the Beatles, and Elvis, all of whom she has written books about. She has also written for a variety of publications around the world, including Mojo, Rolling Stone, Goldmine (where she had regular Beatles and Elvis columns), and many others. She was also a senior editor at legendary Seattle music publication The Rocket.
What is this book about?
An encyclopedic narrative of the role of women in rock and pop over the last four decades, from Big Mama Thornton, who topped the R&B charts with “Hound Dog” three years before Elvis, to the female musical powerhouses of the ’90s. Compulsively readable and thoroughly entertaining, this is a spirited and much-needed retelling of rock history which has tended to treat women peripherally at best. And unlike most rock journalists, Gaar knows how to do research, and how to both tell a long story with attention to detail and keep readers’ attention for a long time.
