Monday, October 10, 2011

Artist: The 'B' Girls, Album: Who Says Girls Can't Rock, Song: Two Hearts

The 'B' Girls were a rock band from Toronto that formed in 1977.  They were sisters, Cynthia, Locasta and Rhonda Ross along with Xenia Splawinski.  They apparently made the decision to form a band while attending a Thin Lizzy concert.  They opened for the Viletones in Toronto and by 1979, released their first single, Fun At The Beach.  The single was produced by Bob Segarini (see blogs 1/8/11, 7/3/11).  They would eventually move to New York and open for The Dead Boys at the legendary CBGB's and became a fixture within the city's punk scene.  Cynthia would actually begin dating the late Stiv Bators of The Dead Boys and would establish a residence at the Chelsea Hotel next to Sid & Nancy.  Their debut album, B-Day, was released independently in 1980 and despite not having a major label deal, they befriended Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of The Clash who invited the band to open for them on the eastern leg of their London Calling tour.  They played shows in New York, Boston and Philadelphia supporting the Clash.  They also collaborated with Blondie on one of her recordings.  Sadly, despite their peer support, the band was never able to land a record deal of their own and split in 1981.  In 1997, the Other Peoples Music label, re-released their debut along with some rare and alternate version tracks, entitled, Who Says Girls Can't Rock.  The album is available for download on Itunes.  One particular track that caught my ear was Two Hearts.  You can check out one of two versions from this album on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvD8rJPhTKQ&feature=channel_video_title).  You can read about the band at http://www.bgirls77.com/.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!