Rocker Chicks

White Rabbit--Total Eclipse of the Heart--Black Velvet. These powerful rock anthems by Grace Slick, Bonnie Tyler & Alannah Myles proved to me that women could rule in the rock 'n' roll world. But I still don't know much about the voices behind the songs.

I'm intrigued by a recent trio of autobiographies released by women who helped sculpt the musical landscape of the late 70s and the 80s. I'm working my way through them. Here's the list, so you can join me as I find out more about Cherie Currie, Belinda Carlisle & Pat Benatar.

Cherie Currie, lead singer of the 70s group The Runaways, has updated and rereleased her biography Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway. Cherie's journey has taken her from Davie Bowie devotee, to singer/actor, to drug addict, to champion chainsaw sculptor. Interest in The Runaways is high right now, because of the new movie based on their band. This film stars Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning, who just like the The Runaways have experienced fame at a young age. If you want to know even more about The Runaways, a biography focusing on Joan Jett is coming out later this summer.

The two other books I'm enjoying are brand new. Belinda Carlisle, the front woman for the Go-Gos, reveals her life and band experiences in Lips Unsealed: A Memoir. And the iconic Pat Benatar highlights the strength her long-enduring marriage has provided as she's lived her career in Between a Heart and a Rock Place.






We'll be happy to place holds on any of these new titles for you. Give us a call at 217-367-4405, or email us at The Urbana Free Library reference desk.