We here at Blue Élan Records want to wish you all a Happy Women’s History Month!
Read below to learn more about the past and present female artists of Blue Élan and check out some their recent songs on our Spotify playlist here.
Cherie Currie & Brie Darling
Los Angeles-based, female rock icons Cherie Currie and Brie Darling have been shattering glass ceilings their entire career. The two ladies carved a name for themselves and made people sit up and take notice of the female presence in rock music. Once connected, the idea to continue collaborating was hatched and soon the idea to record an album was solidified. The Motivator debuted in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Heatseeker’s Chart and has received rave reviews with The Big Takeover, saying “the chemistry of Currie and Darling is awe inspiring as the vocal gymnastics of both complement each other perfectly,” while Uncut magazine raves “The pick of their three originals is the defiant pop-rock anthem, “This Is Our Time”. “It ain’t over yet, turn up our voices past 10,” sings Currie. And they have.”
You can support their most recent project, The Motivator, here.
Fanny Walked the Earth
Fanny were the first-ever all-female rock band to sign a record deal for a full-length album, and would pave the way for women for decades to come. Nearly 50 years later, Fanny reunited in 2017 as Fanny Walked the Earth — a name that reflects all that they’ve accomplished in their lives; all they’ve seen, done and lived through. The groundbreaking band Fanny was “the most masterful all-female band of the classic rock era” (NPR), and a band David Bowie deeply respected: “One of the most important female bands in American rock has been buried without a trace. And that is Fanny. They were one of the finest... rock bands of their time, in about 1973. They were extraordinary... they're as important as anybody else who's ever been, ever; it just wasn't their time. Revivify Fanny. And I will feel that my work is done.” According to a story in Pitchfork, discrimination in the 1970s kept the band from being recognized as the rock pioneers they were. But now, with our highly charged and changing cultural landscape, and the interest in feminist rock and intersectional politics, there couldn’t be a more perfect time to tell the band’s story.
You can support their most recent project, Fanny Walked the Earth, here.
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge is an American recording artist with Native American roots who got her start as a backup singer for The Likes, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. After being a featured part of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen, singing the song “Superstar,” Rita became known as The Delta Lady. In her subsequent career comprising five decades and millions of record sales, Rita captivated audiences with her signature hits “We’re All Alone,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” “All Time High,” and “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher.” In 2017, Rita assembled songs for a new album with GRAMMY winning producer, Ross Hogarth. With Safe in the Arms of Time, Rita’s odyssey from the hills of rural Tennessee to the recording studios of Los Angeles and concert stages around the world has come full circle. As Rita recalled in her book, Delta Lady: “It’s all about the journey. Sometimes the path is surrounded by rainbows, and sometimes it’s buried in the mud. I’m still here and I still have a lot of gratitude for the whole process of being able to make music.”
You can support Safe in The Arms of Time here.
Cindy Alexander
An award-winning singer-songwriter, Cindy Alexander released her 10th studio album While the Angels Sigh, on April 23rd, 2021. Cindy has garnered a multitude of awards including David Foster's/NBC Star Tomorrow, L.A. Music Awards Songwriter of the Year/ Independent Pop Album of the Year/ Producer’s Honors - Best of Last 25 Years Female Singer-Songwriters, All Access Magazine's Best Female Pop Vocalist, and many more.
Order While the Angels Sigh here.
Chelsea Williams
Performing five hours a day, four days a week, Chelsea Williams honed her skills busking at Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, where she captured the attention of passersby including Ron Howard and Sheryl Crow. The Palomino Sound Sessions follows the studio release of Williams’ sophomore album Beautiful and Strange, which was heralded by NPR as one of the top albums to come out on May 8, and received featured placement on Apple Music’s coveted New Music Daily and NPR’s All Songs Considered. Williams has also been named one of Rolling Stone’s “Top 10 New Artists You Need to Know.”
Order Beautiful and Strange here.
Natalie Gelman
Attraction is inexplicable. It’s pheromonal, quasi-spiritual, physiological and physical. For songwriter-pop artist Natalie Gelman, the pull to music has almost been innate. As an eight-year-old, she freely roamed the wilds of New York City, stoking the fire of her artistry, spurred on by violin and piano lessons, and her innate singing and songwriting gifts.
The Ojai, California-based artist has aptly titled her milestone release, Moth To The Flame. The album features 11 co-writes with producer Charlie Midnight (Joni Mitchell, Katy Perry) who was an early champion of Natalie’s talents as a singer-songwriter. It has the added distinction of being mixed by Grammy award-winning sound engineer Jason Mariani (Lissie, Mumford & Sons) and mastered by Grammy award-winning engineer icon Bernie Grundman (Michael Jackson, OutKast).
Order Moth to a Flame here.
Roan Yellowthorn
While just one person graces the cover of their debut album Indigo, Roan Yellowthorn is technically a duo. Growing up in Maine, Jackie McLean was drawn to music from an early age, performing in musicals. McLean continued to sing and act in leading roles throughout her formative years at Bard College, where she first met producer, multi-instrumentalist, and now husband Shawn Strack after inviting him to a game of Ping-Pong.
Order their most recent album, Another Life here.
Amy Wilcox
Up and coming singer-songwriter Amy Wilcox, debuted her EP WEST in 2019. The rising star’s debut single, “Bandwagon,” immediately drew listeners in to Wilcox’s world with its bright jangly rhythm and carve your own path anthem.
Listen to WEST here.
Car Astor
New York-based pop powerhouse Car Astor has gone softer and much more personal on her new ‘mostly’ acoustic album, you say you love me…but i don’t believe you, available now right here.
Gina Sicilia
Gritty soul and blues singer Gina Sicilia always stays one step ahead in her songwriting and music. The Newtown, Pennsylvania-native, who now calls Nashville home, has never been one to sit still musically. On her album, Love Me Madly, Sicilia slides fervently and warmly into a wide range of soul music, from pop-inflected, hooky tunes, like “Love Me Madly”, to horn-drenched heart-stoppers. Produced by Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, with Luther Dickinson performing guitar on tracks including “Misery With You.”
Order Love Me Madly here.
Janiva Magness
Since the early ’90s, Magness has built an impressive career in American roots music, brick by hard-earned brick. She has traveled millions of miles, sung on thousands of club and festival stages, and made a string of recordings that have earned accolades and awards. Today, her albums rise to the top of Billboard’s roots music charts and the apex of the Americana and blues radio charts. She is only the second woman, following blues giant Koko Taylor, to receive the Blues Foundation’s B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award, and it was presented to her at the Memphis ceremonies by King and Bonnie Raitt. As anyone who has seen her performances or listened to her albums will attest, Magness has, indeed, earned a place in the history of American music.
Listen to her latest album, Change in the Weather: Janiva Magness Sings John Fogerty, here.
Mint Trip
Mint Trip is a Los Angeles-based alternative pop band that’s not afraid to take risks. Whether experimenting with intricate rhythms and atmospheric soundscapes or performing melodically driven music with strong vocal hooks, the young band’s distinct mix of traditional and modern pop influences draw a fine line between the digital and analog worlds. Their sonic palette features the vocal prowess of Amy Gionfriddo, whose dynamic voice can be both soothing and fierce, the pulsing rhythms of bassist Brian Gross, and the experimental guitar work of Max Molander.
Listen to their debut album, Animator, here.
Mustangs of the West
“Mustangs of the West have made an album for where the world is right now, and the title song “Time,” with special guest Poco’s Rusty Young on steel guitar, is an indisputable anthem for the challenges of today–and tomorrow. Hear and believe. ” - Bill Bentley.
Listen to their most recent release, Time, here.
Scout Durwood
Many years before she made audiences laugh starring on MTV’s Mary + Jane and Oxygen’s Funny Girls, she knew that being different was her greatest strength. That free spirit defines her first album for Blue Élan Records, Take One Thing Off. Scout Durwood has since released Comedy Electronica Vol. 1and Vol. 2, her second digital video series with accompanying EPs. Both EPs are now available on all streaming services, and all videos are available here.
Lisa Lambe
Lisa Lambe, is one of Ireland’s best-known performers. Described by the Irish Times as the finest singer and actor of her generation, she is attracting a global audience with her most recent album release, Juniper.
Order Juniper here.