In a music world that was rougher than rough, where men took monikers of
royalty and machismo like Duke and King and Lord; where boastful
ringleaders fired guns into the air after descending a throne carried by
their legions of followers, bandoliers crisscrossing their chests,
ermine on their shoulders; where violent gangs stormed dances to “mash
up,” breaking sound system equipment and smashing bottles of beer on
brick walls, how was a little girl with a sweet song in her soul to have
a chance?
Some Jamaican women found a way. They endured
harassment and received little or no pay to perform as backup or
alongside or in front of the male musicians. They sacrificed family and
home for a life in the spotlight, or they brought their babies with them
on the road. They took over the studio and made it their own, or they
suffered unimaginable violence, even murder. They changed the course of
music all over the world.
These are the never-before-told
stories of the women who tried and persevered and made it, no matter
what their struggle. These are the Songbirds: Pioneering Women of
Jamaican Music.
Featuring exclusive photos and dozens of
interviews from the women themselves, or those who knew them, Heather
Augustyn, author of three previously-published books on Jamaican music
history, brings to life the stories of these inspirational women so that
their music can be savored and their lives finally celebrated.
Songbirds: Pioneering Women in Jamaican Music - Heather Augustyn
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