Four Bitchin' Babes
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The Four Bitchin' Babes is a group of female singer-songwriters with rotating membership, performing mainly humorous, satirical or light-hearted songs in the folk genre.
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[edit] History
The band was founded in 1990 by Christine Lavin. After the success of a compilation album she produced, On a Winter's Night, she put together a road show of artists who appeared on the album: herself, Patty Larkin, Megon McDonough, and Sally Fingerett. The foursome toured throughout the United States, after which Lavin decided to create a live album of their performance at The Birchmere. This album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume I was released on Philo/Rounder Records in 1990.
After the release of Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me..., Larkin was signed by Windham Hill Records, and left the band. She was replaced by Julie Gold, best known for the song From a Distance. The group now known as Four Bitchin' Babes continued to tour, and released their second album, Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume II in 1993. In the meantime, artists such as Cheryl Wheeler, Janis Ian, and Mary Travers would substitute in concert for band members who were unavailable. In 1994, Debi Smith replaced Julie Gold, and in 1995, Dan Green (Fingerett's husband at the time) produced the Babes' third album, Fax It, Charge It, Don't Ask Me What's For Dinner: More Life According To Four Bitchin' Babes on Shanachie Records.
In 1997, Lavin, busy with other projects, chose Camille West to replace herself in the band, and the same year, the new lineup released another live album, Gabby Road: Out Of The Mouths Of Babes, also recorded at the Birchmere. In 2001, the band, still with the same membership, released a fifth album, The Babes: Beyond Bitchin', produced by Jeff Bova (also producer for Céline Dion, Billy Joel, and Madonna), in addition to a live concert DVD. Later that year, McDonough left the band to perform a one-woman show, and was replaced by Suzzy Roche, formerly of The Roches. In 2002, they released the album Some Assembly Required.
In 2004, both West and Roche left the group and were replaced by Nashville songwriter/singer Nancy Moran and comedic singer/songwriter Deirdre Flint. As of 2006, they are still touring, billed as Hormonal Imbalance: A Mood Swinging Musical Revue. A new CD of this new show is expected in 2006.
[edit] Songwriting
Typically, the Babes' albums consist of songs written by the individual members, all of whom have or have had solo careers as well. Songs appearing on their albums, such as "Microwave Life" (by McDonough), "B.O.B. (Battery-Operated Boyfriend)" and "L.A.F.F. (Ladies Against Fanny Floss)" (by West), and "Don't Mess With Me (I'm Somebody's Mother)" (by Fingerett), satirize modern life, especially from a mature female perspective.
[edit] Discography
- Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume I (1990) (with Christine Lavin, Patty Larkin, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair: Life According to Four Bitchin' Babes Volume II (1993) (with Christine Lavin, Julie Gold, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Fax It, Charge It, Don't Ask Me What's For Dinner: More Life According To Four Bitchin' Babes (1994) (with Christine Lavin, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Gabby Road: Out of the Mouths of Babes (1997) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- The Babes: Beyond Bitchin' (2001) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Meet the Babes (DVD) (2001) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Megon McDonough, Sally Fingerett)
- Some Assembly Required (2002) (with Camille West, Debi Smith, Suzzy Roche, Sally Fingerett)
