June Millington
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Philippine-American guitarist June Millington, her sister bassist Jean Millington, together with drummer Alice de Buhr, and keyboardist Nickey Barclay founded Fanny, which was signed with Warner Brothers' Reprise Records in 1969 and released five albums by 1973, including Fanny, Charity Ball, Fanny Hill, and Mother's Pride, which was produced by Todd Rundgren. Fanny toured worldwide, gaining widespread popularity in the U.K., and charted in the U.S. with the songs "Charity Ball" and "Butter Boy". In 1971 Fanny also served as session players and did arrangements for Barbra Streisand's self-titled album. In 2002, Rhino records gave the group the box-set treatment, releasing First Time In A Long Time—The Reprise Recordings.
Fanny was arguably the first all girl rock band to be signed to a major record label. While the Runaways and the Go Go's are remembered as the early all-female rock bands, Fanny pre-dates them by several years, and their existence and popularity was instrumental to the rise of the female bands that followed. Their influence also transcended gender lines. Said fan David Bowie in Rolling Stone in Rolling Stone magazine - 29 December 1999: "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."
June Millington's sister Jean married David Bowie's then guitarist, Earl Slick. She continues to play bass both in the studio and in concert, and is also an herbalist and holographic-repatterning practitioner. Jean had also done studio work for many artists, including Keith Moon, David Bowie, and Roderick Taylor.
June and Jean Millington continued to record and release albums together after Fanny disbanded, most recently in the group Slammin' Babes. June, who Guitar Player magazine called "the hottest female guitar player in the industry", has a long career producing albums as well, with credits including those by Holly Near, Mary Watkins, Cris Williamson, Bitch and Animal, John Simon, Diane Lincoln, and the compilation "Bi The People".
In 1986, June Millington together with her long time partner, Ann Hackler, formed the Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA). The Northampton, MA-based non-profit institute's mission is to support women and girls in music and music-related businesses. IMA's programs include the Rock ‘n Roll Camp for Girls, and workshops on vocal and instrumental instruction, album production and recording techniques, lyric and music composition, and booking, promotion, and entertainment law.
