Genya Ravan

Genya Ravan, a.k.a. Goldie (born Genyusha Zelkovicz; April 19, 1940) is an American rock singer and producer. She was lead singer for The Escorts, Goldie & the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive.[1]

Life and career

Genya was born in Łódź, Poland.[2] She arrived in the United States in 1947, accompanied by her parents and one sister. She had two brothers, who died. These were the only family members who had survived the Nazi Holocaust in Europe. They did not speak any English.

Genya Ravan was named 'Goldie' by her mother who claimed Genyusha was not American enough. Goldie had the first successful all-girl band, Goldie & the Gingerbreads, who were the first all-girl rock band in history to be signed to a major label and climb the charts. Her career started in 1962 on a dare in a Brooklyn club called The Lollipop Lounge, which is also the title of her autobiography published by Billboard Books. On a dare in a bar, she jumped up to sing. "That was the first time I ever heard my voice". She was asked to join the band The Escorts, Richard Perry being one of the members. After signing to Decca Coral records and being produced by Henry Jerome, there was some success, they covered "Somewhere" from West Side Story and it went to number 1 in parts of the Mid-West. In 1963 she formed Goldie and The Gingerbreads. Goldie, a.k.a. Genya, met Ginger Bianco in a Greenwich Village bar.

After seeing Goldie and The Gingerbreads at a party for the Rolling Stones, Atlantic Records Chairman Ahmet Ertegün signed them to Atlantic subsidiary Atco Records.

While playing New York City's hot spot The Wagon Wheel on 45th Street in Times Square, Mike Jeffries, Eric Burdon, Hilton Valentine, and Chas Chandler spotted them, and wanted them to come to England.

Goldie and The Gingerbreads toured with the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the Kinks, and Manfred Mann. They reached the charts with their hit "Can't You Hear My Heart Beat" in 1965. The song reached #25 on the UK Singles Chart. The band stayed in London for two years.

Billed as "Goldie", she released the original version of the classic Carole King-Gerry Goffin composition "Goin' Back" in the spring of 1966. However this single was withdrawn within a week by producer Andrew Loog Oldham, due to disagreements with Goffin and King over altered lyrics. The song would be covered by Dusty Springfield three months later, making the U.K. top 10 singles chart.

Ravan and her two partners Aram Schefrin and Mike Zager formed Ten Wheel Drive in 1969. Ten Wheel Drive lasted three years. They recorded three albums for Polydor Records: Construction number 1, Brief Replies, Peculiar Friends Are Better Than No Friends. They had many fans, but the group did not take off. Genya left the band in 1971. She was signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis where she made one album in 1972 titled simply Genya Ravan.

In 1987, Ravan had gone on to make more of her trail blazing solo rock & roll records. She appeared on the The Mike Douglas Show, The Johnny Carson Show, Della and The Dick Cavett Show television shows.

Ravan performed at the Atlanta Pop Festival, twice at Carnegie Hall and twice at Madison Square Garden, along with various clubs in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, including the famous CBGB.

In 2011, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum included Goldie and The Gingerbreads in their Women in Music exhibit which travelled from state to state. Genya Ravan toured in 2013, selling out New York City's Iridium is going back by popular demand. Jay Z sampled one of her tracks for his song "Oh God" from her Goldie Zelkowitz CD song "Whipping Post". Many Ten Wheel Drive tracks were also sampled by Hip Hop artists.

Genya recently appeared at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, alongside legends like Wanda Jackson, Martha Reeves, Maria Muldaur and Tracy Nelson. She and Reeves discovered a number of connections in that both worked with Richard Perry and were signed by Clive Davis. Further, one of the first songs Genya learned when she came to the US was "What Did I Do to be So Black and Blue," made famous by Fats Waller; a song Martha performed while starring in the road show of Ain't Misbehavin'. The two plan on working on a future project together.

A retrospective of her career is the subject of the Off Broadway musical Rock and Roll Refugee, which was profiled on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday on February 14, 2016.

Producer

Ravan had worked as a producer for multiple record labels. Amongst others, she was responsible for the debut album Young Loud and Snotty by the punk rock band Dead Boys (1977) and the comeback album Siren by Ronnie Spector (1982). She also contributed vocals to the latter album. In 2001 Genya discovered Tripod at CBGBs and produced their demo CD, adding backup vocals to one track.

Radio host

In 2006 Ravan was recruited by Steven Van Zandt to host two monthly radio shows (Chicks and Broads, playing women from the '50s to the present day), and Goldies Garage show of unsigned bands. Genya Ravan says, "So much talent out there and not enough places for them to be heard anymore" on the Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio channel, 21, aired throughout North America on Sirius Satellite Radio, and worldwide on Sirius Internet Radio. She joined a team of hosts that includes original Rolling Stones manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham, whom Genya worked with as Goldie.

Discography

Publications

Stage Production

In early 2016, Royal Family Productions produced a workshop for a musical based on the life of Genya Ravan titled "Rock And Roll Refugee". Details of that production are detailed at http://RoyalFamilyProductions.org/RockAndRollRefugee.

Movies

In the movie The Warriors (1979), the song that plays when Cochise, Rembrandt and Vermin are in the Lizzie's HQ is "Love is a Fire" by Genya Ravan. The song is featured on the The Warriors soundtrack album.

Genya was portrayed by Stana Katic in the 2013 film CBGB[3] There is also interest in Genya's autobiography, Lollipop Lounge, for a future film.

References

  1. ↑ Discogs - Genya Ravan discography
  2. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/genya-ravan-mn0000165261/biography
  3. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1065664/?ref_=sr_1
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