Publication date:
10 April 2014Length of book:
316 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9780810888340
In 1942, drummer Viola Smith sent shock waves through the jazz world by claiming in Down Beat magazine that “hep girls” could sit in on any jam session and hold their own. In Women Drummers: A History from Rock and Jazz to Blues and Country, Angela Smith takes Viola at her word, offering a comprehensive look at the world of professional drumming and the women who had the courage and chops to break the barriers of this all-too-male field. Combining archival research with personal interviews of more than fifty female drummers representing more than eight decades in music history, Smith paints a vivid picture of their struggles to overcome discrimination—not only as professional musicians but in other parts of their lives. Women Drummers outlines the evolution of female drumming from pre-biblical times when women held important leadership roles to their silencing by the church during the Middle Ages to spearheading the fight for women’s rights in the modern era. The stories and personal accounts of female drummers who bucked tradition and societal norms are told against the backdrop of the times in which they performed and the genres they represented, from rock and jazz to blues and country.
Although women have proven time and time again that they can more than hold their own against their male counterparts, female drummers not only remain a minority, but their contributions have been obscured by the traditional chauvinistic attitudes in the music business and gender stereotypes that surround the drum itself as a “male” instrument. Women Drummers takes a major step forward in undoing this misconception by acknowledging the talent, contribution, and growing power of women drummers in today’s music environment.
Although women have proven time and time again that they can more than hold their own against their male counterparts, female drummers not only remain a minority, but their contributions have been obscured by the traditional chauvinistic attitudes in the music business and gender stereotypes that surround the drum itself as a “male” instrument. Women Drummers takes a major step forward in undoing this misconception by acknowledging the talent, contribution, and growing power of women drummers in today’s music environment.
Smith provides a thorough chronicle of hundreds of trail-blazing female drummers/entrepreneurs. She interviewed roughly 50 drummers over the course of several years, and in this book she presents their stories and also information she compiled on another 150 drummers and/or bands. The author focuses on North American drum set artists, as opposed to orchestral percussionists or hand-drumming specialists from non-Western cultures. A consistent thread throughout is the difficulty--the trials and setbacks--female drummers have encountered in a largely male-dominated culture (a situation that continues today). The interesting introduction provides a concise overview of women's contributions to drumming throughout history. The balance of the book is organized chronologically from the 1920s to the present. A brief appendix includes suggested recordings, video links, and other online resources, all offered as a starting point for further exploration. The book is rich with details, and the bibliography is extensive. Comprising very short biographies, this book may best serve as a reference resource. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.