1971: The Year for Women in Music

March is “Women’s History Month,” established by the United States Congress back in 1987.  The year 1971 is also an important year, when female musicians really took the proverbial bull by the horns.  It was an extraordinary time of singing, songwriting, and creativity, courtesy of some exceptional women.

One of the pioneers of ’71 is Carole King.  She fashioned a successful songwriting career throughout the 1960s, penning hits for The Chiffons, The Monkees, and Aretha Franklin among other stars.  Her second solo album, Tapestry, would put her out in front. King crafted most of the songs on Tapestry, which for 15 straight weeks was the top-selling album in America.

In one of the most stunning examples of “an LP with legs”, Tapestry occupied a position on the album charts for an astounding six years running following its February 1971 debut.

The album captured four Grammy Awards, including both “Album” and “Song of the Year” for “You’ve Got a Friend,” which James Taylor took all the way to number one.  This marked the first time a female artist earned this coveted recognition for an individual composition.

As King was creating history, another gifted singer/songwriter was making a name for herself, too.  Carly Simon’s self-titled debut album was released one day before Tapestry dropped in record stores on February 9, 1971.  Her melancholy ode to domesticity, “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard it Should Be”, cracked the Top 10 as a single, and helped Simon earn the distinction of being named the year’s “Best New Artist” at the Grammys.  Proving she was certainly no flash in the pan, Simon would rack up 13 Top 40 hits during an illustrious career.

Another significant presence on the music scene in 1971 was a remarkable rock group out of Los Angeles.  Fanny became the first all-female band to release an album on a major label, Reprise Records, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers Records.

Egregiously underrecognized for their talent and lasting influence on subsequent acts including The Runaways and The Bangles, this formidable four were anchored by sisters Jean and June Millington.  Included among their fans were popular peers of the day David Bowie and Little Feat frontman Lowell George.  And these ladies could play: June was highly respected in the industry as master of two varieties of electric guitars and was a proficient slide player, while sibling Jean more than held her own laying down a substantial backbeat on bass.  Both sisters sang lead, as well.

There were several other extraordinary women who made a lasting musical impact in 1971.  Joni Mitchell released her acclaimed album, Blue. Helen Reddy and Olivia Newton-John each placed their initial hit on the charts that year, the first of several for two of the most iconic voices in pop music.

Although neither Reddy nor Newton-John wrote their own tunes as did the aforementioned artists, they each deserve mention in what may rightfully be referred to as “1971: ‘Women’s Music Year'”.

-John Smistad

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