Rockin' with Fanny: Unsung Heroes of the '70s
The band members, including Fanny's June Millington, recounted their initial encounter with the enigmatic David Bowie, a fan who would later hold substantial significance for them.
Fanny, the unsung heroines of rock music, genuinely deserved more credit than they received back in the '70s. These badass babes, led by guitar-wielding sirens June Millington and Jean Millington on the bass, crafted some serious bangers together before disbanding.
The L.A.-based powerhouse quartet didn't get the recognition they deserved, though contemporaries such as David Bowie sang their praises, dubbing them "one of the finest fucking rock bands of their time."
"They were extraordinary: They wrote everything, they played like motherfuckers," Bowie continued in a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone. "They were just colossal and wonderful, and nobody's ever mentioned them."
Their first encounter with Bowie was in Liverpool in 1973, where they partied hard in the penthouse with the glam rock legend. June Millington fondly recalls this magical night in a Music in the Berkshires interview.
The Bowie connection didn't end there. Jean Millington dated the Starman for a hot minute in the '70s and later married Bowie guitarist Earl Slick.
Despite their groundbreaking collective efforts, Fanny couldn't secure mainstream success due to their underrepresented era and the industry's reluctance to support female-fronted rock bands. The self-proclaimed "female Beatles" were determinately ahead of their time.
"They're as important as anybody else who's ever been, ever; it just wasn't their time," Bowie continued. "Revivify Fanny. And I will feel that my work is done."
In 2018, Fanny reverted to their roots, releasing the reunion album Fanny Walked the Earth. They continued their victorious march in 2021 with the documentary film Fanny: The Right to Rock, which traces their extraordinary journey and influential legacy.
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- The unsung heroes of the '70s, Fanny, played like motherfakers with their guitars and amp, showcasing their exceptional talent in music that echoed across the realms of entertainment and pop-culture.
- Fanny's influence transcended the boundaries of their time, with celebrities such as David Bowie endorsing them as one of the finest rock bands, despite their lack of mainstream success.
- The legacy of Fanny, the self-proclaimed "female Beatles," continues to echo in the modern era, with their recent reunion album and documentary film, Fanny Walked the Earth and Fanny: The Right to Rock, celebrating their influential journey in the world of music.
