Genya Ravan
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Genya Ravan, a.k.a. Goldie (born Genyusha Zelkowitz;[1] April 19, 1940) is an American rock singer and music producer. She was lead singer of the Escorts, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive.[2][3]
Life and career
Childhood
Genyusha Zelkovicz was born in Łódź, Poland[4] in a Jewish family in 1940 and emigrated to the United States in 1947, accompanied by her parents and one sister. They were her only family members who had survived the Nazi Holocaust in Europe.[4] Two brothers, grandparents, and multiple aunts and uncles died in concentration camps.[5] The family did not speak any English when they arrived. Genya was named 'Goldie' by her mother, who claimed Genyusha was not American enough.
Music career
Early success and Goldie and the Gingerbreads
Goldie's career started in 1962 in a
In 1963, she formed
While playing at New York City's hot spot The Wagon Wheel on 45th Street in
Ten Wheel Drive and solo career
Billed as "Goldie", she released the original version of the
In 1969, Ravan and partners Aram Schefrin and Mike Zager formed Ten Wheel Drive, which lasted three years.[7] They recorded three albums for Polydor Records: Construction number 1, Brief Replies, Peculiar Friends Are Better Than No Friends. Ravan left the band in 1972.[8][7] She was signed to Columbia Records by Clive Davis where she made one album in 1972 titled Genya Ravan.[7] She made four more solo albums through the 1970s.[4]
"She oversings, the band's ordinary, and the lyrics (both hers and those she chooses) often get blowzy; the only grade-A cuts are 'Jerry's Pigeons' and (A plus) 'The Sweetest One.' So maybe I'm soft—maybe I just can't resist a real New York doll. In a woman who combines the hip cool of Lou Reed with the emotionality of Springsteen, a case of Joplinitis—a rare disease these days—is rather endearing."
–Review of Urban Desire in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)[9]
Ravan performed at the
2000s
Many Ten Wheel Drive tracks have been sampled by
In 2011, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum included Goldie and the Gingerbreads in their "Women in Music" exhibit, which traveled from state to state. Genya Ravan toured in 2013, selling out New York City's Iridium.
In 2013, Ravan appeared at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, alongside legends like Wanda Jackson, Martha Reeves, Maria Muldaur and Tracy Nelson as part of the museum's "Women Who Rock" exhibit.[10] She and Reeves discovered professional connections in that both worked with Richard Perry and were signed by Clive Davis. Further, one of the first songs Ravan learned when she came to the US was "What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue", made famous by Fats Waller; Reeves had performed the song while starring in the road show of Ain't Misbehavin'. The two planned on working on a future project together.[citation needed]
A retrospective of her career is the subject of the
Producer
Ravan has worked as a producer for multiple record labels. Among others, she was responsible for the debut album
Radio host
In 2006,
Discography
- Construction #1, Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan, 1969
- Brief Replies, Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan, 1970
- Peculiar Friends, Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan, 1971
- Genya Ravan, 1972
- They Love Me, They Love Me Not, 1973
- Goldie Zelkowitz, 1974
- Urban Desire, 1978 - AUS #66[14]
- ...And I Mean It!, 1979
- Best of Ten Wheel Drive Compilation, 1995
- For Fans Only!, 2003
- Genya Ravan Live, 2006
- Undercover, 2010
- Cheesecake Girl, 2013 Aha Music
- Icon, 2019 Aha Music
- Genya Live at CBGB (recorded in 2005) 2020 (Remaster/Reissue of 2006 CD) (Rum Bar Records)
- Thinking About the Good Times: Complete Recordings 1964-1966 Compilation, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, 2021 Ace
Publications
- Lollipop Lounge, Memoirs of a Rock And Roll Refugee, Genya Ravan, 2004, ISBN 0-8230-8362-4.
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.[15]
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 Warriors soundtrack album.[16]
Ravan was portrayed by Stana Katic in the 2013 film CBGB.[17]
References
- ^ Ravan 2004, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Browne, David (2021-07-01). "Goldie and the Gingerbreads Were One of Rock's First All-Women Bands. Why Are They Still So Obscure?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ "Genya Ravan". Discogs. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Genya Ravan". AllMusic. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
- ^ ALanger (2022-04-26). "This punk rock legend survived the Holocaust — and she's still singing and fighting". The Forward. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ a b "Goldie & The Gingerbreads". AllMusic. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Mauck, Chrissy (October 18, 2013). "The MIM Presents Women Who Rock Exhibit". Fender.com. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
Emcee Beth McDonald of KEZ 99.9 FM hosted a Q&A session with Jackson and Reeves, as well as folk-blues singer Maria Muldaur, singer Tracy Nelson and Genya Ravan (aka Goldie of the groundbreaking all-female band Goldie and the Gingerbreads).
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
- ^ Better Late Than Never - Rosie | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-01-17
- ISBN 978-1492921820.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Rock & Roll Refugee | Times Square | Royal Family". Royalfamilyproductions.org. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ Original Soundtrack - The Warriors Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-04-17
- ^ "Stana Katic". IMDb.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
Sources
- Ravan, Genya (2004). Lollipop Lounge: Memoirs of a Rock and Roll Refugee. New York City: ISBN 978-0-8230-8362-6 – via the Internet Archive.
External links
- Official website
- Genya Ravan at Allmusic
- Genya Ravan YouTube
- Genya Ravan discography at Discogs
- Retrospective appreciation of Ravan's career
- profile of Rock and Roll Refugee broadcast on NPR, 02/14/16