Though many people haven’t heard of them, Fanny is one of the most influential girl rock groups of all time.
In the early 1970s, Fanny was a US-based rock band. They were one of the first women’s rock groups to reach critical and commercial success, with two top 40 singles in the Billboard Hot 100. Guitarist June Millington and her sister Jean formed the group. Since their move from the Philippines to California in the early 1960s, they had been playing music together.
After performing through various band line-ups, producer Richard Perry was very interested in them and signed them as Fanny for Reprise Records in 1969.
The group’s first lineup disbanded after June Millington left, though by that time they had already recorded four albums. In 1972, the group performed one of Marvin Gaye’s famous hits and gave it a whole new life.
“Ain’t That Peculiar” was a song written by Smokey Robinson and other members of The Miracles, which Marvin Gaye originally recorded in 1965 for Motown Records.
The original version featured James Jamerson’s awesome bass shredding skills.
The song started with the ring of cymbals and the shaking of the maracas.
After the percussive start, Fanny starts furiously playing their instruments and giving the song a flashy intro. June Millington also shows off her raspy vocals and guitar skills.
She adds elements of blues into the mix with her electrifying slide guitar intro.
Unlike the Marvin Gaye version, Fanny’s approach to the music was more aggressive—especially with their roaring instrumentals! There’s no doubt that Fanny’s version of the song includes similarities to the original Gaye version, but they still find a way to make it their own.
To cite some differences between the two recordings, a more muscular 70s rock feel is present in the Fanny version.
If you have heard the Marvin Gaye version, you’ll probably hear the similarities in the bass line. The Fanny bass line includes a few Jamerson-like ideas, such as a 3:3:2 riff pattern, which was perhaps borrowed from Chuck Berry. You may also notice how the main groove of the bassline kicks in with some offbeat syncopations and emphasis on the flat notes.
As it turns out, Fanny even reunited after many long decades.
Fanny Walked The Earth is the first album issued under the Fanny banner in 43 years.
The new album features guest appearances from members of the Bangles, the Runaways and the Go-Gos. According to lead guitarist June Millington, she’s a bit frustrated that more female rockers who rose in Fanny’s wake have not acknowledged their pivotal influence:
“All these women carved out their careers and I never once heard them mention Fanny. I didn’t even know how to iron my shirt until I was a teenager!”
The new album features David Bowie, Todd Rundgren, Barbra Streisand and even Tiny Tim.
The full Fanny Walked The Earth album was released in 2018 which contained 11 tracks. They also did an album tour in 2019 that got their fans overjoyed.
Even if some people have forgotten them, Fanny has still cleared a path for female-based groups in the music industry.
Today, we have plenty of female-lead rock bands!
Though female pop stars are on the rise today, there are still girl bands influenced by Fanny who are all aiming forh stardom with their rock music.
Congratulations to Fanny for being such trailblazers—and on the new album!
If you’re a fan of ’70s rock, you owe it to yourself to check them out.
Watch the full performance in the link below:
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