Fanny

Reprise Records touted hard rock outfit Fanny as the first all-female band upon inking them in 1970, a claim that overstated the case yet underscored their pioneering status as the initial self-contained female ensemble to issue a major-label album. The quartet delivered muscular hard rock marked by polished musicianship, rich vocal blends, and songcraft rich in catchy melodies across their four Reprise LPs, which spanned 1970 to 1973 and drew enthusiastic critical praise even as commercial breakthroughs stayed elusive. Although the original configuration disbanded in 1975, their impact resonated for decades afterward, prompting fresh reissues that found receptive listeners during the 2010s; the 2024 collection Live on Beat-Club '71-'72, sourced from German television performances, captured their commanding stage presence.

The group coalesced in California as Wild Honey when singer-guitarist June Millington joined forces with her bassist sibling Jean Millington, keyboardist Nickey Barclay, and drummer Alice de Buhr—the Millingtons and de Buhr having earlier collaborated in the Sacramento garage combo the Svelts. After Wild Honey secured a Reprise deal, producer Richard Perry received the suggestion for the new moniker Fanny directly from former Beatle George Harrison. While the word carried little weight in their American homeland, British audiences later recognized it as vulgar slang for female genitalia, a nuance unknown to the musicians at the time.

Their self-titled debut album surfaced in 1970 and garnered airplay via a version of Cream’s “Badge.” The 1971 follow-up Charity Ball yielded the band’s initial Billboard-charting single with its title track, though stronger sales materialized in the United Kingdom, where they supported Jethro Tull and Humble Pie on tour and faced a prohibition from the London Palladium stage for being deemed excessively provocative. Fanny also contributed to Barbra Streisand’s 1971 self-titled release as session musicians before delivering Fanny Hill in 1972; after Todd Rundgren produced 1973’s Mother’s Pride, June Millington and de Buhr departed. Guitarist Patti Quatro—formerly of the Pleasure Seekers and sister to trailblazing rocker Suzi Quatro—stepped in for Millington, while Brie Howard, another alumna of the Millingtons’ pre-Wild Honey outfit, initially replaced de Buhr before Cam Davis assumed the drum chair. The revised lineup moved to Casablanca for the lackluster 1974 swan song Rock'n'Roll Survivors and subsequently disbanded. The Millington sisters later pursued solo work before reconvening as the Slammin’ Babes, Barclay toured with Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen and issued the 1976 solo album Diamond in a Junkyard, and de Buhr maintained an industry presence that included a stint as retail marketing coordinator at A&M, where she promoted the Go-Go’s, a band that clearly benefited from Fanny’s groundwork.

Fanny’s profile rose markedly in 2002 when Rhino Handmade issued the four-disc box set First Time in a Long Time, encompassing their complete Reprise output. Capitalizing on that renewed attention, the core lineup—absent Nickey Barclay, who cited health issues—staged a 2007 reunion show at Berklee College of Music. Real Gone Music handled reissues of the four Reprise albums between 2013 and 2016. In 2016, June and Jean Millington joined Brie Howard for a concert that led the trio to form Fanny Walked the Earth, whose self-titled debut appeared in March 2018.

Filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart unveiled the documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock in 2021, featuring conversations with the Millington sisters alongside insights from Richard Perry, Todd Rundgren, Bonnie Raitt, Go-Go’s member Kathy Valentine, and B-52’s vocalist Kate Pierson. Real Gone Records released Live on Beat-Club '71-'72 in 2024, a vigorous set drawn from the band’s German television spots, while the British Cherry Red label simultaneously offered the expanded box set The Reprise Years 1970-1973 containing the first four albums in augmented form.