Girlschool

Formed in South London during 1977 by bassist Enid Williams and vocalist/guitarist Kim McAuliffe together with several early associates, the band began as Painted Lady before adopting the name Girlschool in 1978 once guitarist/vocalist Kelly Johnson and drummer Denise Dufort joined permanently. Their arrival coincided with Britain’s impending embrace of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, allowing the debut single “Take It All Away” to draw the attention of Motörhead manager Doug Smith, who soon assumed managerial duties. Support tours with Motörhead and Budgie secured a contract with Bronze Records, then home to metal acts including Motörhead, Uriah Heep, and Juicy Lucy.

The 1980 debut Demolition reached the U.K. Top 30 and yielded four domestic singles—“Emergency,” “Nothing to Lose,” “Yeah Right,” and “Race with the Devil”—yet remained unavailable in the United States. Follow-up Hit & Run climbed to number five on the British album chart in 1981, while the collaborative EP The St. Valentines Day Massacre with Motörhead also peaked at number five on the singles chart, propelled by the track “Please Don’t Touch.” Hit & Run became the first Girlschool album issued stateside, though its track listing differed from the U.K. original by functioning essentially as a compilation of the band’s initial material.

Screaming Blue Murder arrived in 1982 and Play Dirty followed in 1983, both charting lower than earlier releases; the latter adopted a more commercial tone under production from Slade members Noddy Holder and Jim Lea. Johnson’s exit after Play Dirty triggered ongoing personnel changes. Later albums such as 1985’s Running Wild, 1986’s Nightmare at Maple Cross, and 1988’s Take a Bite could not restore previous momentum, and the group disbanded shortly after the final of these releases.

After the initial breakup McAuliffe joined punk singers Beki Bondage and Toyah Willcox, contributed to the U.K. cable program Raw Power, and toured in 1991 with Dufort and Williams under the name Strange Girls. Sporadic 1990s reunions produced the self-titled 1992 album and Live in 1995, while compilations included the 1995 double-disc set The Collection and 1997’s The King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert, drawn from a January 12, 1984 performance in Nashville, Tennessee.

By 2000 the original lineup had largely reconvened, though Johnson, facing a cancer diagnosis, handed lead guitar duties to newcomer Jackie Chambers. Issued a decade after the prior studio album and reflecting both late-1990s and early-2000s personnel, 21st Anniversary: Not That Innocent appeared on Communiqué Records in 2002. Continued worldwide festival appearances and studio work followed, with 2004’s Believe underscoring Chambers’ growing role as songwriter and performer. Johnson, who remained affiliated with the band, died from spinal cancer in 2007. Legacy, released in 2008 to mark the 30th anniversary, paid tribute to the late guitarist through both the album and accompanying shows. A re-recording of the second album, Hit and Run: Revisited, surfaced in 2011, and the group sustained international touring alongside fellow metal veterans from their era. Guilty as Sin, their 13th album, was issued in 2015.