Underrepresented female rock pioneers prepare to make a comeback in FANNY: The Right to Rock. FANNY is a band formed in the late-1960s by Filipino-American sisters Jene and June Millington, along with a rotating line-up that included drummers Brie Darling and Alice de Buhr, keyboardist Nickey Barclay, and guitarist Patti Quatro. The band was one of the first all-female rock bands, releasing a handful of albums in the 1970s. However, the band never broke through and it isn’t until more than four decades later when Jene, June, and Brie have reunited to record a new album.
FANNY: The Right to Rock, directed by Bobbi Jo Hart, is a documentary that is practically built upon a quote David Bowie made in Rolling Stone magazine, calling FANNY one of the most important bands in American rock, who were buried without a trace. This film seems to be all about correcting FANNY’s lost place in history, while also following the members, now in their late-60s, as they record their first album in 45-50 years.
Without a doubt, FANNY is probably one of the most groundbreaking rock bands you have probably never heard of, who had to not only deal with sexism within the music industry but had to hide the fact that two of the members were lesbians. Probably the biggest message to come from FANNY: The Right to Rock is that it’s never too late to become a success and that women are perfectly cable of being able to rock out.
FANNY: The Right to Rock is streaming as part of the 2021 Hot Docs Film Festival and the members of FANNY will be part of a live-streamed concert on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, at 5:00 PM
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