The Feminine Complex

An all-female garage rock band in the 1960s that formed while the girls were attending Maplewood High.

History[edit | edit source]

For the Sundazed re-release, written by Tiffany Minton: Nashville, 1966: five young girls teach themselves their instruments playing along to the radio. Initially named 'The Pivots' and by the end of '67 christened as The Feminine Complex, they were playing out and developing a local following including radio and television appearances. They created their own versions of popular songs, a style that reflected their need to express their own experience of girlhood. Gender bending 'boys' songs' they simply changed the lyrics, modifying the major characters and pronouns creating a space for themselves inside the music where they were able to become the agents of their own wishes, needs and desires. Come '68, they appeared on NBC's nationally syndicated Showcase '68, hosted by Lloyd Thaxton paving way to their cult status. It is not allegorical to say that in some way, they widened the entrance to the historical vacuum that a generation later would come to be filled by Riot Grrrl and rock 'n' roll camps for girls. The Feminine Complex were not just a good band because they were girls, or because they were the first girls. They are a good band because they are. Lucky for us, we have these recordings, so we can continue to hear why.

Napier and Williams decided to form an all-female band in the fall of 1966, eventually asking Dalton and Griffith to join. All four were members of the Maplewood High School girls' basketball team, giving themselves the name of The Pivots, which was also their team's name. By the summer of 1967 they added Stephens, a friend of Williams', and changed their name to The Feminine Complex. According to Napier,

Everybody was just throwing out stuff...And somebody threw out a name, and I don't remember which one of the girls, I think it was Mindy, said, 'No, we need something feminine'--and I just added 'Complex' to it. We weren't simple!

They played small local gigs in Nashville and surrounding areas from 1967-68. Dee Kilpatrick of Athena Records signed the group in 1968, and they recorded their debut, Livin' Love. They broke up when school began, in fall of that year. Livin' Love was released in 1969.