The most successful all-female pop-rock band ever might have started in Los Angeles, but certainly made their mark in San Francisco.
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In honor of Women's History Month, KCBS Radio's Melissa Culross remembers the Go-Go's. Gina Schock, the band's drummer, has lived in the city for over 15 years and joined KCBS Radio's "Bay Current" on Monday to discuss how the Go-Go's first started playing music.
"We were just doing what we loved to do, and I always thought we would be hugely successful," Schock told Culross at Buena Vista Cafe in Fisherman's Wharf. "The band did make it. Our group of girls is a family, and we've been playing together for over 40 years. We happened to be the first female-led band that wrote our own material, played our own instruments, and wrote a number one record."
In 1982, the Go-Go's hit record "Beauty and the Beat" made history as the first album from a women-led band to reach number one on Billboard's Top LPs. No female-led group since then has achieved a number one record using their own material. While female-led bands like The Supremes have topped the charts, they did not write their songs or play their own instruments. Schock is hoping that changes soon.
"I have girls come up to me and say that I'm the reason they started playing an instrument, and there is no better compliment to me in the world," Schock added. "It's great to inspire someone to pick out an instrument and want to play and express themselves the way they need to. There’s no better feeling."
The Go-Go's planned to play a variety of shows during the summer of 2020, but their concerts were canceled due to COVID-19. As a result, Shrock found time to indulge in other creative projects, including writing a book about the history of the band.
"I was working like crazy. I was focused and I’m so glad with how the book turned out," Schock said of her memoir "Made in Hollywood, All Access with the Go-Go's." The Go-Go's were also recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "At first I acted like I didn't care, but then I realized it was an honor that my peers gave us this award."
The Go-Go's, who recently held a show at The Masonic in San Francisco, will be performing concerts in Los Angeles this month.
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