History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Girlschool

Although the Runaways preceded them by several years, Girlschool was one of the first all-female outfits to emerge in the male-dominated world of heavy metal/hard rock, helping to pave the way for similar groups of the future. Originally formed in South London during 1977 by bassist Enid Williams and vocalist/guitarist Kim McAuliffe (along with a few other members), the group was first known as Painted Lady. Eventually the pair came across permanent members Kelly Johnson (guitar, vocals) and Denise Dufort (drums), and switched their name to Girlschool by 1978.

With England just about to be swept up by a massive heavy metal movement (known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal), Girlschool picked a perfect time to issue a debut single, "Take It All Away," which caught the attention of Motörhead manager Doug Smith, who in turn signed on as Girlschool's manager. After supporting both Motörhead and Budgie on tour, Girlschool landed a recording contract with Bronze Records (who at the time was the home to such notable metal acts as Motörhead, Uriah Heep, and Juicy Lucy).

The group was wildly popular in the U.K. during the early to mid-eighties, but failed to garner any attention in the U.S. Numerous lineup changes followed after the release of Play Dirty in 1983 and afterwards the band failed to reach the level of success they previously had in their home country.

Throughout the '90s, Girlschool would reunite sporadically for tours and albums (including 1992's self-titled release and 1995's Live), while several compilations were issued.