BeBe K'Roche
BeBe K'Roche was the first all women's electric rock band to record on Olivia Records, the first woman-owned women's music label. Olivia was known to be most successful with acoustic solo acts, and at that time the decision to record an electric rock band was somewhat controversial.
Founder: Tiik Pollet (aka Pamela pre 1973)
Original members: Tiik Pollet, Peggy Mitchell, Jake Lambert, Virginia Rubino
Occasional members: Pat Ramseyer, Matu Feliciano, Sandi Adjida, Cyndy Mason
Personal manager: Kim Johnson
Road manager: Gioia Siciiano
Recording/Record tour members: Peggy Mitchell, Jake Lampert, Virginia Rubino, Matu Feliciano, Jerene O'Brien, Jasmin Telfair, Linda Tillery
History
The name BeBe K'Roche was created by Tiik Pollet, inspired by the sight of a baby cockroach in a cup of coffee and an attempt to lessen the impact by making it sound exotically French.
BeBe K' Roche was founded in 1973 by electric guitarist/singer-songwriter Tiik Pollet in Berkeley, California, while playing in a duo with bassist Peggy Mitchell. Mitchell also played regularly with Bay area jazz pianist David Alexander. Pollet, a rocker at heart who put her world and feminist politics into her music, searched the bay area for kindred women rockers and found drummer/singer-songwriter Jake Lampert, who was the original drummer for the Berkeley Women's Music Collective. BeBe K' Roche was later joined by pianist/singer-songwriter Virginia Rubino, who had played with Tiik in the Venice Beach based women's band, Lizzie Tisch, and who also recorded a 45 with the all women's band, High Risk.
Be Be K' Roche toured the west coast playing the San Diego Women's Music Festival, the Santa Cruz Women's Music Festival and many venues from Hollywood to Seattle.
BeBe K' Roche recorded a demo tape at Blue Bear Recording in the Bay Area and later went to vinyl with Olivia Records.
Although the band officially broke up because of internal conflicts before completing the Olivia recording, in an effort to complete the recording, they regrouped, wrote new songs, and added Jerene O'Brien on electric guitar.
THE OLIVIA RECORDING: 1976 Olivia Records - BeBe K'Roche Produced by Linda Tillery, Engineered by Sandy Stone, Assistant producer & band manager Kim Johnson, Album coordination Judy Dlugacz Peggy Mitchell bass & vocals, Janet Jake Lampert dums & vocals, Virginia Rubino keyboards & vocals, Jerene O'Brien electric guitar & vocals Congas & timbales Naomi Matu Feliciano, Flute Phylliss Jasmin Telfair, Cover painting Peggy Mitchell, Photographs Karen Wallace Recorded and mixed at Different Fur in San Francisco
Song Titles: Hoodoo'd (Rubino), Gotta Make Something Of My Life (Rubino), Understand (Rubino), Kahlua Mama (Rubino), Strong and Free (Gelfand), I Got The Rhythm (Rubino), Smile (Rubino), Alone (Rubino)
See also
Women's music