Rock Goddess

Rock Goddess

Rock Goddess are a heavy metal band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 1977 and active from 1977 to the present. The group is built around sisters Jody Turner and Julie Turner, with Jody on guitar and Julie on drums. Their current line-up includes Tracey Lamb on bass.

Formation and early line-up

The band starts when Jody Turner and Julie Turner form it as teenagers. They recruit school friend Tracey Lamb on bass and Donnica Camon on keyboards. The Turners' father, John, runs a music shop and uses his connections to help the band secure gigs and later a record deal. Through a friend, they place a track on a sampler album. Camon then leaves, and the band records as a trio.

Recording career

Rock Goddess sign to A&M in 1982 and release their self-titled debut album in 1983. Their second album, Hell Hath No Fury, follows in 1984. Their third album, Young And Free, is released in France only in 1987 after their A&M contract ends. Their later comeback album, This Time, appears in 2019.

Line-up changes and activity

Legal problems affect the band's early live work because Julie Turner is still at school and can only play a limited number of gigs. Tracey Lamb leaves after feeling that the Turner sisters dominate the group, later forming SHE before joining Girlschool in 1987. Dee O'Malley replaces her, then leaves in 1986 after announcing her pregnancy. Julia Longman joins on bass and Becky Axten joins on keyboards. Financial and contractual problems then force the band to split shortly after the third album.

The Turner sisters later perform as The Jody Turner Band in 1988. Jody Turner fronts a new Rock Goddess line-up in 1994 to support the rerelease of Young And Free on Thunderbolt. The band reforms briefly in 2009 to play Hard Rock Hell in Prestatyn, Wales, but splits before performing. In 2013 the original line-up of Jody Turner, Julie Turner and Tracey Lamb reforms and begins recording a new album tentatively titled Unfinished Business, though it does not appear. A three-track EP, It's More Than Rock and Roll, is released in 2017. Lamb leaves in 2018 and Jenny Lane becomes the new bassist later that year.

Live work and associations

Rock Goddess co-headline UK tours with Y&T and Iron Maiden, and tour France with Saxon. They are associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and are an all-female band within that scene.

Discography

Rock Goddess (1983)
Hell Hath No Fury (1984)
Young And Free (1987)
It's More Than Rock and Roll (2017)
This Time (2019)