About A Girl

Faith Evans met and married Christopher Wallace in 1994. Within a year, they both became stars. The new marriage suffered under their grueling work schedules, but their connection remained strong, despite external drama and pressure. Just as Biggie was looking forward to the next stage of his life, though, it all caught up with them. Sources for this episode can be found on our website. For more i...

Shirley Collie helped launch Willie Nelson’s solo career back before the name “Willie Nelson” meant anything to anyone. As a guitarist and singer who climbed to the top tier of the country music circuit as just a teenager, she traded her trajectory as a recording artist and staple of the silver screen for a life with the duet partner of her dreams. But it wasn’t long before her life with Willie fe...

Victoria Mary Clarke was shocked to find herself in love with legendary Pogues singer Shane MacGowan, incurring the sprawling wrath of the Cobains, and sinking into depression before finding solace in the spiritual world. Sources: A Drink With Shane MacGowan by Shane MacGowan and Victoria Mary Clarke Kurt & Courtney documentary, 1998 https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/love-story-of-kurt-...

Kim Gordon, the soft-spoken, hard-edged heroine of the 1980s New York City underground became a beloved icon of the 1990s alternative rock boom. Her marriage with her Sonic Youth bandmate Thurston Moore was the ultimate #relationshipgoals for Generation X and beyond, before it all fell apart. Sources: Girl In A Band - Kim Gordon 1991: The Year Punk Broke (https://youtu.be/LeCYXexOZEg) https://www....

Claudia Lennear’s affair with Mick Jagger led to her dubious distinction as an inspiration for the Rolling Stones’ classic “Brown Sugar,” but her incredible adventures in the music world reveal a much deeper story, including a long-lasting connection to David Bowie. SOURCES: ‘Faithfull’ by Marianne Faithfull ‘20 Feet From Stardom’ dir. Morgan Neville ‘Black Diamond Queens’ by Maureen Mahon ‘Rock a...

About A Girl returns November 16th for a fourth season! Host Nikki Lynette brings to life 12 new stories of heartbreak and hope, detailing the lives of extraordinary women who have each played unique roles in music history. From household names to unsung heroines, every subject’s story adds a new dimension to the music we love. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about...

​​Mary Ford did more for Les Paul’s career than most people know or care to admit. Before she met Les for a radio audition, Mary already had notoriety in the country scene as “Colleen Summers.” When the two musicians became entangled - both professionally and romantically - her plush vocals and quick pickin’ made them one of the most popular acts in America. But Les’ pride and workaholic lifestyle...

Britt Eckland became famous first as the wife of comic genius Peter Sellers, whose troubled and unstable inner life eventually drove her away. Then she became a Bond girl and international sex symbol, and hooked up with one of the world’s biggest rock stars, Rod Stewart. Together, they led a life of wild excess, but true contentment eluded her under Rod’s reluctance to commit and wandering eye. Co...

Frank Zappa ruled his kingdom of freaks, a prolific and obsessed man with many plans. But Gail was undeniably the woman behind the man, a role to which she felt duty-bound, and when Frank passed away, there was a new freak queen on the scene. Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words, dir. Thorsten Schütte, 2016 Frank Zappa, his groupies and me (The Guardian) Frank Zappa: ‘People thought the...

A simple story about two people falling in love and then growing apart, except one of them was trying to navigate being extremely famous and under the oppressive thumb of Bill Cosby, while the other was on the verge of becoming a rock and roll superstar. Let Love Rule, by Lenny Kravitz with David Ritz Lisa Bonet Interview Magazine, April 1987 BFI Interview with Alan Parker on Angel Heart We Need t...

Rita Coolidge soared as a singer and songwriter, working with Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Bobby Womack, and Booker T. Jones. She was denied credit for writing the famous piano coda to “Layla” and her contribution to “Superstar,” a huge hit for The Carpenters, was similarly unsung. That was all before she met country rock troubadour Kris Kristofferson, whose superhuman levels of drinkin...

Carrie Snodgress turned her back on Hollywood so fast that she didn't even attend the Academy Awards when she was nominated for Best Actress. Her dream was never stardom; it was love and family. But it was hard to find the stability her own childhood had lacked when she went to live with Neil Young on his remote ranch, just as Neil's solo career went into high gear. For behind the scenes info and...

Host Nikki Lynette returns on May 16th to bring you 12 fascinating and dramatic stories of women whose pivotal roles in music history and pop culture are not widely known. Learn about Bob Dylan's secret wife Carolyn Dennis, Rick James's protegee Teena Marie, and Jenny Boyd, the woman Mick Fleetwood loved so much he married her twice. Nikki delves into the private struggles, the triumphs, and the h...

Lou Reed was fascinated and inspired by all kinds of real people who existed on the edges of society — junkies, street hustlers, gender non-conformists — but he fell in love with trans woman Rachel Humphreys, a beautiful mystery even to him. This episode contains references to heavy drug use, abuse, and suicide. Sources for this episode can be found on our website. For more info on About a Girl an...

When Tammy Wynette was a young girl, she dreamed of singing with George Jones at the Grand Ole Opry. Her single-minded drive to be a star brought her to the top and to George Jones, and these two great voices of country music fell in love. But once seated as the queen of country, Tammy was lost, while George proved to be a troubled and dedicated alcoholic. Sources for this episode can be found on...

Long before June Carter came along, there was Vivian. Johnny Cash and Viv were deeply in love, and had four daughters together, before... well, you probably know the rest. But you might not know the heartbreaking story of a young woman who went through hell to save her family, whose racial identity became a scandal emblematic of mid-century American strife, and who made it through the dark times,...

A songwriter and singer so erotic, raw, and ahead of her time that no one was ready for her. An earthquaking icon of feminism and Black power during a time when it was unheard of for a woman, let alone a Black woman, to own her sexuality so explicitly. Betty Davis pushed her legendary husband out of cool jazz and up to the cutting edge, before divorcing him and releasing three of the most unexpect...

Norma Tanega was a soulful American Latina artist, a one-hit wonder who never wanted stardom, but who fell in love with Dusty Springfield, the Queen of White Soul, who wanted stardom very much. They kept their contentious love affair from the public, but Norma had to leave behind Dusty's glittering world for the pain it concealed. Sources for this episode can be found on our website. For more info...

Behind Marvin Gaye's incredibly smooth, affable exterior was a soul tortured by the abuse he suffered as a child, insecurity, and paranoia. Like many victims, he turned perpetrator and dragged his child bride into his world of pain, drug dependency, and more sexual abuse. But Janis is a survivor... Sources for this episode can be found on our website. For more info on About a Girl and other great...

The White Stripes. Jack and his sister Meg. His wife Meg. His ex-wife Meg. The non-musician who became a rock star. The unassuming, pretty, porcelain-complexioned woman who evoked thunder from behind the drum kit. Her silent intensity became a riddle and compelled millions of fans to puzzle for the solution. And her disappearance has made clear that none is forthcoming. Sources for this episode ca...

About A Girl returns on June 7th with twelve new episodes about women who have played crucial roles in music history, but whose fascinating personal stories have been eclipsed by the legends of their famous romantic partners. Nikki Lynette, the host of About A Girl, sits down with Chelsea Ursin of Dear Young Rocker to discuss the new season and to preview an upcoming episode about Marianne Faithfu...

About A Girl is back with 12 new stories about women who have played crucial roles in music history, but whose fascinating personal stories have been eclipsed by the legends of their famous romantic partners. Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull, Notorious BIG and Faith Evans, Miles and Betty Davis... Host Nikki Lynette sheds light upon the women — many of them artists themselves — without whom the...

Listen to Season 3 of the 27 Club to hear the insane details behind the life of one of rock's greatest icons — Janis Joplin. From her roots as a bullied and ostracized teenager to her stunning rise to international superstardom, the story of Janis Joplin’s short life still resonates today, more than 50 years after her death. You'll hear about her wild adventures from Texas to San Francisco and bey...

Brooke Shields was a young star who had her first taste of massive fame — and controversy — with the film Pretty Baby, in which she’d played a child prostitute. Michael Jackson, youngest of the Jackson Five, was transitioning to solo stardom as an adult. They met in 1981, each with an uncertain path before them, but Brooke and Michael would find comfort and friendship in each other.  Learn more ab...

Robyn Crawford met Whitney Houston when they were both just teenagers. From the moment their eyes met, Robyn was drawn in by Whitney’s warmth and beauty — and when she heard her sing, Robyn knew she wanted to be in Whitney’s life for good. But the price she would pay for Whitney’s success was their own romance. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio...