Music & la femmes fatales = deadly women

Vixen = female fox

Some people might wonder what folk, blues, country and rock singer Bob Dylan has in common with heavy metal rockers Jan Kuehnemund, Janet Gardner, Share Pedersen and Roxy Petrucci. They all are musicians, obviously, but no one would accuse Dylan of ever approaching a heavy metal sound with his songs. Well, not to drag on with the question, the answer is, Minnesota.

The four young ladies were part of the all-girl band, Vixen, which Kuehnemund started while still a high school student in Saint Paul. Please, now, do not go petty on me and say that this outfit's original name was not Vixen or that there were lineup changes over the years or that the band moved to Los Angeles before really hitting the big time. These were the primary members and Saint Paul was the band's birth place.

It came to me that while I have been touting music and musicians for a few days now, I had not tossed one of the all-female groups and/or individual performers into the mix. Well, here they are. I debated putting up a studio recording in which the sound is a bit better, or a live performance. A live performance always will be rougher than studio sound, but I went with a live concert from 1991 because it is evident how much fun these girls are having, which translates into a vibrant and exciting show.

In addition to this 1991 rendition, I also watched a few other versions, including a 2005 appearance in Sweden. My feeling while watching it was the same as I expressed a few days ago regarding Foreigner: Why do some people persist in continuing a career when their ability to perform has so visibly diminished?

There are millions of things to do in this world, so why, particularly in the case of those who work in the public eye, would so many continue to endure rather than leave the spotlight while they still are at the top of their game? Money and vanity, I suppose.

Whatever, here is a glimpse of Vixen at a time when these girls were among the elite of the hard rock world, performing undoubtedly the band's biggest song, "Living on the Edge of a Broken Heart."

By the way, take a look at the T-shirt Janet is wearing. "Scorpions." That is a girl with great taste in music.

The band is Vixen
The singer is Janet Gardner
The song is "Living on the Edge of a Broken Heart"



Where was I in the year 2000?

I know who Johnny Cash was; I know who Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson are. I might recognize a few other names should they be mentioned, but my knowledge of country music singers and songs is about as scant as that of anyone in the room.

The first time I heard this song, I thought it must be Dolly Parton. Who else could it be? Who else sings country? The song popped up on my truck radio as I was scanning for stations on a journey over unfamiliar roadways. In all probability, I did not hear it again for two or three years. Country Western, you know.

Somewhere along the line, however, I did learn the name of the song was, “I Hope You Dance,” by Lee Ann Womack, and that it had been a huge hit in 2000. What was I doing throughout the year 2000? Oh, yes. I remember. Never mind.

I did mention this singer and this song, and print some of the lyrics to it in one of my posts last March, and decided today to listen to it a few times once again. That this song is popular is evidenced by the fact that one YouTube version alone shows well over three million hits. In any case, Ms. Womack and her absolutely charming song seem like an excellent way to close out my week.

The band is unknown to me
The singer is Lee Ann Womack
The song is "I Hope You Dance"