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June Millington is a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. She and her sister Jean co-founded the all-female rock band FANNY in the early 70’s—a time when women weren’t “supposed” to rock. Fanny was the FIRST all girl rock group to be signed to a major label—and David Bowie was one of their biggest fans.
"Co-founded in California 50 years ago by these Filipina American and queer teenagers, FANNY made history as the first all women band to release an album with a major record label (Warner/Reprise, 1970). As young women who expertly played their own instruments, Fanny bandmates penned original songs that were ahead of their time, with lyrics exploring themes of sexual freedom, war, relationships and identity. " (PBS Documentary)
As the lead guitarist of the band, June took a lot of hits—but she always found a way to rise above.
After surviving heartbreak and disillusionment, she and her partner Ann Hackler co-founded the nonprofit Institute for the Musical Arts (IMA) where she serves as Artistic Director.
The story of the band FANNY, can be seen in the PBS documentary—”Fanny: “The Right to Rock”. The film is a comprehensive piece about the band’s formation and their many ups and downs, but the story of JUNE is a lovely full spiral story beginning and ending with the healing power of music.
We sat down recently to talk about her journey through love, music, spirituality and Spirals.
Links:
June Info: https://www.ima.org/playlikeagirl.info/solo.html
Institute of the Musical Arts: https://www.ima.org/
Fanny Website: https://fannyrocks.com/
PBS Doc: https://www.pbs.org/show/fanny-right-rock/