
Sharon
Temple (bass), Dalannah-Gail Bowen
(vocals), Penny Stark (drums), Sharon
McMullin (guitar)
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Winnipeg’s
first all-female rock band, the Feminine
Touch — Sharon Hellum (née Temple) on
bass, guitarist Sharon McMullin, Penny
Stark on drums and Gail Bowen on organ —
formed in late 1965, when 17-year-old
Hellum answered an ad in the paper for
female musicians to form an all-girl
band. The quartet rehearsed for six
months before making their debut.
“I had led a sheltered life until I joined
the band,” says Hellum. “I had never
travelled out of the city. I had to
grow up fast.”
Besides playing the Hungry I club on
Portage Avenue and various community
clubs, the band was on the road a
lot. For young women, that could
sometimes be scary.
“We had to be on our guard all the time,”
recalls Hellum. “We did get harassed
a few times. That’s why we always
stuck together. In hindsight,
(booking agent) Frank Weiner should have
sent a bodyguard along with us. We
had a guy who came to see us every night
in Hull, Que., and followed us to the next
gigs for two weeks. That was
unsettling.”
Young women playing in rock bands had
another concern to deal with.
“There was a perception that because we
played in a band, we were loose women,”
she adds. “That was certainly not
the case for us.”
Nonetheless, Hellum cherishes her memories
of her rock-band experience.
“It was one of the best times in my
life. I don’t think any of us grew
up dreaming of being in a band, so when
the opportunity came up, I just jumped at
it. An all-girl band? Who
would have thought of that back then?
“It was a novelty for sure, but most male
musicians were really supportive and
respected us because we were good
players,” she said.
Bowen later joined mixed-gender group
Expedition to Earth.
The Feminine Touch played a very memorable
gig on April 1, 1967, when they were an
opening act for teen sensation the
Monkees. By then, Penny Stark had
quit, so Patti Ireland was quickly drafted
to fulfil a week’s bookings, including the
Monkees show.
“I played on a higher drum riser,” Ireland
recalls of the sold-out Winnipeg Arena
concert, “and I couldn’t hear a
thing. There was so much screaming
and no monitors. I was so nervous I
dropped a stick during a song and had to
lean over and grab it fast before it fell
off the riser. Afterwards I got to
meet two of the Monkees. Back at
school the next week, I was a celebrity.”
John Einarson
As published in the Winnipeg Free Press
Girl Rockers Were
Groundbreaking
November 21, 2015
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