Vixen

            Amongst the bevy of hard rock/heavy metal “hair bands” of the 80s, Vixen holds an almost unique position in being an all female band. Relative late comers to the scene, they found success with a pair of albums in the late 80s only to breakup shortly thereafter. The band has gone through several lineup changes since the late 90s, though at least one original member has always been included.

Formation to initial break-up:

            Unlike many hair bands, Vixen was not formed in Southern California, but rather, Minnesota. However, the band would move to Los Angeles in 1985 to be a part of the hard rock scene out there. The original band was formed in 1980 though the line up would change several times before the “classic” Vixen line up (Jan Kuehnemund, guitar; Janet Gardner, vocals and guitar; Roxy Petrucci, drums; and Share Pederson, bass) was achieved in 1987. 1988 saw the release of their debut album Vixen. It was very successful and Vixen followed it up with Rev it Up in 1990. Though not as successful as Vixen, it still had its share of hits. Although the band spent the next year touring, they decided, amidst creative differences, to go their separate ways in 1991.  

1997 reunion through today:

            In 1997, Roxy and Janet decided to reform Vixen. Guitarist Gina Stile joined the group and the three of them recorded Tangerine the next year. Roxy’s sister Maxine joined the group on bass for the subsequent tour. The comeback was short-lived, however, after Jan sued the group for copyright infringement. Jan would reform Vixen to tour in 2001, along with Janet, Roxy and Pat Holloway (bass). Disagreements on this tour led to everyone but Jan leaving. Jan found three replacements to finish the tour and this is the line up that is currently going by the name Vixen.

Discography:

Vixen (1988)
Rev It Up (1990)
Tangerine (1998)
The Best of Vixen: Full Throttle (1999)
Extended Versions (2006)
Live & Learn (2006)