“We never ever got as famous as The Beatles. But we started as friends, and we ended as friends.” - Sylvia Saunders, drummer of the Liverbirds
For the first time EVER on the Dolls Pod, we’re featuring a group! We’re telling the stories of Pam Birch, Val Gell, Mary McGlory, and Sylvia Saunders. Together, they’re more than Britain’s first all-female rock band…although that part is pretty cool! They’re four independent, self-actualized young women breaking music’s glass ceiling - and having a whole lot of fun doing it. This episode is for any girl in a band, or any girl who’s ever wanted to be in a band 🐦⬛ “It’s Liverbirds, Not Liverbirds” is available now wherever you stream your podcasts!
We’d like to thank Mark Berman (@fullyinvolvedmark on TikTok) for tipping Abby off to Mary and Sylvia’s memoir
Materials used for this episode:
Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders, “The Other Fab Four: The Remarkable True Story of the Liverbirds, Britain’s First Female Rock Band” (2024)
“‘Girls don’t play guitars!’ The Liverbirds Story” BBC Outlook, 4/17/2024
“We Made Rock History. Here’s Why You Don’t Know Us.” “Almost Famous” by Op-Docs, The New York Times (dir. Ben Proudfoot, 12/18/2019)
(episode starts at 6:13)
Songs in this episode:
“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” Theme Song
The Kaye Sisters - Paper Roses (1960)
Cliff Richard - Move It (1958)
The Searchers - Apache (1962)
The Beatles - Please Please Me (1962)
The Rolling Stones - I Wanna Be Your Man (1963)
The Kinks - You Really Got Me (1964)
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night (1964)
The Liverbirds - Roadrunner (1965)
The Liverbirds - Johnny B Goode (1965)
The Liverbirds - Peanut Butter (Live on Beat Club, 9/25/1965)
The Liverbirds - For Your Love (1966)
Jimi Hendrix - Wild Thing (Live at Monterey Pop, 6/18/1967)
The Liverbirds - Cavern Stomp (2025)
Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see photos and clips from this episode!