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List of Girlschool band members

(left to right) Kim McAuliffe, Enid Williams, Kelly Johnson and Denise Dufort
(left to right) Kim McAuliffe, Gil Weston, Denise Dufort, Jackie Bodimead, Cris Bonacci
(left to right) Jackie Chambers, Kim McAuliffe, Denise Dufort and Enid Williams
Three lineups of Girlschool in 1981, 1985 and 2009

Girlschool are an all-female British rock band founded in 1978. The original members Kim McAuliffe, Enid Williams, Kelly Johnson and Denise Dufort came from the club cover band Painted Lady. During the early 1980s the band was one of the relevant groups of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, entering the British charts with both singles and albums. Unlike many heavy metal bands, Girlschool often had more than one lead vocalist; vocal duties in the 'classic' line-up were shared between Williams, McAuliffe and Johnson.

Williams was the first to leave the band, in 1982, under very stressful circumstances,[1] and was replaced by punk rocker Gil Weston. Kelly Johnson left in 1984 and went to live in the United States.

In 1985, Girlschool veered towards a more commercial and American FM-friendly sound and expanded to a five-piece group, with Cris Bonacci replacing Johnson on lead guitar and Jackie Bodimead joining on lead vocals. This formation was short-lived; Bodimead left in 1986 and Girlschool then reverted to a four-piece line-up. More changes took place in 1987, when former Rock Goddess bass player Tracey Lamb replaced Weston, and in 1992, when Jackie Carrera had a short stint with the band.

In 1993, Kelly Johnson came back to England from the US and found her place again in Girlschool, replacing the departing Bonacci. Johnson and Lamb remained in the band until 2000, when Jackie Chambers and the returning Enid Williams took their places in a line-up that lasted until Williams left again in early 2019. Lamb had been intended to replace Williams on a temporary basis, but became a full-time member later that year.

Lamb parted ways with the band in June 2024.[2] Olivia Airey joined as new bassist the following month.[3]

  1. ^ "Enid Williams interview". Classic Rock. Christmas 2004. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  2. ^ Caughron, Bobby (18 June 2024). "Girlschool Has Announced That They Have Parted Ways With Bassist Tracey Lamb". XS ROCK. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 6 August 2024.

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