Rock for Choice

Rock for Choice (or Rock 4 Choice) was a series of benefit concerts held over the ten year period between 1991 to 2001. The concerts were designed to allow musicians to show their support for the pro-choice movement in the United States and Canada.

Background

The first Rock for Choice concert was organized by L7 and music editor Sue Cummings of the L.A. Weekly, who brought their idea for a pro-choice benefit concert modeled on Bob Geldof's Live Aid to the Feminist Majority Foundation. Rock for Choice's first concert was held at the Hollywood Palace in Los Angeles, California on October 25, 1991, and featured Nirvana, Hole, L7, and Sister Double Happiness. [ [http://feminist.org/rock4c/index.html http://feminist.org/rock4c/index.html] "Feminist Majority Foundation"] Concert attendees were encouraged to speak out about women's issues, especially reproductive rights, and to register to vote.

The genesis for Rock for Choice came from an interview that Sue Cummings did with L7 for the L.A. Weekly, in which the band said they were planning to advertise one of their upcoming local shows as "Rock for Coat Hangers," and donate the proceeds to a pro-choice group. Sue encouraged the band to consider expanding their gig to a larger scale--if famine in another country deserved a major benefit concert, why wouldn't abortion rights, something much closer to home? She asked the band if they would be willing to invite other artists to play the show, contacted several feminist organizations to find a sponsor, and arranged a meeting with the Feminist Majority when they agreed to participate.

The Rock for Choice concert series originated at about the same time as the Riot Grrrl movement, made up of a new generation of feminists and rock bands originating in Olympia, Washington. Both Rock for Choice and Riot Grrrl were reacting to the early 90s bombing of abortion clinics, and were often associated in the public's mind as a single movement, although few Riot Grrrl bands, with the exception of Bikini Kill, ever played Rock for Choice shows. But Rock for Choice formed an important cultural bridge between the baby boomer feminists of the 70s, who had organized the Feminist Majority, and the generation X feminists of the 90s music scene.

The concert series evolved into an organization managed by the Feminist Majority, which released a number of compilation albums featuring artists that supported Rock for Choice. The album "" was named based on the "Roe v. Wade" Supreme Court decision in 1973. [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002AYM http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000002AYM] "Amazon.com: Spirit of '73"]

The last Rock for Choice concert was in 2001.

Featured artists

Artists featured in the Rock for Choice concerts included:

References

External links

* [http://www.feminist.org/rock4c/ Feminist Majority Foundation: What Is Rock For Choice?]
* [http://www.feministcampus.org/act/rock4choice/ Feminist Campus Activism Online]