Ina May Gaskin - Wonderful Woman No. 131

Ina May Gaskin - Born 1940
American Midwife, Author, Educator and Activist

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

Before Vicky nominated Ina May Gaskin as an addition to the Wonderful Women album, I was not aware of her at all. Reading about her has been a great experience, once again I feel inspired and impressed by just how wonderful one woman can be.

In 1971, Ina May founded The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee, U.S.A. The Farm is dedicated to delivering babies without medical intervention, unless absolutely necessary. The Farm has handled approximately 3000 births and Ina May is said to have personally attended more than 1200 births. It has been Ina May's life work to promote low-intervention but extremely effective methods of dealing with shoulder dystocia. The Gaskin Maneuver is the first obstetrical procedure to be named after a midwife and is now widely used by medical practitioners.

Ina May is a strong advocate of home births, she believes that low-risk births should be delivered at home with a midwife overseeing, rather than in hospital with medical assistance.

The overriding theory in all Ina May's work, is that preganancy and childbirth are a natural and spiritual experience between mother and child, and for this experience medical assistance is not usually necessary.

Ina May has published five books about childbirth, which centre on a number of topics including natural birth, the spirituality of childbirth, pregnancy and breast-feeding. She has also written numerous articles, created film documentaries and given countless lectures on these subjects.

Her arguments are compelling, her results undisputable and her dedication to midwifery undeniable. A true Wonderful Woman.

Remember this, for it is as true as true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.
Ina May Gaskin

Shirley McLaine - Wonderful Woman No. 130

Shirley MacLaine - Born 1934
American Actress, Singer & Author

Added to the album by Benjamin, A Wonderful Man

If you have Audrey Hepburn [Wonderful Woman No. 30] it wouldn't be fair to leave out Shirley MacLaine.
Benjamin

A great nomination for yet another Wonderful Woman who is so inprinted through modern culture, it seems like the world hardly existed before her.

In 1955, a young Shirley Maclaine made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry, so accomplished was the debutante, that she won the Golden Globe award for best newcomer. Shirley went on to star in more than sixty pictures, many of them still some of the most enjoyed pieces of cinema in history, to name but a few; Ocean's 11 (original version), The Apartment, Sweet Charity and Terms of Endearment. Her latest film, Bernie, was made just last year, marking 56 years at the top of the entertainment industry.

Like many actresses featured in the album, the list of prizes scooped by Shirley is infinately long. Among them are six Golden Globes, an Academy Award for Terms of Endearment and an Emmy.

Shirley has also written fourteen books, all of which are autobiographical and centre around her spiritual beliefs, as well as her experiences as one of the world's best known actresses.

Once again, I feel I must remark on how wonderful it is that Shirley has had such a lengthy and celebrated career.

I want women to be liberated and still be able to have a nice ass and shake it.
Shirley MacLaine

Dolly Parton - Wonderful Woman No. 129

Dolly Parton - Born 1946
American Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actress and Business Woman

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

Really, who could fail to love Dolly Parton?
Hadley Freeman, The Guardian

As in the last blog post, Judi Dench - Wonderful Woman No. 128, today we celebrate another Wonderful Woman who has had a wonderfully long and interesting career. For someone of my generation, it is hard to imagine the world before Dolly Parton.

Dolly grew up in Tennessee, USA, she was from a poor family, raised in a one-room cabin. Dolly was determined to make something of her life and to make money. She performed from early childhood and made her television debut at the age of nine. She recorded her first single Puppy Love at the age of thirteen. She has since recorded more than forty studio albums, with releases in every decade from the 60s to now. The country star is responsible for penning some of the world's most recognisable tracks such as I Will Always Love You, Jolene and My Tennessee Mountain Home. She has received countless awards and accolades, and is one of the few artists who has managed to transcend the label of being a country artist, not just in the USA but globally too.

Dolly has also forged a career in film and television. On television she has made countless appearances and hosted her own shows, she was also characterised as one of Jim Henson's Muppets by the name of Polly Darton. She has starred in thirteen films, including Steel Magnolias, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, and the brilliant 9-5, which also gained her a Golden Globe nomination and for which she also wrote the fantastic theme tune.

Dolly has invested much of her earnings into businesses in the American state where she grew up, most notably she is the co-owner of The Dollywood Company. Dollywood is the 24th-most-popular theme park in America. It is a family friendly tourist attraction but also hosts a number of events, including an annual 'Gay Day,' gay rights being one of the many causes Dolly supports. As well as numerous business ventures, Dolly is also the founder of the charity the Dollywood Foundation, the foundation includes a literacy programme which sends a book to every child enrolled once a month, the program distributes more than 2.5 million free books to children annually, education being another of the causes Dolly champions, there are many more.

Dolly Parton is not just a cheery personality with catchy songs, she is real, strong, emotional, Wonderful Woman. A woman who has done so much for others as well as striving to create a better life for herself. She's best known for her blonde hair and her sassy quips but she's really a savvy business woman, a great songwriter, an awesome performer and a true philanthropist.

I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde.
Dolly Parton

Judi Dench - Wonderful Woman No. 128

Judi Dench - Born 1934
British Actress

Added to the album by Howie, A Wonderful Man

She's the grande dame of British theatre.
Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian

Another fabulous addition to our album, a wonderful actress with a long and varied career.

Similarly to many actresses I have written about in this blog, including my Great Aunt, Barbara Jackson - Wonderful Woman No. 17, Judi Dench was involved in theatre from an early age and always showed signs of what her future career would be. In 1957, she made her professional debut and has been on stage ever since. Her roles have been numerous and varied, they include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Sally Bowles (Wonderful Woman No. 7) in the musical Cabaret and Desiree in a Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music (for which she won an Olivier Award). She has worked with some of the UK's leading theatre companies, including the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Judi not only is a star of the stage but has also appeared in a plethora of television programmes and films. Many will remember her in the BBC sit-com, Butterflies, which ran for twelve years, on television she has also appeared in immensely popular shows such as Middlemarch and Cranford. Her film career, particularly in recent years, has been pheonomenal with roles including M in a number of James Bond films, Queen Victoria in Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown and Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.

The list of awards Judi has received is seemingly endless, to name just a few, she has no less than eleven BAFTAs (including the Bafta Fellowship), seven Laurence Olivier Awards (including the Society's Special Award), two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. She is also a Dame of the British Empire.

Judi Dench is dead sexy. Fact.
Owain, A Wonderful Man

As with a number of other Wonderful Women, such as Helen Mirren - Wonderful Woman No. 79 and Eileen Atkins - Wonderfuln Woman No. 83, Judi's allure is immune to time. Still beautiful and attracive in her 70s.

We celebrate Wonderful Women in this album for many reasons, longevity in career is a recurring theme, as is maintaining one's identity through the years and being successful - Judi shows us that all these things are possible as a woman.

So many men lose their confidence and become enfeebled as they get older, while so many women of a certain age ... so many women do seem to get stronger and more outspoken the older they become.
Judi Dench

Chrissie Hynde - Wonderful Woman No. 127

Chrissie Hynde - Born 1951
American Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Writer & Animal Rights Activist

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

A snake-hipped, Fender-toting rock chick singing messages of love over stylish hooks. Her voice – velveteen, effortlessly sexy.
Jane Cornwell, The Telegraph

During her teen years in Ohio, USA, Chrissie Hynde developed a love of rock music. She was particularly fond of the British music magazine NME and in 1973, Chrissie moved to London, where she became a writer for the magazine. She also spent sometime working in Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood - Wonderful Woman No. 34's shop.

In the 1970s, Chrissie formed and joined a number of bands both in the USA and in the UK, performing as both a singer and a guitarist. Eventually, in 1978, The Pretenders were formed, fronted by Chrissie. Their debut self-titled album was released the following year and received critical and chart success both in the UK and in America. With various member changes in the band over the years, Chrissie has been the only constant member. The band have realsed nine studio albums, the most recent in 2009. They have also enjoyed singles chart success, with instantly recognisable hits such as Don't Get Me Wrong and I'll Stand by You.

Chrissie has had a string of other musical projects beside The Pretenders; dueting with Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Cher and Neneh Cherry and performing as a singer and as a guitarist on numerous other artists projects, to name but a few of her side projects. She is also an inductee of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Away from music, Chrissie is a strong supporter of animal rights, is a vegetarian and previously owned a vegan restaurant in Ohio, voted among the top five vegan restaurants in the USA.

Another Wonderful Woman with a lengthy and varied career, five decades in the music industry and an inspiration to many younger artists. A real musicain's musician, dedicated to her art and always looking forward, putting the music first.

Please don't talk to me about women, I'm not a figurehead for anything. I was a single mom with two kids. What else was I going to do? It was either be in a band or be a waitress.
Chrissie Hynde

Candi Staton - Wonderful Woman No. 126

Candi Staton - Born 1940
American Singer

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

Her extraordinary voice, a soulful mix of euphoria and pain.
Dave Simpson, The Guardian

Never one to shy away from putting a little of my personal experience into the blog, regular readers will be well aware of my love of soul music and my particular love of all things disco, examples from Sharon Redd - Wonderful Woman No. 76 to Donna Summer - Wonderful Woman No. 113 (who was also one of Sarah's suggested album additions). Another booming voice of a true disco diva for today's blog entry, the fabulous and unmistakable Candi Staton.

From an early age, Candi's talent as a singer was clear to all, she began singing in her church gospel choir before joining a group of professional gospel singers. In 1968, Candi signed to Rick Hall's Fame Studios and began her solo career with a string of R & B hits, probably her most famous record Young Hearts, Run Free, released in 1976, had massive chart success both in her native USA and in the UK. Candi has released almost thirty solo albums, the most recent in 2009, marking her fifth decade in the music industry.

Like many people of my generation, the first time I came across Candi Staton was when she featured on You Got the Love with The Source, which was a Hacienda classic... this track made me aware of Candi Staton, a whole host of disco divas, and the concept of disco. It is only as I've got older that I've become aware about how disco fed into house.
Sarah

The release of The Source's 1991 club-hit You Got The Love, a track entirely representative of the rave-era, brought with it a fresh wave of success for Candi and a new generation of fans to enjoy her almighty voice.

Like many of the other Wonderful Women we have celebrated in this blog, such as Betty Ford - Wonderful Woman No. 24 and Amy Winehouse - Wonderful Woman No. 109, Candi has struggled with addiction. There were years lost to alcohol, an addiction she managed to overcome. As I have said many times, being a Wonderful Woman does not make one without fault or temptation, the fact that so much can be achieved despite these human blemishes is wonderful in itself.

A Wonderful Woman with a rich, emotive voice that for generations has had the power to touch and inspire... not to mention, with the ability to make any sell-respecting disco dolly throw her hands up in the air on a dancefloor, even though she may never have been born when the record was made.

Those songs were blessed. They raised your children, they bought you home.
Candi Staton

India Knight - Wonderful Woman No. 125

India Knight - Born 1965
British Journalist and Author

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

I love India Knight. Reading her articles and book you feel more like listening to the words of a big sister or trusted friend than a faceless journalist or author.
Sarah

Of late, journalists in Britain have had something of a bad press, so it's refreshing and encouraging to see one nominated to the blog and given such praise from Sarah, my wonderful friend.

After studying Modern Languages at Cambridge, India Knight began a career in journalism. She writes a column for The Times, along with numerous other articles for newspapers and magazines. Her writing style is witty and full of charisma, often focusing on day-to-day topics that affect the average woman (or man) on the street, such as money management, dieting and marriage break-up, including documenting her own in The Observer magazine.

In addition to her work in journalism, India has written nine books to date, including works of both fiction and non-fiction and the children's book The Baby.

She is not afraid to call a spade a spade, which I find really refreshing. I think I would be lost without her!
Sarah

Throughout the blog I have commented on how wonderful it is to have suggestions from different people of women who should be featured in this album and hearing why these women have touched the lives of others is interesting, thought-provoking and inspiring. India is no acception and is thoroughly deserving of her place as one of our Wonderful Women.

It's not unfeminist to go on a diet.
India Knight