The Foote Files: Fanny & Charity Ball

(CBS 11) - This is a group that had a good song that should have done much better than it did on the Billboard Top 40 in 1971.

Fanny was an all-female rock band from Los Angeles. The group consisted of June Millington (vocals and guitar), sister Jean Millington (vocals, bass), Nicole Barclay (keyboards), and Alice DeBuhr (drums). Jean and Alice left the group in 1974 and were replaced by Brie Howard and Patti Quatro (sister of Suzi Quatro, another successful hard rock performer).

They were one of the first all-female rock bands to be commercially successful and one that achieved a respectable level of critical acclaim. While the band split in 1975, the Millington sisters formed a new band several years ago called "Fanny Walked The Earth" and along with Howard, marked the first time in almost 50 years that the three ladies had performed together again.

The group only charted two songs on Billboard and the one featured today is "Charity Ball." The song was released in the fall of 1971, yet only hit #40.

I personally have always thought this song deserved better!

Written by the Millington sisters and Alice DeBuhr, produced by Richard Perry, running around 2:23 on the Reprise Record label (one of the Warner Records labels), the lyrics go like this:

Dance, ooh, stand, ooh
Move to charity ball
Dance, ooh, stand, ooh
Move to charity ball

Get the musicians ready
Get them good and hot
Good and hot, woo
Stand and deliver
Give em everything you've got
You got my number

Charity ball
Ooh, stand, ooh
Move to Charity Ball
Dance, ooh, stand, ooh
Move to charity ball
Come on and grab a partner
We're gonna roll
Till the break of dawn

And I need you
I need you
I need you
Charity Ball

Enjoy this clip of the song performed by the group on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour that aired on CBS from 1971-1977.