In the late ’60s, an all-woman rock band called Ace of Cups took the San Francisco psychedelic scene by storm. They opened for Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane; counted the Grateful Dead among their fans; and regularly performed at protests and benefits for the anti-Vietnam War movement. Unfortunately, Ace of Cups were never signed to a record label, and disbanded in 1972—in part due to a lack of support for women in the music industry.
“When we split up it was a lot related to the fact that we were having children,” guitarist Denise Kaufman told KQED last year. “Our brother bands, they were having children too, but they had wives and girlfriends.”
