Betsy (Bitch) - 'Betsy' (official album stream)

«The now disenfranchised Betsy got a copy of the Music Connection and answered an ad for a singer, which turned out to be David Carruth’s and Robby Settles’ ad. When David requested a recorded sample of Betsy’s vocals, Betsy told him to buy The Boxboys’ single that featured her as lead vocalist, which he promptly did.

Betsy was the only female singer to answer David’s and Robby’s ad, and the two started to realize that having a flamboyant lady singer as the “bitch” made a lot more sense than having a female guitar player be the “bitch” whilst competing for attention with a male vocalist.

However, both Betsy and Bitch’s lady guitarist made it clear that they wanted to be the only female in the band. Liking what they saw and heard in Betsy, David and Robby decided to keep Betsy.

With the addition of Kevyn Redwine on bass, the band Bitch began officially in December of 1980, with Betsy taking on the stage name and character of Betsy Bitch. It was right around the time Bitch was started that the band would receive the first of many close brushes with stardom.»

Κάπως έτσι ξεκινά, το 1980, η πορεία των Bitch (σύμφωνα με την επίσημη ιστοσελίδα του συγκροτήματος). "Καρδιά" της μπάντας η Betsy Weiss (η Betsy Bitch όπως έγινε γνωστή). Η μπάντα έμεινε ενεργή μέχρι το 1990 (τρία full length albums, ένα demo, δύο EPs, ισάριθμα singles κι ένα split μαζί με τους Hellion) και επανήλθε το 2005 (χωρίς πάντως δισκογραφική παρουσία).

Το 1988 άλλαξαν (προσωρινά) το όνομά τους σε Betsy και κυκλοφόρησαν το ομώνυμο full length album σε πιο μελωδικά (βλ. hard rock και AOR) μονοπάτια σε σχέση με το ύφος των Bitch. Ο εν λόγω δίσκος "βγήκε" αρχικά από την Metal Blade Records.

Επανακυκλοφόρησε το 2017 σε cd μέσω της Divebomb Records και πρόπερσι (επίσης σε cd) από την Evil Invaders Records. Ακούμε την Betsy Bitch στα φωνητικά, τον Robby Settles (R.I.P. 2010) στα τύμπανα, τον Ron Cordy στο μπάσο και τον David Carruth στν κιθάρα...

Δελτίο: «Betsy Weiss, aka Betsy Bitch, has been a mainstay in the hard rock and heavy metal scene since the early ‘80s. The Los Angeles-based vocalist’s band, Bitch, was the first band to ever release a record on future indie label giant Metal Blade.

Bitch is still active decades later, performing with artists like Doro and Loudness, and playing festivals throughout the globe. Despite Bitch’s success, Weiss agreed to change the name of the band to Betsy in 1988 to see if it could help them reach a wider audience.

Working with producer Chris Minto, the band released an eponymously titled album that same year. The resulting record features some of the most magnetic songs in Weiss’ discography. Songs like “You Want It, You Got It” and “Flesh and Blood” are hook-filled affairs that any fan of Pat Benatar and melodic rock in general will absolutely eat up.

The Betsy moniker might have only lasted for the one album, but the material certainly deserves a revisit. Originally released by Metal Blade, Betsy has been out of print for years now. That’s where Divebomb Records come into the picture.

The label secured the rights to reissue the album and worked closely with Betsy Bitch on the expanded liner notes. Not only does the CD include a brand new interview with the singer, it also features photos from her personal archives. If you love hard rock and AOR, the Betsy album deserves a space in your CD collection.»