November 13, 1996

soundcheck

by Lauren Bacon

In honour of Over The
Edge’s first annual
Queer Issue, this
edition of soundcheck
celebrates the _
amazingly rich
contributions of gay,
lesbian and bisexual
artists in the music
world. Rather than
analyze and critique, I
think I'll let the names
speak for themselves.

A far-from-complete
list of gay, lesbian and
bisexual recording
artists:

Marc Almond (of Soft Cell)
Tori Amos

Jann Arden

Joan Armatrading

Joan Baez

Blackberri

Chastity Bono

David Bowie

Boy George

Tracy Chapman

Neneh Cherry

Ani Difranco’

Erasure

Melissa Etheridge

Perry Farrell (of Jane’s
Addiction and Porno for
Pyros).

Ferron

Frankie goes to Hollywood
Sophie B. Hawkins

Nona Hendryx
Indigo Girls

Elton john Who)

Grace Jones Tommy Tune

k.d. Lang Village People

Sarah Maclaughlan Dar Williams

Johnny Mathis

Morrissey A handful of straight

a Ndegeocello (at least, as far as I

olly Near

Olivia Newton-John KnOM), but ail

The Nivlons positive (s.:

Sinead O’Conner supportive of queer

Pet Shop Boys issues), recording
Liz Phair artists:

Queen (Freddie Mercury)

Lou Reed Beastie Boys

Jimmy Somerville Garth Brooks

Pete Townsend (of The Consolidated

Over The Edge ;

Madonna

My Life With the Thrill
Kill Kult

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Just a few of the
classical composers
who are known to be
or have been gay,
lesbian, or bisexual
(?=still being
debated):

Samuel Barber
Leonard Bernstein
William Bolcom

Johannes Brahms ?
Benjamen Britten

John Cage

Aaron Copland

John Corigliano

Claude Debussy ?

David Diamond

Peggy Glanville-Hicks
George Frederick Handel ?
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Giancarlo Menotti
Modeste Mussorgsky ?
Ned Rorem

Franz Schubert

Ethel Smyth

Piotr Iliovitch Tchaikovsky