PUT A WOMAN
IN CHARGE
CELEBRATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT WITH THE ACE OF CUPS AND 40+ LUMINARY WOMEN
Meet the Ace of Cups:
The Haight's (Almost) Forgotten All-Girl Band
By Kelly Whalen
KQED: The Haight-Ashbury of 1967 was a place of endless possibility: new ways of living, an influx of ideas, and political and cultural revolution were in the air. And yet amidst this “anything goes” scene, one band still stuck out as an anomaly. The Ace of Cups didn’t set out to be an all-girl band. The group’s original five members — Mary Gannon, Marla Hunt, Denise Kaufman, Mary Ellen Simpson and Diane Vitalich — came together guided by the communal spirit that blanketed Summer of Love-era San Francisco. Up to that point, most all-female bands had worn matching outfits and played cover songs. But with original songs that reflected their circumstances, the Ace of Cups played with groups like The Band, Jefferson Airplane, and even Jimi Hendrix, an avowed fan. Despite their impact in San Francisco, in the intervening years the Ace of Cups were relegated to footnote status, all but written out of history books. But now, having kept in touch, four of the five original band members are about to enter a new chapter. READ MORE.
Text by Kevin L. Jones | Director, Editor: Kelly Whalen | Cinematography and Sound: Peter Ruocco, Kelly Whalen, Jessica Jones
““I heard some groovy sounds last time in the States, like this girl group, Ace Of Cups, who write their own songs and the lead guitarist is hell, really great.””
They were one of rock’s first all-female bands, but the music industry never gave them a shot. Five decades later, they're looking back on their legacy — and moving forward
The Ace of Cups dropped by World Cafe to perform and share stories about Ken Kesey's Acid Tests, the Summer of Love, and their lives since then. Listen in the player.
Fame Eluded The Ace Of Cups In The 1960s. Can They Reclaim It In 2020?
The all-female psychedelic band petered out before making an album. Now, as senior citizens, they’re sharing their second via GRAMMY.com — and they have one hell of a story to tell.
VIDEO PREMIER: “JAI MA”
RELIX covers the release of a new Ace of Cups music video from their forthcoming album Sing Your Dreams – out Sept. 18, 2020.
NPR Music
Ace Of Cups Gets A First Chance At An Overdue Debut
City Winery Cellar Sessions
Ace Of Cups sit down for a One On One Session at City Winery New York on February 28th, 2019.
The Waster
Photo Gallery from the Ace of Cups at the Mercury Lounge
February 26, 2019 | NYC
Photos by Mark Dershowitz
Guitar Girl Magazine
Ace Of Cups Overflow With Excitement: Back After More Than Four Decades
Jam Band News: 50 Years of Brilliant Songwriting
Ace Of Cups blends pure rock, folk, blues and gospel influences with a pop sensibility and a garage band rush; all tinted by an intoxicating psychedelic sheen.
Riff Magazine: Ace of Cups, One of Music’s Best-kept Secrets
Ahead of their time, the Ace of Cups opened for the likes of Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane, proving they could really rock. Fifty years later, the group has reunited.
KZSC Radio
Kaufman talks with KZSC about the Ace of Cups' past, present, and future.
Listen to the Haight-Ashbury Walking Audio Tour
Together to record their album, the Ace of Cups also stopped at the Acoustic Guitar Room at The Music Center in the Haight Ashbury, San Francisco to record the Detour Walking Tour, a downloadable audio guide of this historical landmark area.
Diamonds in the Dust: Pioneers of All-Girl Rock Bands
ARIZONA STATE PRESS - A study of the criminally neglected; songs, albums and entire genres swept under the rug by a lack of media attention, misunderstandings or simply being too ahead of its time.
Shindig Magazine
RARE FIND! A copy of a long time out-of-print/sold out UK magazine (2005) SHINDIG #7, featuring The Ace Of Cups and more. Thanks, Gray Newell!
Waller Street Blues: An Interview with Denise Kaufman of The Ace Of Cups
This Hoodline article first appeared in print in August Nation, a San Francisco magazine by August Bernadicou that features local artists. Denise recounts what life was like in the city in the 1960s.
LAMA Workshop
A crucial story remains to be told, and it's one of the most intriguing of all—that of the all-female rock band ACE OF CUPS, who were there from the beginning in 1966 and continued right on through to the end in the early 1970s.
Jimi Hendrix on the Cups
"I heard some groovy sounds last time in the States," Jimi Hendrix told Melody Maker magazine in December 1967, "Like this girl group, Ace of Cups, who write their own songs and the lead guitarist is, hell, really great."
More Articles + Reviews
• Billboard - How Undersung Rock Pioneers Ace of Cups Got the Band Back Together After 50 Years
• KGO TV - {VIDEO} Ace of Cups Stop By
• Rolling Stone - Ace of Cups
• Pollstar - Interview with Denise Kaufman
• Relix - Song Premiere: Ace of Cups “The Well” feat. Bob Weir
• PBS NewsHour - Meet the Ace of Cups
• Houston Press - Debut Record…50 Years Later
• Best Classic Bands - Ace of Cups, ’60s Female Band, Finally Releasing Debut; Part II
• All About Jazz - Ace of Cups
• Marin IJ - Lib at Large: The Ace of Cups runneth over - again
• Maine Edge - Pioneering late ‘60s all-female rock band Ace of Cups deliver one of 2018’s best surprises
• The Berkshire Eagle - Album Reviews: Ace of Cups
• Psychedelicized - The Ace of cups
• All music - Ace of cups bio + history
• Metroactive - Rock n' Role Models
• Elmore Magazine - Review
• Goldmine - All Female ‘60s Band Dealt a New Hand
• Record Collector News - Tasty Year-End Leftovers
• No Depression - Favorite 2018 Albums
• The Stranger - The Runaways Weren't the First All-Female Rock Band
• Altnerate Root - Americana Music
• Celebrity Access - Ace Of Cups Get Their Shot – 50 Years Later
• Next Tribe - A Debut Album 45 Years in the Making
• Please Kill Me - A Riot of Their Own: The First Generation of Female Rock Bands
• Drum Magazine - Drummer Diane Vitalich On Releasing Their First Record 50 Years Later
• Guitar Player - Endless Summer: 50 Years After Their Summer of Love
• Mojo - Album Review
• Asbury Park News - Bob Weir and Ace of Cups Join Forces
• Jam Bands - Groundbreaking ’60s Act
• Sirius XM Volume - Twitter Blast
• Medium - Ace of Cups Hit The Road
• Jerusalem Post - Summer of Love Band Reaches Nirvana 50 Years Later
• Spill Magazine - We Were Hippies, We Were Who We Were
• Music Connection - Podcast Interview with Denise Kaufman
• Women’s International Music Network - Ace of Cups Returns With Their First Album In Fifty Years
• HypeBot - Indie Band Ace Of Cups Get Shot At Stardom, 50 Years Later