San Francisco’s (Almost) Forgotten All-Girl Band: The Ace of Cups 🎵 | KQED Arts

Amidst the cultural revolution of late-’60s San Francisco, five women reimagined the “girl band” in drastic fashion — which might be why you haven’t heard of them. 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. 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. Despite their impact in San Francisco, in the intervening years th