Fanny: The Right to Rock

Sometimes, the greatest tales in rock n’ roll involve bands or singers who haven’t made the Hall of Fame or made the playlists for classic rock stations. If you want both the best sounds or the best stories, you have to search. Thankfully, Bobbi Jo Hart has saved the rest of us a lot of effort with her new documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock. She doesn’t have to exert herself to prove that the early 70s combo deserves a place in the pantheon. The ample performance clips from the era speak for themselves loudly.

Even if it still isn’t the band’s time (as Bowie might say), Fanny: The Right to Rock is essential viewing for every student of rock history, not to mention feminism.

What the movie showcases best from its subjects, then, is the humor and ease of women who have survived a lifetime of setbacks and strife. Fanny has already proven itself — what’s left is for us to enjoy its growing catalog.

The band’s rippling impact is undeniable.