Tana Douglas is an Australian author who is best known as the first female

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

roadie.

Career

Douglas began her career at 15 as a roadie after assisting French high-wire artist

Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French highwire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized highwire walks between the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

when he walked between pylons on the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

in 1973. She was part of the ground crew who made sure the film documenting the walk wasn't confiscated. After she assisted a Melbourne band

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

when they toured Sydney, she was invited to join their crew when they returned to Sydney. Through these connections, she next worked with

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

in 1974. Although she had to learn everything on the job, with no training provided, over the next several years Douglas worked as roadie on international tours for

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

, and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...

. In 1978 she was interviewed by '' Record Mirror Magazine'' and revealed she was the only woman roadie on the tours she worked on. When The Who played Wembley Stadium in 1979, the band specifically requested her for the show. In 2021, Douglas' memoir ''LOUD'' was published by

ABC Books An alphabet book is a type of children's book giving basic instruction in an alphabet. Intended for young children, alphabet books commonly use pictures, simple language and alliteration to aid language learning. Alphabet books are published ...

Awards

Australian Women in Music Awards

The

Australian Women in Music Awards Australian Women in Music Awards (AWMA) is a not for profit charity which delivers an annual award ceremony and conference program to recognise the vast contributions of women across all areas of the Australian Music industry. The two-day prog ...

is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the

Australian Music Industry The Australian music industry refers to the collection of individuals, organisations, businesses and activities that are involved in the creation, production, distribution and promotion of music in Australia. The music industry encompasses a wide r ...

who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. ! , - , rowspan="2" ,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, rowspan="2" , Tana Douglas , Lifetime Achievement Award , , rowspan="2" , , - , Live Production Touring Award ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Tana Australian women Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Australian memoirists Road crew Year of birth missing (living people)