'B' Girls - Bad Not Evil

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The ‘B’ Girls Back on Bomp!

It all started in 1977, with a dream — and a bathroom. Cynthia Ross and Lucasta Ross (no relation) had met at a concert featuring Thin Lizzy, and during a chance meeting in the women’s washroom, decided that Toronto needed a girl band.

“We didn’t play instruments,” says Cynthia. “But we were convinced we could make something happen. We loved the Ramones, but we also loved the Ronettes. We wanted to look like the Ronettes and sound like the Ramones — but with harmonies.”

With that dream in mind, they recruited Cynthia’s sister Rhonda Ross on drums, and Lucasta’s high school friend Xenia Holiday (real name: Xenia Splawinski) on guitar. Xenia didn’t play yet either — but was up for the challenge.

The four girls practiced for months before finally playing their first gig that fall — opening for punk heroes the Viletones at a gay club called Club David’s. That was followed quickly by a gig with Teenage Head, and within a few weeks, the B-Girls had a fan club (the B-Set), a sound, a style, and a steady gig at the El Mocambo — the first unsigned band ever to grace that stage.

“It was wild,” says Cynthia. “We were opening for The Diodes, The Ugly, all the bands on Crash’n’Burn. We were learning on the job, and people really responded to it. We had a lot of fun — but we were serious too. We wrote all our own songs, and we weren’t interested in becoming someone else’s project.”

Toronto’s Queen Street scene was exploding, and the B-Girls were right in the middle of it. But the pull of New York was strong, and by 1979, the band had relocated to the city. They lived hand-to-mouth, rehearsed wherever they could, and played legendary venues like CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, Hurrah, and the Peppermint Lounge.

“There were so many bands in NYC,” says Cynthia. “It was exciting, but it was competitive too. We got courted by IRS Records — they said they’d sign us if we let them bring in studio musicians and choreographers. That wasn’t going to happen.”

What did happen was a single on Bomp! Records — “Fun at the Beach” b/w “B-Side” — produced by Bob Segarini and released in 1979. The single got good attention, was released overseas, and appeared on Bomp! compilations like Waves and Experiments in Destiny.

That same year, the B-Girls sang backup vocals on Stiv Bators’ solo album Disconnected. In 1980, they sang backup on Blondie’s Autoamerican after the band caught their set at the Whisky in L.A.

But as often happens, life on the road wore thin. Lucasta left just before a Clash show in Toronto. Rhonda followed. Cynthia and Xenia carried on, adding Renee Schuls-Jacobson on guitar and Marcy Saddy (ex-Demics) on drums. They finally did open for the Clash — a year later.

In their final years, the B-Girls continued playing the circuit, recording demos, and shooting a DIY video for “High School Dance.” But by 1982, the group had drifted apart.

What remained was a legacy. A few songs that hinted at the bigger story — and a fanbase that still remembers.

Lucasta went on to form Minutes From Downtown and had a dance hit with “Wrapped in Velvet.” She later managed her father’s Revolver Records catalog.

Cynthia Ross eventually relocated to New York, where she formed the punk group New York Junk in 2013. Marcy Saddy became a percussionist and visual artist in London, Ontario. Xenia, who played guitar on nearly every B-Girls track, left the business entirely.

The B-Girls never got the record deal they deserved. But as Cynthia says: “We didn’t need a label to tell us we were a real band. We already knew.”
-Cynthia Ross

Xenia Splawinski: lead vocals, guitar
Lucasta Ross: lead vocals
Renee Schuls-Jacobson: guitar, vocals
Cynthia Ross: bass, vocals
Marcy Saddy: drums, vocals
Teddy Brunetti: drums, vocals
Rhonda Ross: drums (rare recorded tracks)

All songs by Cynthia Ross except where noted. Recorded in various NYC studios 1977–1982. Produced by The “B” Girls. Mastered by Patrick Haight at Spot-On Sound. This record is dedicated to Greg Shaw.

Thanks to: Greg Shaw, Brendan Mullen, Joan Jett, Blondie, Joey Ramone, Stiv Bators, Sylvain Sylvain, Iggy Pop, Alan Betrock, The Heartbreakers, Dee Dee Ramone, Keith Morris, Holly Ramos, Sally Ross, The Demics, Carla DeSantis, Bomp!, RPM, Flipside, Ricki Lee Jones, Lenny Kaye, John Belushi, Larry’s Hideaway, Crash ‘n Burn, Max’s Kansas City, CBGBs, The Peppermint Lounge, The Whisky, Club David’s, The El Mocambo, The Horseshoe, The Edge, The Opera House, Revolver Records, and all the “B” Boys in the B-Set.

The “B” Girls Family Tree:

Xenia Splawinski: vocals, guitar (1977–1982)
Cynthia Ross: bass, vocals (1977–1982)
Lucasta Ross: vocals (1977–1979)
Rhonda Ross: drums (1977–1979)
Marcy Saddy: drums, vocals (1979–1980)
Renee Schuls-Jacobson: guitar, vocals (1979–1982)
Teddy Brunetti: drums, vocals (1980–1982)

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