Los Angeles had the Go-Go’s and the Runaways. New York had the Angels and the Shangri-Las. In Memphis, during a certain era, the most talked about girl group was The Klitz.
The band — with Lesa Aldridge, Gail Clifton, Marcia Clifton, and Amy Gassner (billed as Kerry, Darla, Candy, and Envy Klitz, respectively) — sprang onto the Midtown scene in 1978 and quickly worked its way into local rock-and-roll lore.
Alex Chilton, Aldridge’s boyfriend and creative partner, served as their impresario and helped the band land early gigs at clubs such as Trader Dick’s, the Hot Air Balloon, and Lafayette’s Music Hall.
Although the Klitz (the name, Aldridge insists, is German slang for “pistol”) are often remembered as Memphis’ first punk group …
Read the rest of Flyer music writer Andria Lisle’s story.
