The Go-Go's are an all-female American rock and roll group formed in 1978. They made rock history as the first all-woman band to top the Billboard charts with a number-one album as well as write their own songs and play their own instruments. Stylistically, their energetic music spanned surf, new wave, pop-punk and rock.
They rose to fame in the early-1980s and their unlikely break-through success ushered in an era of new music in the U.S. Their debut album Beauty and the Beat is considered one of the cornerstone albums of American Surf Rock. In the beginning they played primarily pop punk and later defined themselves with the distinct sound of 1980s rock. The Go-Go's had five U.S. Top 40 hits.

Members

• Charlotte Caffey, lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Belinda Carlisle, lead vocals
• Gina Schock, drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Kathy Valentine, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, backing vocals
• Jane Wiedlin, rhythm guitar, vocals & backing vocals

Additional members

• Paula Jean Brown, bass guitar (early 1985 - replacement for Jane Wiedlin, who left after the Prime Time tour in 1984. Played only a few live shows and never recorded with the band. Later a member of Giant Sand.)

Background

Formed in 1978, the group originally featured Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), Charlotte Caffey (lead guitar, keyboards), Margot Olaverra (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). They started out playing at seminal punk rock venues such as The Masque and the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles. In 1979, Gina Schock replaced Bello on drums. During that year, the band recorded a demo and supported the British ska revival group Madness in both Los Angeles and England. The Go-Go's spent half of 1980 touring England, earning a sizable following and releasing "We Got the Beat" on Stiff Records.
In December 1980, bassist Margot Olaverra was replaced with Kathy Valentine, who had played guitar in bands such as Girlschool and the Textones (Valentine had no prior experience playing bass and learned in four days). The Go-Go's signed to I.R.S. Records in April 1981. Their debut album Beauty and the Beat was a surprise hit and topped the charts for six weeks. "Our Lips Are Sealed" and a new version of "We Got the Beat" were extremely popular singles in early 1982. The follow-up, Vacation, sold well, but the group was forced to go on hiatus when Schock underwent surgery for a congenital heart defect. 1984 saw a return to critical acceptance with the Martin Rushent produced album Talk Show, but sales were poor. Personality conflicts and creative differences were also taking a toll, and Jane Wiedlin announced her departure from the group in October 1984. The band sought a replacement for Wiedlin, and finally selected Paula Jean Brown as their new bassist, with Valentine moving to rhythm guitar. They played the 1985 Rock in Rio festival with this new lineup, but Carlisle and Caffey soon realized their hearts were no longer in the group and decided to disband in May 1985.
Belinda Carlisle became the most commercially successful solo artist of the band's alumnae, scoring a string of mainstream pop singles in the late '80s, including the number-one single "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". Jane Wiedlin released several solo albums including Fur, which featured a successful single, "Rush Hour". Wiedlin also took acting roles in movies such as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Clue, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, as well as doing cartoon voiceovers and a 2005 appearance on the VH1 show Surreal Life. In 1995 Wiedlin formed a band called froSTed (the capital ST paid homage to Star Trek). They released an album, Cold, before disbanding in 1998. Charlotte Caffey worked with Carlisle and then in 1990 formed a band called The Graces for the album Perfect View. After the Graces disbanded she briefly formed a group called Astrid's Mother. Caffey and Wiedlin also performed several acoustic sets in 1997 as Twisted and Jaded. In 2000, Wiedlin started her own label, Painful Discs, to release her solo CD Kissproof World. Gina Schock released a self-titled album in 1988 with her band House of Schock, and later formed the short-lived group K-Five. Kathy Valentine returned to her blues-rock roots with a band called the Blue Bonnets, which morphed into the Delphines (Schock also joined the Delphines as drummer). Valentine also released her debut solo CD titled Light Years in September 2005.
In 1990, the Go-Go's reunited to play a benefit concert for the California Environmental Protection Act, a 1990 ballot initiative. This led to more show dates later that year. The band toured again in 1994, when they released the 2-disc retrospective Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's. In 2001, they released an album of new material, God Bless the Go-Go's. The album was well-received by critics, though sales were low. They have since decided to continue performing together.
In 2006, the band toured to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Beauty and the Beat. The Go-Go's are currently working on a project with Disney called the Po-Go's, featuring child musicians performing new Go-Go's material. Charlotte Caffey and Kathy Valentine are also planning a reality show with Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson of the Bangles, that will showcase female musicians and form a new all-female band.