Denise Dufort

Denise Dufort

Girlschool are an all-female British rock band founded in 1978. The original members Kim McAuliffe, Enid Williams, Kelly Johnson and Denise Dufort came from the club cover band Painted Lady. During the early 1980s the band was one of the relevant groups of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, entering the British charts with both singles and albums. Unlike many heavy metal bands, Girlschool often had more than one lead vocalist, with vocal duties in the 'classic' line-up shared amongst Williams, McAuliffe and Johnson. Williams was the first to leave the band, in 1982, under very stressful circumstances, and was replaced by punk rocker Gil Weston. Kelly Johnson left in 1984 and went to live in the United States. In 1985, Girlschool veered towards a more commercial and American FM-friendly sound and expanded to a five-piece group, with Cris Bonacci replacing Johnson on lead guitar and Jackie Bodimead joining on lead vocals. This formation was short-lived; Bodimead left in 1986 and Girlschool then reverted to a four-piece line-up. More changes took place in 1987, when former Rock Goddess bass player Tracey Lamb replaced Weston, and in 1992, when Jackie Carrera had a short stint with the band. In 1993, Kelly Johnson came back to England from the US and found her place again in Girlschool, replacing the departing Bonacci. Johnson and Lamb remained in the band until 2000, when Jackie Chambers and the returning Enid Williams took their places in a line-up that lasted until Williams left again in early 2019. Williams was to be replaced by Lamb on a temporary basis, but became a full-time member later that year.

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