For about as long as country music has existed, the Carter Family has been at the heart of it. Only after June Carter reached the top of the Music City ladder, first taking the Grand Ole Opry stage at just 21 years old, would she became one half of the greatest power couple country music has ever known. As told in the final Dolls Pod episode before our fall sabbatical, the second Mrs. Cash navigated addiction, affairs, danger, and darkness under the punishing spotlight of fame. June’s legacy spans the entire history of the genre she helped define, and her love for the Man in Black survived against all odds. Johnny and June chose each other and their faith time and time again, as life’s trials put them through that “ring of fire.”

“June Carter Cash: Through The Ring of Fire” is available wherever you stream your podcasts ❤️‍🔥

(Episode starts at 4:35)

Sources used:

John Carter Cash, “Anchored in Love: An Intimate Portrait of June Carter Cash” (2007)

June Carter Cash, “From The Heart” (1987)

June Carter Cash, “Among My Klediments” (1979)

Johnny Cash, “Cash: The Autobiography” (1997)

Robert Hilburn, “Johnny Cash: The Life” (2013)

Steve Turner, “The Man Called Cash” (2001)

Songs used in this episode:

The Carter Family - “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow Tree” (1927)

Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters - “Foggy Mountain Top” (1950)

June Carter - “Grandma Told Me So” (1949)

Johnny Cash - “The Rebel Johnny Yuma” (1961)

Anita Carter - “Love’s Ring of Fire” (1962)

Bob Moore - “Mexico” (1961)

Johnny Cash - “Ring of Fire” (1963)

Johnny Cash and June Carter - “It Ain’t Me, Babe” (1964)

Johnny Cash and June Carter - “Jackson” (1968)

June Carter Cash - “Appalachian Pride” (1975)

June Carter Cash - “Song to John” (1981)

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash - “The Far Side Banks of Jordan” (1998)

Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash - “‘Cause I Love You” (as performed on The Johnny Cash Show, 1971)

The Carter Family - “I Found You Among The Roses” (1940)

June Carter Cash - “Ring of Fire” (as performed on The Johnny Carson Show, 1980)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and videos from this episode!

It was love at first sight when Vivian Liberto met her handsome airman at a roller rink. They dated for a few weeks, then she waited for him for 3 years while he was stationed overseas. He sent her the engagement ring through the mail, they got married, lived off boxed mac and cheese for months while he worked a dead-end appliance sales job. Then he became the Man in Black. Vivian Cash was by Johnny’s side through thick and thin for 12 years of marriage, watching from the wings as he wrote country music history with his song about her. She saved every single love letter, and dutifully preserved every memory of Johnny long before the fame. They say love is worth waiting for, but a very special love is worth “walking the line.”

Sources used for this episode:

Vivian Cash with Ann Sharpsteen, “I Walked The Line: My Life with Johnny” (2008)

“My Darling Vivian” (dir. Matt Riddlehoover, 2020)

Juan Louis Garcia, “The Life of Vivian Liberto: Johnny Cash's First Wife and Author” The Handbook of Texas Women, Texas State Historical Association Online (2026)

Valerie J. Nelson, “Vivian L. Distin, 71; Inspired Hit by Husband Johnny Cash” Obituaries: Los Angeles Times, 5/28/2005

Richard A. Marini, “Johnny Cash’s Alamo City courtship” Express News, 5/31/2015

Sydney Trent, “White supremacists attacked Johnny Cash for marrying a ‘Negro’ woman. But was his first wife Black?” The Washington Post. 5/16/2021

Clayton Edwards, “70 Years Ago Today, Johnny Cash Recorded His First No. 1—a Song He Wrote as a Promise to His First Wife” American Songwriter, 4/2/2026

“Obituary: Richard Laurence Distin” Legacy (2019)

Songs in this episode:

Rosemary Clooney - “Mambo Italiano” (1954)

Johnny Cash - “Get Rhythm” (1956)

Johnny Cash - “Cry! Cry! Cry!” (1955)

Johnny Cash - “I Walk The Line” (1956)

Johnny Cash - “Ring of Fire” (1963)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

James Brown, George Clinton, Jimi, and Sly are all contenders for a “Mount Funkmore.” There’s one woman whose face should be carved in that stone with the boys.

Long before she was ever a wife and “muse,” Betty Davis was an up-and-coming songwriter, Wilhelmina model, and “it” girl of the New York underground. She gave her hit song “Uptown” to the Chambers Brothers and called Jimi Hendrix and Warhol’s Factory her friends. With her substantial influence on her husband Miles Davis, jazz fusion as we know it was born. Betty didn’t need a famous man to make her groundbreaking albums: she was a singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer all on her own. Her in-your-face persona is still so fresh, she’s got Beyoncé name-dropping her 50 years later! Betty was everything: raunchy, loud, unapologetically fierce, driven, sensitive, and spiritual. Above all, she was real. Get ready for Betty, because the queen of FUNK is here to stay!

In addition, the Dolls Pod is honored to welcome professor, ethnomusicologist, DJ, and author of the upcoming “Game Is Her Middle Name: The Life and Music of Betty Davis” Dr. Danielle Maggio to the show. We talked about how her new book came to be, her own friendship with Betty, and celebrated Betty’s power and soul.

“Betty Davis: Queen of Funk” is available wherever you stream your podcasts ⭐️

Preorder “Game Is Her Middle Name: The Life and Music of Betty Davis” by Danielle Maggio from Feminist Press: https://feministpress.org/collections/coming-soon/products/9781558613782-game-is-her-middle-name

Follow Danielle on Instagram: @saucequeen_phd

(Episode starts at 3:41)

Sources used:

Personal interview with Danielle Maggio, PhD (7/25/2026)

Danielle Maggio, “‘Sound Projector:’ Reissuing, Representing, and Reclaiming the Music of Betty Davis” University of Pittsburgh, 2020

Danielle Maggio, “Betty Davis In Japan,” parts 1-7. Substack via Light In The Attic, 2024

John Ballon, “Betty Davis: Betty Davis” All About Jazz, 10/31/2003

John Ballon, “Liberated Funk” Wax Poetics issue 22, March/April 2007

John Szwed, “So What: The Biography of Miles Davis” (2002)

Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, “Miles: The Autobiography” (2011 ed.)

Neil Spencer, “Miles Davis: The muse who changed him, and the heady Brew that rewrote jazz” The Guardian, 9/4/2010

Virginia Vigliar, “Betty Davis: What happens when women have a hold on their own narrative?” Medium, 1/2/2021

“Betty: They Say I’m Different” dir. Philip Cox, 2017

Song used in this episode:

Miles Davis - “Bitches Brew” (1970)

Bessie Smith - “Young Woman’s Blues” (1926)

Betty Davis - “They Say I’m Different” (1974)

Beyonce - “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” [2025]

Betty Mabry - “Get Ready For Betty” (1964)

The Chambers Brothers - “Uptown” (live at the 3rd Annual Harlem Cultural Festival, 6/29/1969)

Betty Davis - “Steppin’ In Her I. Miller Shoes” (1973)

Miles Davis - “Mademoiselle Mabry” (1968)

Betty Davis - “Politician Man” (1969)

Betty Davis - “Ready, Willing, and Able (Take 1)” [1969]

Miles Davis - “Pharaoh’s Dance” (1970)

Betty Davis - “If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up” (1973)

Betty Davis - “Don’t You Call Her No Tramp” (1974)

Betty Davis - “Dedicated To The Press” (1975)

Betty Davis - “Stars Starve, You Know” (1976)

Etta James - “Baby What You Want Me To Do” (Jimmy Reed cover) [1964]

Danielle Maggio - “A Little Bit Hot Tonight” (2019)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

The original “Reputation era” belonged to this week’s Doll, Dusty Springfield!

Born in post-war Britain to a Scottish father and Irish mother, Mary O’Brien was never going to be a good little Catholic schoolgirl; neither would she be content in a family band. Dusty Springfield was born to be in the spotlight. No government or journalist was going to box her into a corner! And no man - or woman - could tie her down. The worlds she created in songs like “Spooky,” “The Look of Love,” “Just A Little Lovin’,” and of course “Son of a Preacher Man” were tender and sultry, like her “microphone voice.” She rarely belted, but did she really have to? Bask in Dusty’s greatness, be charmed by her wit, revel in her resurrection, and enjoy and a career-spanning retrospective of this beloved “bicon.” “Dusty Springfield: The Many Lives of Mary O’Brien” is available wherever you stream your podcasts 🎙️

Sources used:

Lucy O’Brien, “Dusty: The Classic Biography, Revised and Updated” (2024)

Lucy O’Brien, “You started something…” The Guardian, 2/20/1999

“Dusty Plays South Africa” Witness History: Archive podcast via Spotify, 12/24/2012

Paul Du Noyer, “Dusty Springfield Interview” originally published in Mojo, 7/1995

“DUSTY SPRINGFIELD” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2026)

“Dusty Springfield obituary” The Guardian, 3/3/1999

Songs used in this episode:

Dusty Springfield - “Son of a Preacher Man” (1969)

Bessie Smith - “St. Louis Blues” (1925)

The Lana Sisters - “My Mother’s Eyes” (1960)

The Springfields - “Dear John” (1961)

The Springfields - “Island of Dreams” (1963)

The Exciters - “Tell Him” (1963)
Dusty Springfield - “Stay Awhile” (1964)

Dusty Springfield - “The Look of Love” (1967)

Dusty Springfield - “Sometimes Like Butterflies” (1985)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this week’s episode!

Artist and author Ginger Gilmour joins this special episode of the Dolls Podcast for a conversation about love and motherhood, the artistic process, having faith in yourself, and of course Pink Floyd. She talks about bands she defied her mother to listen to, things she missed when she moved to England, the Pink Floyd album she’s never heard, and which unlikely guests she brought to Floyd shows. She even showed Emma and Abby some works in progress for her upcoming art exhibition in Las Vegas! Ginger was so generous with her memories and willing to share her knowledge. It really was a thrill to hear so much about her artistic process. Thank you Ginger! 🌈

Ginger’s website: https://www.gingergilmour.co.uk

Buy “Behind The Wall: A Story of Love, Loss, and Wonder” here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1912587874?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

Ginger at the San Fransisco Art Exchange: https://sfae.com/Artists/Ginger-Gilmour?srsltid=AfmBOopChCZl9M21A_BD7t3NsFprraUWA_zWx6ui7hx14z4ZG2wsLehc

Ginger’s 2-week exhibition of Pink Floyd-related works opens to the public at the Animazing Gallery in Las Vegas in October 2026

Upcoming events at Animazing: https://www.animazing.com/events-3

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

“Ever since I was little, there has been a flavor, a grace of energy, which has always guided me…Fortunately, despite many challenges along the way, I feel it has mainly been full of grace, for which I am eternally grateful.” - Ginger Gilmour

Would you run off with the love of your life after only knowing them for 3 days? It sounds like the plot of a Disney movie, but it was Ginger Gilmour’s real life when she found love at first sight with Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. (And how could she not? It’s David Gilmour!)

Ginger married her “Prince Charming” and lived a rock-and-roll fairytale, watching as Pink Floyd went from rags to riches. They welcomed four children together and traveled the world together. When the dream was over, Ginger rebuilt her life; becoming a successful multi-media artist. Ginger’s life is a tale of love, spirituality, healing, and finding purpose in life: bringing love and beauty into the lives of others.

Hear the story of Pink Floyd from one of the few women who were around, told by two women who love Floyd (and have edited as many of Dave’s guitar solos as they possibly could into this episode.) “Ginger Gilmour: Echoes in Beauty” is available wherever you stream your podcasts 🌈

Sources used:

Ginger Gilmour, “Memoirs of the Bright Side of the Moon” (2013)

Ginger Gilmour, “Behind The Wall: A Tale of Love, Loss, and Wonder” (2023)
Nick Mason, “Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd” (2017 ed.)

Glenn Povey, “Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd” (2010)

Mark Blake, “Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd” (2008)

Songs used in this episode:

Pink Floyd, “Speak To Me”/“Breathe (In The Air)” (1973)

The Beatles, “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You” (1964)

Pink Floyd, “Set The Controls For the Heart of the Sun” (From “Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii,” 1971)

Pink Floyd, “Fat Old Sun” (1970)

Pink Floyd, “A Pillow of Winds” (1971)

David Gilmour, “Do You Want To Marry Me?” (1967)

Pink Floyd, “The Gold It’s In The…” (1972)

Pink Floyd, “Childhood’s End” (1972)

Pink Floyd, “Money” (1973)

Pink Floyd, “Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)” (1975)

Pink Floyd, “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” (1977)

Pink Floyd, “In The Flesh” (1981)

Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb” (1981)

David Gilmour, “Out Of The Blue” (1984)

Pink Floyd, “Eclipse” (1973)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

Who is Amanda Lear? How old is she? Where was she born? How is this woman even real??

Having a Rolling Stones song written about you is just about as rock-and-roll as it gets. So is being one of Bryan Ferry’s parade of model girlfriends, or the “For Your Pleasure” covergirl, or having a joint music and acting career. Amanda Lear had it all, and then some: she was muse to the one and only Salvador Dali until the end of his life. Of course a surrealist herself should have an appropriately surreal life. Enter the wild world of Amanda Lear on the latest episode of the Dolls Podcast, wherever you stream your podcasts 🕰️🫠

Sources used for this episode:

Amanda Lear, “My Life With Dali” (1984)

Marco Pantella, “An Interview with Amanda Lear” The GROUND Issue IV, 3/4/2014

Shane O’Neill, “A Star Spent Years Battling Gender Rumors. Why Is Enigma Still Asking?” The Washington Post, 6/26/2025

Séverine Pierron, “A romantic visit with…Amanda Lear” Centre Pompidou, 9/16/2024
Angelica Frey, “Amanda Lear: the androgynous muse to Dalí who made disco intellectual” The Guardian, 6/1/2022

Disco Bambino with Angelica Frey, “How Italian Media Shaped Amanda Lear’s Career” Italian Disco Stories, 5/16/2022

Joelle Diderich, “Why Amanda Lear is the Muse Who Never Goes Out of Fashion” Women’s Wear Daily, 4/25/2026

Songs in this episode:

The Beatles - “A Day In The Life” (1967)

The Rolling Stones - “Miss Amanda Jones” (1967)

Amanda Lear - “Trouble” (1976)

Amanda Lear - “Love Boat” (2001)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode

“Everything I do is an offering to God - that’s the truth.” - Alice Coltrane

Part of the Dolls Pod mission statement is to spotlight a remarkable woman each episode. That description certainly applies to this week’s subject. First she was Alice McLeod, a single Black woman working on the jazz circuit in New York, Paris, and her home city of Detroit. Then she was Alice Coltrane, John’s muse and partner in free jazz exploration. After John passed at the height of the Summer of Love, Alice was called first to India, then California on a spiritual journey; establishing her own ashram as Swamini Turiyasangitananda. Pursuing just one of these life paths would be remarkable. In just 69 years, Alice somehow pursued all three; transcending all limitations placed on her, internal and external.

(Episode starts at 5:42)

Sources:

Andy Beta, “Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane” (2026)

Alice Coltrane, “Monument Eternal” (2025 ed.)

Franya J. Berkman, “Monument Eternal: The Music of Alice Coltrane” (2010)

Chris Devito, “Coltrane on Coltrane: The John Coltrane Interviews” (2010) https://archive.org/details/coltraneoncoltra0000unse

Lewis Porter, “John Coltrane: His Life and Music” (1998) https://archive.org/details/johncoltranehisl0000port

“Alice Coltrane” Black Journal, 1970, via The John & Alice Coltrane Home https://thecoltranehome.org/alice-coltrane-documentary/

NPR: Jazz Night in America, “Saint Coltrane: The Church Built on ‘A Love Supreme’” (dir. Lauren Onkey, 2/2/2021) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAgJ-igwuSQ

“Eternity's Pillar - Hosted by Alice Coltrane Swamini Turiyasangitananda” via dublab on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3MkhsePVJE

Andy Beta, “Transfiguration and Transcendence: The Music of Alice Coltrane” Pitchfork, 1/12/2017 https://pitchfork.com/features/from-the-pitchfork-review/10009-transfiguration-and-transcendence-the-music-of-alice-coltrane

Songs used in this episode:

Dizzy Gillespie - “A Night in Tunisia” (1954)

Bud Powell - “Groovin’ High” (1961)

The Premiers - “When You Are In Love” (1957)

The Terry Gibbs Quartet featuring Alice McLeod - “Sol Right With Me” (1963)

John Coltrane - “Giant Steps” (1960)

John Coltrane - “Africa” (1961)

Irving Berlin - “Always” (sang by Lewis James) [1925]

John Coltrane - “Your Lady” (Live at Birdland) [1964]

John Coltrane - “A Love Supreme, Part I: Acknowledgement” (1965)

John Coltrane - “My Favorite Things” (Live from the Village Vanguard) [1966]

Alice Coltrane - “Ohnedaruth” (1968)

Alice Coltrane - “Journey in Satchidananda” (1971)

John Coltrane - “Om” (1968)

Alice Coltrane - “Ptah, the El-Daoud” (1970)

Alice Coltrane - “Shiva Loka” (1971)

John Coltrane - “A Love Supreme, Part III: Pursuance” (1965)

Alice Coltrane - “Jagadishwar” (1982)

Flying Lotus - “Auntie’s Harp” (2008)

Alice Coltrane - “A Love Supreme” (Live at Jazz Jamboree with Roy Hanes, Reggie Workman, and Ravi Coltrane) [1987]

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see clips and videos from this episode!

Two things we learned from this week’s episode:

1. Chat with people at the dentist’s office

2. Just make that phone call!

This week’s episode is all about the spirit of collaboration. Emma introduces one of her and Abby’s favorite obscure 1970s folk artists, Linda Perhacs. Linda made music like no one else, tapping into her synesthesia to write intricate harmonies and lush tunes. But after recording just one album, the legendary “Parallelograms,” she returned to her straight job as a dental hygienist. Thanks to some dedicated fans, a cold call, and the Tower Records closing sale, Linda found the people who helped her return to music over 30 years later.

It just so happens that Abby knows one of these people! An on-the-spot interview with @fernandoperdomoguitar, producer of Linda’s 2nd and 3rd albums, fills out the second half of this week’s episode. Thank you Fernando for joining us this week! “Linda Perhacs: Seeing Music in Color” is available wherever you stream your podcasts 🟦

(Episode starts at 5:50)

Sources:

“Artists: Linda Perhacs” Athsmatic Kitty https://asthmatickitty.com/artists/linda-perhacs/

“Singer Linda Perhacs Is Making Up For Lost Time” Time Magazine, 2/28/2014 https://time.com/archive/7114291/linda-perhacs-interview/

Linda Perhacs, “The Unlikely Music Career of Linda Perhacs” Red Bull Music Academy, 2/25/2015 https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2015/02/linda-perhacs-feature

Kim Cooper and Ron Garmon, “LINDA PERHACS’ FIRST MAJOR INTERVIEW” Scram no. 19, 2004 https://www.scrammagazine.com/linda-perhacs-first-major-interview-january-2004/

John Paul, “The Healing Power of Music: A Conversation with Linda Perhacs” PopMatters, 9/26/2017 https://www.popmatters.com/the-healing-power-of-music-a-conversation-with-linda-perhacs-2495378104.html

And Abby’s personal interview with Fernando Perdomo, conducted 5/132025

Songs used in this episode:

Linda Perhacs - “Parallelograms” (1970)

Theme from “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955)

Linda Perhacs - “Hey, Who Really Cares” (1970)

Linda Perhacs - “Chimacum Rain” (1970)

Linda Perhacs - “Parallelograms” (1970)

Daft Punk - “If You Were My Man” (from the “Electrama” soundtrack, 2007

Linda Perhacs - “The Soul of All Natural Things” (2012)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this week’s episode!

You’ve almost certainly heard the story of Pattie Boyd, the beautiful blonde who had two great talents pining for her affection. But have you heard of Marianne Ihlen?

From a quaint village in Norway, Marianne fell in love with Axel Jensen, the “Norwegian Jack Kerouac.” Together they journeyed to the Greek island of Hydra, where they were among the first of the island’s ex-pat community. Just as their marriage fell apart, who should show up on Hydra but one of the greatest songwriters of all-time: Leonard Cohen. He will write several of his greatest songs about her, including “So Long, Marianne” and “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.” Her humility and kindness influenced Leonard across geographic borders, 3 albums, and beyond. This week on the Dolls Pod, we’re bringing Marianne’s story out from the shadows that her famous lovers’ legends have cast.

Plus, Emma and Abby chat about the wonders of Peppa Pig Land, weird allergies, and post-breakup haircuts. Some things really are canon events!

“Marianne Ihlen: Bird on the Wire” is available now, wherever you stream your podcasts 🌊

(Episode starts at 5:17)

Sources:

Kari Hesthamar, “So Long, Marianne: A Love Story” Translated by Helle V. Goldman (2017)

Sylvie Simmons, “I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen” (2018 ed.)

Nick Broomfield, dir. “Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love” (2019)

“Obituary: Marianne Ihlen, Leonard Cohen’s muse” The Scotsman, 8/13/2016

Songs in this episode:

Leonard Cohen - “Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” (1967)

Judy Collins - “Suzanne” (1966)

Leonard Cohen - “Chelsea Hotel No. 2” (1974)

Leonard Cohen - “So Long, Marianne” (1967)

Leonard Cohen - “Winter Lady” (1967)

Leonard Cohen - “The Stranger Song” (1967)

Leonard Cohen - “Sisters of Mercy” (1967)

Leonard Cohen - “Bird on the Wire” (1969)

Leonard Cohen - “Treaty” (2016)

With excerpts from “Boy On A Dolphin” (dir. Jean Negulesco, 1957)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!