We’re still in the development stages of creating this podcast series, but the initial vision is that we produce a series of interviews with some of our favorite artist, poets and cultural influencers with our main focus likely to be musicians. Starting out, the Big Mouth Girl Podcast team is Nedra Johnson and Toni Armstrong Jr.
Toni Armstrong Jr.
A leader since the 1970s in documenting, producing, and performing lesbian and feminist music, Toni Armstrong, Jr. was also an openly lesbian high school teacher for 30 years who was in the forefront of efforts to promote the welfare of lesbian and gay students and teachers. Beginning in 1977, Armstrong was the publisher of Women’s Music Plus, a directory of resources in women’s music and culture that is the only trade directory for the national lesbian-feminist entertainment industry.
Between 1979 and 1982, as a member of Chicago’s Mountain Moving Coffeehouse for Womyn and Children collective—“the world’s longest-surviving women-only, drug- and alcohol-free space”—she served as its concert producer, developing contracts and bringing in nationally known lesbian-feminist acts on a regular basis for the first time.
Between 1979 and 1982, as a member of Chicago’s Mountain Moving Coffeehouse for Womyn and Children collective—“the world’s longest-surviving women-only, drug- and alcohol-free space”—she served as its concert producer, developing contracts and bringing in nationally known lesbian-feminist acts on a regular basis for the first time.
From 1979 into the 1980s, she played bass in the pioneering, openly lesbian punk band Starkissed and later in the openly lesbian comedy band Surrender Dorothy. She played “Surprise (I’m a Lesbian)” with Paula Walowitz on the album Gay and Straight Together (produced by Ginni Clemmens and recorded at Marge Summit’s His ’n Hers bar), and she played bass on Walowitz’s tape Last Night on School Street, of Mountain Moving’s farewell concert before relocating to Rogers Park. She has also performed with Chicago’s lesbian-feminist Artemis Singers, with lesbian-identified bands such as the Dental Damsels, and with musicians at Mountain Moving Coffeehouse.
From 1984 to 1994, Armstrong published the internationally distributed HOT WIRE: The Journal of Women’s Music and Culture, covering lesbian-feminist woman-identified entertainment and publishing culture, and trained more than 150 women as staff members. She has worked on staff of GayLife, Windy City Times, and Outlines. Since 1981, she has been a producer of large annual Chicago-area lesbian social events (with Tracy Baim) and of concerts and party-fundraisers.
She has been “more or less out” as a lesbian high school teacher since 1979. In 1995, she organized the first reunion of lesbian and bisexual alumnae of Maine Township High School East, joined the steering committee of GLSTN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Teachers Network—now GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network), helped GLSEN Chicago become the nation’s third-largest chapter, and spearheaded GLSEN Chicago’s Youth Scholarship program. She has worked to focus attention on lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues at Maine East and in 1996 coordinated GLSEN’s Midwest Conference on Ending Homophobia in the Schools at Chicago’s Bismarck Hotel.
Armstrong has become a visible advocate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth activists. In 1996, with 1997 Hall of Fame inductee Miguel Ayala, she co-founded and has served as vice president of Student Pride USA. Since 1996 she has been a traveling public speaker on ending school homophobia. She also provided a home for two “adopted daughters” — lesbian teenagers who needed parenting, guidance, and financial support because of their former “at risk” living situations. (Please note: this information has not been updated since the time of the member’s induction).
Nedra Johnson
Nedra is a singer, songwriter, guitar, bass and tuba player. She began her interest in podcast production while working for a jazz website called Jazzcorner. Her role there was not as interviewer, but in cleaning up audio and mixing it with relevant music as the artist answered questions.
“At the time, podcasting was fairly new. Early 2000s. But I really enjoyed the process of listening to the artists talk about their music and their inspirations for it. It seemed intimate and I felt like I could bring something to the finished interview that made it warm and moving. Almost like a mini audio documentary. That’s my style. To mix in a way that allows the artist to endear themselves to the listener though music and words. “
Nedra Johnson
In addition to music, Nedra has worked in web design and production and as a multimedia editor. She is Vice President on the board of directors for We Want The Land Coalition, a non-profit organization that is stewarding The Land (former location of the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival) and making it available for events that center women and girls. She is also the co-producer of a private event held on The Land called Big Mouth Girl – Gathering on The Land.