We are Britain's first female rock band. That's why you don't know us. “Almost Famous” by Op-Docs

It's hard to say exactly what was in the water in Liverpool in the early 1960s that ended up producing the Merseybeat sound and hundreds of bands of varying success. Four teenagers surprised the stage and found fans screaming at every turn. Their names were Mary, Sylvia, Pam and Val.

It wasn't just their sound that turned heads. They were the Liverbirds, Britain's first all-female rock'n'roll band. Along with surviving members Mary McGlory and Sylvia Saunders, you'd never know these two extremely charming Scouse matriarchs (meaning they're from Liverpool) toured with the Rolling Stones. They lent their instruments to the Kinks. Rolled joints for Jimi Hendrix.

John Lennon himself told them that girls don't play guitar. Well, John, they did. Imagine that.

“Almost Famous” is a special Op-Docs series of short films directed by Ben Proudfoot featuring people who almost made history – but didn't. These are stories of overcoming the most epic disappointment, from an astronaut who never flew to a superstar who never flew.

Learn more about the series /"Almost Famous/": https://nyti.ms/2EuGTsK

Credits
Director: Ben Proudfoot
With: Mary Dostal, Sylvia Wiggins
Producers: Gabriel Berk Godoi, Abby Lynn Kang Davis
Co-producer: Jeremy Lambert
Photography: Brandon Somerhalder
Editor: Monica Salazar
Composer: Nicholas Jacobson-Larson
Editorial assistant: Lisset Mendoza
First camera assistant: Haley Watson
Production Sound Engineer: Geoffrey Fyfe
Colorist: Stephen Derluguian
Re-recording mixer: Sean Higgins
Archives Coordinator: Sarah Stewart
Associate Producer: Caley Fox Shannon
Post-production supervisor: Dillon Brown
Post-production coordinator: Elizabeth Brooke
Editor-in-chief: Federico Conforti
Sound effects editor: Tom Boykin
Additional orchestration L Roger Julià Satorra
Scoring mixer: Brad Haehnel

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Op-Docs is the New York Times award-winning series of short documentaries from independent filmmakers. Learn more about Op-Docs and how to get involved in the series. Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NYTopinion).