OUR DAY WILL COME Celebrates Legendary women rock artists through the years from Cleveland and Akron.

From The Poni-Tails to the Pretenders; from Ruby and the Romantics to Tracy Chapman and
beyond; this original presentation hosted by Thomas Mulready and Vanity Crash honors
women rockers through the years from Northeast Ohio with interviews, testimonials, live
original music and historic covers by area female artists and women-led bands.

It’s no secret that Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders
hails from Akron, Ohio. Fewer people are aware that Tracy Chapman, who’s hit song “Fast
Car” reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1988 and #1 on the Country charts in
2023, was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.

But it turns out there’s more to the story of rock & roll women from Cleveland and Akron.
The Poni-Tails, an all-girl trio from Cleveland suburb Lyndhurst, Ohio hit #7 on the Billboard
Hot 100 in 1958. And that’s not all. In 1963, Ruby and The Romantics, an all-black R&B
group from Akron, Ohio fronted by Ruby Nash, scored several pop & R&B hits, topped by the
#1 hit, “Our Day Will Come,” later covered by Amy Winehouse and released just following
her passing. The Secrets, an all-girl group from Cleveland, Ohio took their hit, “The Boy
Next Door,” all the way to #18.

And the list of female rock & rollers from Northeast Ohio goes on and on. Debbie Smith
and Sue Schmidt formed The Poor Girls while attending Firestone High School in Akron in 1963, and before graduating had opened shows for The Who, Cream and Steppenwolf, then went on to form Cinderella’s Revenge with the legendary Peter Laughner, before touring the US as post-punk pioneers Chi-Pig. Another Firestone alum, Chrissie Hynde spent her formative years on the fringe of the music scene in Akron and Cleveland before decamping for England to form the Pretenders. Akron-based The Waitresses were fronted by singer Patty Donahue and hit #23 on Billboard with, “I Know What Boys Like,” while “Christmas Wrapping” is now a holiday perennial.

Through a series of live music events and exclusive interviews, Thomas Mulready
presents the story of the region’s female artists and women-led bands who made an impact
on rock & roll. The live show presents interviews with some of the legendary figures who achieved success in their heyday from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, along with others who observed the scene.

The live shows will also feature area women-led ensembles and solo artists from Akron & Cleveland will perform some of the hits that their predecessors made famous, along with a selection of their own original songs, soon destined for history. The performance will feature live original music by musical hosts, Cleveland’s glam punk heroes, Vanity Crash. In addition, the show will highlight some of the many women who worked in the rock industry in the region, specifically DJs, photographers and journalists.

Performances will take place at 8PM on the following dates:
Friday, March 13, 2026 at The Knight Stage, 182 S. Main St, Akron, OH 44308
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at The Music Box Supper Club Concert Hall, 1148 Main Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44113

Biographies
Thomas Mulready is creator of Cool Networks LLC, an influencer-driven multimedia content network utilizing sites, podcasts, videos, and e-blasts to promote economic development, arts, culture and technology in Northeast Ohio. After creating the Performance Art Festival+Archives, he co-founded the Ingenuity Festival of Art and Technology, and has served as Senior Vice President of National City Bank and worked at Management Recruiters International, Richardson-Vicks, and Campbell Soup, presented his performance art in New York and Paris, and served as a Senior Research Consultant in the United Kingdom. His multimedia presentations on Andy Warhol, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, Glam and The Beatles have been presented at universities, jazz clubs and aquariums.

Vanity Crash was born on stage under hot lights in the crucible of sound and fury as the glam-punk band The Angry Inch in the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Ever since, Vanity Crash has been dressing up and throwing down eye-popping synchronized light shows, outrageous stage costumes and provocative attitude, opening for the likes of the New York Dolls, Poison, the Darkness and Gogol Bordello. Their recent celebrated tributes to pop culture heroes include timeless gems performed live alongside their own incendiary originals. Vanity Crash dropped their 5th original release, Phantasmagoria, which includes an original track featuring David Bowie’s longtime pianist, Mike Garson.

Additional information, photos and interviews available upon request: VanityCrash.com
Photo of Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders in 1980 at Cleveland Agora by Anastasia Pantsios