The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada
American band
The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada were an eclectic band originally from Santa Cruz, California, US, formed in 1981. They were voted "Best Alternative Rock Band of the Year" by LA Weekly. The collaboration of keyboardist Mary Jean Shaffer and guitarist Blancah Black, the Holy Sisters included quasi-religious imagery and feminist politics. Other original members included Heidi Puckett (bass) and Jeff Grubic (tenor sax). As the band morphed from conceptual entity to frequent club performers, Black left and two new members were added, Jill Fido (bass) and Charles Bingham (drums). Kim Sockit later replaced Puckett, and Zero Jessephski Jr. replaced Bingham, making the Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada an all-female band. The group would later move to Hollywood, California, where they were featured in "Once Upon Her Time", a TV program about women in the 1980s which aired on the Lifetime Cablevision Network.
Personnel
Jill Fido: bass, Vocals
Wild Kim Sockit: guitar, percussion, penny whistle, vocals
Mary Jean Shaffer: keyboards, vocals
Zero Jessephski Jr.: drums, toys, percussion
Cathy Linstrom: guitar
Discography
Let's Get Acquainted (1986; Bomp! Records)
At Dianne's Place (compilation; includes "Round and Round") (1987; Penultimate Records)
Gaga at the Gogo EP (1988; Bomp!
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada” as american band. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as american band. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7740049. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1981, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada primary sources, The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada archive and Holy research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “The Holy Sisters of the Gaga Dada” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.