Originally called Double Cross, the Catholic Girls hailed from New Jersey and became the first all-female new wave group to be signed to a major label, recording a self-titled LP for MCA in 1982.
Donning traditional tartan school uniforms and utilising Catholicism-laced props on stage, the Catholic Girls were the first entertainers to perform in rosary beads and crosses (and even a St. Sebastian medallion), presenting a ‘good girls gone bad’ image long before Madonna appeared on the scene.
The Archdiocese in Rhode Island banned them from performing there because of God Made You for Me, a song suggesting that God might be a woman.
MCA signed the band and released their sole album but despite opening for high-profile artists like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Kinks, the Catholic Girls couldn’t find mainstream acceptance and eventually broke up.
Gail Petersen became a novelist, writing The Making of a Monster in 1993.
In 1999, the sole Catholic Girls album was reissued on CD and Petersen and Andersen revived the band with Jen Bond (drums) and Stephanie Koles (bass), releasing Make Me Believe in 2002.
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