“She was a beautiful person, loving and warm...She was down-to-earth, she loved to laugh, and everyone loved her.” - Marvin Gaye, on fellow Motown star and original Supreme Florence Ballard

This week, the Dolls Pod presents the true story behind the Tony-winning musical “Dreamgirls,” and the very real woman that was its muse. Both Jennifer Holliday and Jennifer Hudson won Academy awards for their portrayals of Effie White, based on the fiery founder of the Supremes. Florence Ballard sang on 16 of their top 40 hits, and 9 of their number ones. But she did not have the happy ending Effie gets in “Dreamgirls.” She’s often called “the Lost Supreme,” as she was virtually erased from the group’s history. But as this episode will show you, Flo Ballard was anything but “just a backup singer.” She was brave in the face of hardship and a true trailblazer; the soul of Motown’s first girl group. “Florence Ballard: The Real Effie White” is available wherever you stream your podcasts 🎤

(Episode starts at 4:50)

Sources used for this episode:

Peter Benjaminson, “The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard” (2009)

Nelson George, “Where Did Our Love Go? The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound” (2007 ed.)

Randall Wilson, “Forever Faithful: A Study of Florence Ballard and the Supremes” (1987)

Mary Wilson, “Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme” (1986)

Maxine Ballard Jenkins, “The True Story of Florence Ballard” (2007)

“Unsung” season 2 episode 4, “Florence Ballard” (6/28/2009)

“Mary Wilson Gets Emotional Remembering Florence Ballard” via SiriusXM on YouTube, 9/24/2019

Songs used in this episode:

Jennifer Hudson - “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (From the soundtrack of “Dreamgirls”) [2006]

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers - “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” (1956)

Ray Charles - “The Right Time” (1958)

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - “Shop Around” (1960)

The Primettes - “Tears of Sorrow” (1961)

The Supremes - “Buttered Popcorn” (1962)

The Marvelettes - “Please Mr. Postman” (1961)

The Contours - “Do You Love Me” (1962)

Mary Wells - “You Beat Me To The Punch” (1962)

The Supremes - “When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes” (1963)

The Supremes - “Where Did Our Love Go?” (1964)

The Supremes - “Baby Love” (1964)

The Beatles - “Money (That’s What I Want)” (1964)

The Supremes - “Stop! In The Name of Love” (1965)

The Supremes - “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1966)

Vanilla Fudge - “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (1967)

The Supremes - “Ain’t That Good News” (1965)

The Supremes - “People” (1967)

Scott McKenzie - “San Fransisco” (1967)

Florence Ballard - “It Doesn’t Matter How I Say It” (1968)

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, and Jennifer Holliday - “Dreamgirls” (From the original Broadway cast recording of “Dreamgirls”) (1982)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see clips and photos from this episode!

We have a very special guest for our season 3 premiere! Thanks to Emma, we got to chat with “Jennifer Juniper: A Journey Beyond The Muse” author Jenny Boyd about her time as a model in swinging London, San Fransisco during the Summer of Love, with the Beatles in India, and on the road with Fleetwood Mac at the height of their fame. We also got to talk about her earning her doctorate, exploring the creative process in her thesis “Musicians in Tune”/“Icons of Rock,” her work in the addiction recovery field, and an exciting new project. It’s well and truly a journey beyond being a muse. Thank you Jenny for joining us this week!

Plus, Emma gives a life update on her growing family and how she found her midcentury dream home! “Jennifer Juniper: An Interview with Jenny Boyd” is available now wherever you stream your podcasts 💐

Jenny’s website: www.thejennyboyd.com

Sources used for this episode:

Jenny Boyd, “Jennifer Juniper: A Journey Beyond The Muse” (2020)

Jim Farber, “‘It’s not what you think’: Behind the star-studded life of a rock star’s wife” The Guardian, 3/30/2020

Songs used in this episode:

Donovan - “Jennifer Juniper” (1968)

Fleetwood Mac - “Purple Dancer” (1971)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

“I think that love will never die. Once you know somebody, you can never unknow that person. And knowing is loving. So you never can get out of love.”

The Dolls Pod Beatle Girl miniseries concludes! Part two of our “Oh Yoko!” episode focuses on her music, activism, and of course, we tell the ballad of Yoko and John.

Also: car seats and nurseries and baby names, oh my! Emma is settling into her last few weeks before baby arrives. Join us for the emotional season two finale of the Dolls Podcast, available wherever you stream your podcasts ☁️

Sources used for this episode:

David Sheff, “Yoko” (2025)

Jann Wenner, “Lennon Remembers” (2000)

David Sheff, “The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono” (edited by G. Barry Golson, 1981)

Cynthia Lennon, “John” (2005)

May Pang with Henry Edwards, “Loving John” (1983)

The Beatles, “Anthology” (2000)

Alan Clayson, Barb Jungr, and Robb Johnson, “Woman: The Incredible Life of Yoko Ono” (2004)

J. Hoberman, “Everything Is Now: The 1960s New York Avant-Garde - Primal Happenings, Underground Moves, Radical Pop” (2025)

Elvis Mitchell, “Yoko Ono” Interview Magazine, 11/26/2013

Lisa Carver, “Yoko Ono: A Reconsideration” The New York Times, 10/19/2012

“One To One: John & Yoko” (dir. Kevin MacDonald and Sam Rice-Edwards, 2025)

“Classic Albums: John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band” (dir. Matthew Longfellow, 2008)

(Episode starts at 7:08)

Songs used in this episode:

Yoko Ono - “Yes, I’m A Witch” (2007)

Plastic Ono Band - “Give Peace A Chance” (1969)

Yoko Ono - “Don’t Worry Kyoko” (1969)

John Lennon - “Mother” (1970)

John Lennon - “Imagine” (1971)

“Glee End Credits Theme” (2009)
Yoko Ono - “Approximately Infinite Universe” (1973)

John Lennon - “Beautiful Boy” (1980)

John Lennon - “Just Like Starting Over” (1980)

Yoko Ono - “Talking To The Universe” (1995)

Fiona Apple - “I Want You To Love Me” (2020)

Yoko Ono, Kim Gordon & Thurston Moore - “Mirror Mirror” (2012)

Death Cab For Cutie - “Waiting For The Sunrise” (Yoko Ono Cover) [2022]

John Lennon - “Oh Yoko!” (1971)

With samples from Monday Night Football, 12/8/1980, and Yoko’s Grammys acceptance speech, 2/24/1982

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

“The average rating of our podcast is too high,” we lamented. “Let’s incite a mob of one-star reviews just for covering Yoko Ono!” We giggled, as we rubbed our little hands together like flies.

Season 2 of the Dolls Pod is going down screaming, or whatever you call those distinct vocal stylings. The fifth episode of our Beatle Girl miniseries is here, focusing primarily on Yoko Ono’s life and art before meeting “JOOOOOHN!”

If you hate Yoko, you will hate this episode. If you love Yoko, you will hate this episode. “Oh, Yoko!” is available now, wherever you stream your podcasts 🌊

(Episode starts at 4:58)

Sources used for this episode:

David Sheff, “Yoko” (2025)

Jann Wenner, “Lennon Remembers” (2000)

David Sheff, “The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono” (edited by G. Barry Golson, 1981)

Cynthia Lennon, “John” (2005)

May Pang with Henry Edwards, “Loving John” (1983)

The Beatles, “Anthology” (2000)

Alan Clayson, Barb Jungr, and Robb Johnson, “Woman: The Incredible Life of Yoko Ono” (2004)

J. Hoberman, “Everything Is Now: The 1960s New York Avant-Garde - Primal Happenings, Underground Moves, Radical Pop” (2025)

Elvis Mitchell, “Yoko Ono” Interview Magazine, 11/26/2013

Lisa Carver, “Yoko Ono: A Reconsideration” The New York Times, 10/19/2012

“One To One: John & Yoko” (dir. Kevin MacDonald and Sam Rice-Edwards, 2025)

Songs in this episode:

Miles Davis Quintet - “Nature Boy” (1955)

The Beatles - “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
The Beatles - “Julia” (1968)

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - “Two Virgins Side One” (1968)

Rainbo (Sissy Spacek) - “John, You Went Too Far This Time” (1969)

The Beatles - “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” (1968)

The Beatles - “Revolution 9” (1968)

The Beatles - “Don’t Let Me Down” (Take 1/Rooftop Performance, 1/30/1969)

The Beatles - “The Ballad of John and Yoko” (1968)

with samples from “Get Back” (dir. Peter Jackson, 2021)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

Our 4th episode of the Dolls Pod Beatle Girl miniseries is all about Lovely Linda!

As Linda Eastman, she was one of rock-and-roll’s premiere photographers, capturing the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones, and the first woman to photograph a Rolling Stone cover. As Linda McCartney, she was an animal rights advocate and one half of one of rock-and-roll’s most beloved couples. With Linda’s love, Paul soared to new heights. Linda was proof you don’t have to choose between being a working woman, a rock-and-roll woman, and a domestic goddess. She truly did it all! (Plus, Abby recounts her visit to the World’s Tallest Filing Cabinet.) Earn your “Wings” with the latest episode of the Dolls Pod, available wherever you stream your podcasts 📸

(Episode starts at 7:45)

Sources used for this episode:

Danny Fields, “Linda McCartney: The Biography“ (2000)

Alan “Paul McCartney’s Tribute to Linda McCartney“ The New York Times, 6/23/1998

“Wingspan“ (dir. Alistair Donald, 2001)

Songs in this episode:

Buddy Clark - “Linda” (1947)

Paul McCartney - “The Lovely Linda” (1970)

Paul McCartney - “Maybe I’m Amazed” (1970)

Paul McCartney - “Man We Was Lonely” (1970)

Paul McCartney - “Kreen-Akrore” (1970)

Paul & Linda McCartney - “Ram On” (1971)

Paul & Linda McCartney - “Long-Haired Lady” (1971)

Paul & Linda McCartney - “Monkberry Moon Delight” (1971)

Suzy and the Red Stripes - “Seaside Woman” (1977)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for photos and clips from this episode, including Abby’s copy of the 1/31/1974 issue of Rolling Stone with Paul and Linda!

“It was like hitching a ride on a shooting star: a fantastic experience that caused immense pain, but I’m glad I had it…That sort of experience doesn’t come twice.”

Except when it does.

You know the story, you know the songs, but there’s so much more to the woman behind them. Episode three of the Dolls Pod Beatle Girl Miniseries is dedicated to rock-and-roll’s Helen of Troy: Pattie Boyd.

Pattie’s story is a lot more than meets the eye. She broke generational cycles, gained her independence (the hard way,) discovered her self-worth, and finally found herself after decades of living in song. (Plus: Abby hears 99 Luftbaloons in a bagel shop and goes straight to Emma for the story.)

Pattie Boyd: The Real-Life Layla is up now, wherever you stream your podcasts 🌹

(Episode starts at 4:56)

Sources used for this episode:

Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor, “Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me” (2007)

Pattie Boyd, “My Life in Pictures” (2022)

Eric Clapton, “Clapton: The Autobiography” (2007)

Kenneth Womack and Jason Kruppa, “All Things Must Pass Away: Harrison, Clapton, and Other Assorted Love Songs” (2021)

Chris O’Dell with Katherine Ketcham, “Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved“ (2009)

Cherry Marshall, “The Cat Walk” (1978)

“Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars” (dir. Lili Fini Zanuck, 2017)

“Clapton Admits Abusing Wife” Associated Press, 6/27/1999

“Taylor Swift Interviews Rock ’n’ Roll Icon Pattie Boyd on Songwriting, Beatlemania, & the Power of Being a Muse” Interview Magazine, 7/10/2018

Songs in this episode:

Nena - “99 Luftballons” (1983)

The Beatles - “A Hard Day’s Night” (1964)

The Beatles - “I Need You” (1965)

The Beatles - “Norwegian Wood” (Take 1, from “Anthology 2 Version”) [1965/1966]

George Harrison - “Dream Scene” (From the “Wonderwall” soundtrack) [1968]

The Beatles - “Birthday” (1968)

The Beatles - “Something” (Studio Demo) [1969]

Derek and the Dominos - “Bell Bottom Blues” (1970)

Derek and the Dominos - “Layla” (1970)

Eric Clapton - “Wonderful Tonight” (1977)

Eric Clapton - “Pretty Girl” (1983)

with samples from Pattie’s L’oreal Shampoo ad (1966,) her Smith’s Crisps ad (1963,) and “A Hard Day’s Night” (dir. Richard Lester, 1964)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

“She married Ringo, but she could’ve had Paul, that’s why the lady is a champ!” Episode two of the Beatle Girl Miniseries is about sweet, strong, and rebellious Maureen Starkey. She never wrote a biography and gave very few interviews. She’s the silent fashion icon of the decade. But she was the heartbeat of the backbeat and an emotional refuge for our big-hearted Beatle. And she was no wallflower - it takes guts to sneak to another country with your pop star boyfriend! (Plus, Emma and Abby chat about DIY wins, gardening fails, and the joys of pickling.) “Maureen Starkey: A Life Between The Beats” is available now, wherever you stream your podcasts. Thanks, Mo! 💇‍♀️

(Episode starts at 6:47)

Sources:

Alan Clayson, “Ringo Starr: Straight Man or Joker?“ (1992)

Nicola Bardola, “Ringo Starr: Die Biographie“ (2020)

Ringo Starr, “Postcards from the Boys“ (2004)

Chris O’Dell with Katherine Ketcham, “Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Women They Loved“ (2009)

Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor, “Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me“ (2007)

Cynthia Lennon, “John” (2005)

The Beatles, “Anthology“ (2000)

Graeme Thomson, “George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door“ (2013)

Peter Brown and Steven Gaines, “The Love You Make: An Insider's Story of The Beatles“ (1983)

Songs used in this episode:

Rory Storm and the Hurricanes - “Rip It Up” (Live at The Jive) [1960]

The Beatles - “Some Other Guy” (1962)

George Martin, “Ringo’s Theme” (1964)

The Beatles - “With A Little Help From My Friends” (1967)

The Beatles - “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” (1968)

Frank Sinatra - “The Lady Is A Champ” (1968)

Paul McCartney - “Little Willow” (1997)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram for clips and photos from this episode!

“For far too long now, Mum has put up with being relegated to a puff of smoke in Dad’s life and that is simply not the truth. Now it’s time to set the record straight.” - Julian Lennon, about his mom, Cynthia

At face value, it’s the classic tale of “boy meets girl, boy is in a band, boy’s band becomes the biggest band in the world.” But wait, what about the girl? Though much of her story was dictated by her first husband’s career, Cynthia Lennon was a whole lot more than just the Mrs. The first episode of the Dolls Pod’s Beatle Girl Miniseries is up now, wherever you stream your podcasts 🤍

(Episode starts at 5:35)

Sources used for this episode:

Cynthia Lennon, “John” (2005)

Bill King, “Interview with Cynthia Lennon” Beatlefan Vol. 4 No. 2-3 https://beatlefansomethingnew.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/the-beatlefan-interview-with-cynthia-lennon/

Gerry in Liverpool, “White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon” That’s How The Light Gets In, 8/3/2009 https://gerryco23.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/white-feather-the-spirit-of-lennon/

“White Feather: The Spirit of Lennon” via jamiebeatles on YouTube, 6/29/2009 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFwP2oFv6lE (originally in “White Feather” exhibition at The Beatles Story museum, summer 2009)

Songs used in this episode:

The Beatles - “Til There Was You” (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 2/9/1964)

Gene Vincent - “Ain’t She Sweet” (1956)

Chuck Berry - “Maybellene” (1955)

The Quarrymen - “That’ll Be The Day” (1958)

Tony Sheridan and The Beatles - “My Bonnie” (1961)

The Beatles - “She Loves You” (1963)

The Beatles - “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 2/9/1964)

The Beatles - “Help!” (1965)

The Beatles - “Hey Jude” (1968)

Follow @thedollspod on Instagram to see clips and photos from this episode, including Cynthia’s art!