Historical Note

Motherlode is a lesbian folk group that played predominantly throughout the Pacific Northwest. Band members include: Nan Collie, Kathleen Fallon, Marie Dodge Eaton, and Janet Peterson. They all met at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop in 1980. Collie and Fallon were living in Portland, OR and Eaton and Peterson lived in Bellingham, WA. Collie and Fallon had previously played together in the Portland band, Bittersweet. Within a year, the four had formed Motherlode. Despite this distance, they managed to perform at countless venues over the years including the Seattle Folklife Festival, the McCall Music Festival (Idaho), the Corvallis Fall Festival, the Seattle Museum of History and Industry, Berkeley's Freight and Salvage, and numerous colleges and universities. Motherlode also played at several benefits for the gay rights political group, Hands Off Washington, as well as a benefit for four year old cancer patient, Alexandra Ellis.

Motherlode performed predominantly original material and played a variety of instruments including guitar, cello, French horn, mandolin, bass, banjo, ukulele, piano, and flute to name just a few. Their careers span nine albums and more than twenty five years. Members of Motherlode were also instrumental in founding and participating in the Northwest Women's Music Celebration, an annual music camp for women filled with music instruction and encouragement.