Maureen Herman
As the bassist for Babes in Toyland, she helped forge the brutal, cathartic sound of 1990s riot grrrl and alternative rock.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American rock musician, born 1966·Birthday: July 25·Generation X
Biography
Maureen Herman stepped into a storm when she joined Babes in Toyland in 1992, replacing the band's original bassist. The Minneapolis trio, led by the ferocious Kat Bjelland, was at the forefront of a visceral punk and noise-rock movement that gave raw voice to female anger and angst. Herman's driving, melodic bass lines provided a crucial anchor beneath the band's chaotic guitar squall and primal vocals, heard on their seminal album 'Fontanelle' and during intense live performances. Her time in the band coincided with their peak influence, helping to define the sound of an era. After leaving in 1996, she largely retreated from music for years, pursuing writing before a brief, tumultuous reunion in 2015. Her legacy is cemented in the few years she spent helping to create some of the most powerfully unvarnished rock of the decade.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Maureen was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Maureen Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Maureen's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played bass on Babes in Toyland's influential 1992 album 'Fontanelle,' a landmark of alternative rock.
- Toured internationally as part of the band during the height of the 1990s grunge and riot grrrl movements.
- Provided the rhythmic foundation for the band's sound during a key period of their career and influence.
Did You Know?
She is also a writer and has contributed articles to various publications.
Her reunion with Babes in Toyland in 2015 ended with her being fired from the band later that same year.
She replaced the band's original bassist, Michelle Leon.
“I played bass in a band that weaponized noise against a pretty world.”
