Tana Douglas

Tana Douglas (born c.1958) is an Australian-born music industry professional, generally recognized as the world's first female roadie. In a career spanning more than three decades, she worked for many influential rock-and-roll acts, including AC/DC, Status Quo, The Who, Elton John, The Runaways, and Iggy Pop. In 2021, Douglas' memoir LOUD: A Life in Rock 'n' Roll by the World's First Female Roadie was published by HarperCollins.

Stuart Coupe, journalist and historian of the Australian rock scene, described Douglas as "a game changer" and "a pioneering woman...in the ultra-male world of road crew.” Douglas ran away from boarding school at age 15, and gravitated toward the Sydney music scene of the early 1970s: “I just wanted to be where the noise was,” she told The Guardian.

Career Douglas' first experience as a "roadie" was unplanned and unpaid: in 1973, she helped Melbourne band Fox load their truck after a gig in Sydney, hoping to secure a free ride home to Melbourne for her roommate. When the band next returned to Sydney, they hired her to join their two-person crew.

In the summer of 1974, Douglas was introduced to the band AC/DC, which was recording its first album and preparing to tour. At age 16, Douglas was hired as the band's first backline roadie, and was paid $60 a week for food and incidentals.

Douglas' role in the crew quickly expanded. When AC/DC needed a PA system to support vocalist Bon Scott, Douglas was sent to collect one from a local sound company, and found herself promoted to the role of front-of-house sound engineer.

Although Douglas had no formal training she served in multiple roles as part of road crews: backline roadie, sound engineer, electrician, rigger, and lighting engineer. She developed new techniques in stage lighting, and her ideas for improving the way stage lighting is installed, employed, and maintained has contributed to the development of several commercial products.

Memoir In 2021, Douglas' memoir LOUD: A Life in Rock 'n' Roll by the World's First Female Roadie was published by HarperCollins. Spin described the memoir as "irresistible." The audiobook edition, narrated by Douglas, also received positive attention for her storytelling style and “infectious laughter while talking through chaos,” according to ABC Radio Australia.

Feminism and being "the first female" In a 1978 interview with Record Mirror Magazine, Douglas noted that she was always the only woman roadie on the tours she worked. She endured sexist headlines, resentful female fans, heckling from the audience, and being mistaken for a groupie by security. It was many years before she encountered another female roadie on tour.