Women have been the cornerstone of rock music since its inception, but many famous female rockers don’t get enough credit for their contributions to the genre. Let’s celebrate seven of the most influential women in rock music history!
1. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
When it comes to influential women in rock music, Sister Rosetta Tharpe doesn’t get enough credit. Though many would consider her time to predate rock music’s beginnings, her guitar-playing skills and unique niche could definitely be seen as proto-rock.
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a master of the early version of the electric guitar, which she beautifully applied to her gospel songs. She was one of the first gospel musicians in the 1930s and 1940s to inspire the R&B and rock and roll crowd that would follow her heyday, and she’s still considered a legend almost a century later.
2. Patti Smith
Patti Smith is considered one of the greatest punk poets to come out of the 1970s. Her 1975 debut Horses is essential listening for anyone who wants to know what the New York City punk scene was like in the early days. Few mastered lyricism quite like Smith.
3. Stevie Nicks
This wouldn’t be a list of the most influential women in rock music without mentioning Fleetwood Mac’s incomparable Stevie Nicks. She was a pioneer of folk rock, and her solo career was similarly influential and addicting to listen to. Her induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998 (as part of Fleetwood Mac) was long overdue.
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4. Joan Jett
When one thinks of rock and roll, one often thinks of Joan Jett. She launched her career as part of The Runaways, but it was her career with The Blackhearts that really set her apart from her male rock and roll contemporaries. Her music, as well as her outspoken nature, inspired many women through multiple waves of feminism through the years.
5. Ann Wilson
One half of the legendary rock band Heart, Ann Wilson is responsible for some of the biggest rock hits in the 1970s and 1980s. “Barracuda” and “These Dreams” are just two examples. The band’s discography is virtually endless, after all. Her voice is one of the most recognizable among rock star singers.
6. Tina Turner
Tina Turner might not be underrated per se, but she doesn’t get enough credit for mastering the art of blending pop music with rock and roll soul. Turner built bridges over genres and racial barriers alike during her heyday in a way that few managed to do since. Private Dancer is essential listening.
7. Janis Joplin
Nobody had a voice like Janis Joplin before she hit the psych-rock scene in the 1960s with Big Brother And The Holding Company. And, realistically, nobody has boasted vocals quite like Joplin in the years since she tragically passed. Not only is she one of the most influential women in rock music history, but she’s one of the most influential women in music, period.
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