Women In Rock and RollDARREN BARBIERI

History of Rock

Many believe that rock and roll began in the 1950’s.

The earliest origins can be traced back to the 20’s (13).

In the 20’s the music was named “tin pan music” as people though it sounded like people banging on pans (13).

With the invention of radio the music became much more accessible to a wide range of people all over the nation.

Rock in the 1950’s

As the radio became more influential music styles changed.

When Les Paul invented the electric guitar everything changed.

Many teens in the 50’s started listening to crossover hits by African America artists like Ray Charles and Chuck Berry (13).

Eventually Elvis joined the fold and revolutionized the way people though about music as well as stage performance.

This is a link to an early Ray Charles hit “Tutti Frutti”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F13JNjpNW6c

Male Dominated Genre

Even with the explosion of the Rock and Roll genre in the 1950’s there were virtually no women that participated in the movement.

Once the Beatles arrived on the rock scene people began to take the genre much more seriously.

This allowed more and more people to try and have success in the rock genre.

However, most of these performers where men until the 1960’s when Janis Joplin exploded on to the Rock and Roll stage.

Janis Joplin

Janis Joplin is considered on of the first female rockers.

Joplin began her career as the raspy voiced lead singer for Big Brother and The Holding Company, and later as a solo artist (8).

Her music was a fusion of blues and rock that had a large influence on not only future female rockers but male rockers as well (8).

Here is one piece of music from Janis Joplin’s very good collection of songs called “Piece of My Heart”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uG2gYE5KOs

Janis Joplin’s Legacy

Janis Joplin was a very influential artist and she sold over 15.5 million records in the United States alone.

Her struggle against the stigma associated with being a female singer in a male dominated genre did take its toll. Joplin had to struggle for acceptance among her male counterparts in the rock community.

Janis Joplin died in a hotel room in October of 1970 shocking her fans and supporters (8).

Janis Joplin was revered by women and men alike in the rock community and Stevie Nicks was quoted as saying, “I knew that a little bit of my destiny had changed. I would search to find that connection that I had seen between Janis and her audience. In a blink of an eye she changed my life.“ (8).

Grace Slick

Grace Slick was another female artists that arrived in the earliest stages of rock and roll in the 1960’s

She is a singer-songwriter and classically trained musician, helped launch the band Jefferson Airplane to commercial success with such hits as "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit.“ (5).

Grace Slick's good looks and dynamic stage presence launched the band to international exposure and, by 1967, had become one of the highest-paid rock groups in America (5).

Here is the Jefferson Airplane hit “Somebody to Love”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUbMWtUyIIE

The 1970’sThe 1970’s were a slow time in the world of female rockers.

The death of Janis Joplin left the state of female rock and roll in a state of uncertainty.

Then a female artists that was greatly influenced by Janis Joplin emerged, her name was Stevie Nicks.

Nicks had a large commercial success in the band Fleetwood Mac and had several hits. As well as being in Fleetwood Mac she had a very successful solo career (12).

One hit was titled “Landslide” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM7-PYtXtJM

Patti Smith

While the 1970’s were a down time for female rockers there was another prominent singer named Patti Smith.

Patti Smith has earned the nickname the “Godmother of Punk” (14).

Her classic debut album, Horses has found a place on "greatest albums" lists of magazines like Rolling Stone, Time, and NME (14).

Here is a song co written by Bruce Springsteen “Because the Night”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSVd8szH7Qk

The 1980’s Explosion

The 1980’s was a time when rock and roll music really came to the fore front in American culture and most musicians had a fusion style of rock and pop music.

During this time an large amount of female artists started emerging and gaining large amounts of success.

There were several acts that began in the 1970’s and came into the public eye in the 1980’s and beyond.

Joan Jett (The Runaways, The Blackhearts)Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders)HeartPat Benatar

Joan Jett with the RunawaysJoan Jett started her career at a very early age at just 15 she formed the Runaways with Sandy West, Cherrie Currie, Jackie Fox, and Lita Ford (9).

The Runaways were one of the very first all female Rock and Roll groups.

The band was very progressive and ahead of their time having a hard rock and punk sound during a time when disco ruled.

Joan Jett wrote one of the bands biggest hits “Cherry Bomb”. The song was an early punk rock success. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMDn6V7ZLhE

Joan Jett and the BlackheartsJoan Jett went on to have a solo career after the Runaways broke up.

She had very little success finding a record label to pick up her album. She was rejected by 23 different record companies (9).

Out of frustration she created her own record label and released her album. This also made her the first female artist to have direct control over an independent record company (9).

Joan Jett had several hits as a solo artist. One of her biggest hits was “Bad Reputation”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAQXg0IdfI

Undoubtedly her biggest hit while she was with the Blackhearts was “I Love Rock and Roll”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3T_xeoGES8

Joan Jett’s punk sound and look revolutionized the way that female performers in the future would approach music.

Her influence has had an impact on all types of punk music since her debut.

Chrissie HyndeChrissie Hynde was a largely unsuccessful artist in the 1970’s.

In the early 1980’s she formed the group The Pretenders (2).

She was one of the first women to sing about women’s desires the way that men had in their music of the same time period (2).

Hynde was unique in not using her sexuality on stage she dressed in a uniquely punk way (2).

Her first successful song with the Pretenders was “Brass In Pocket” as well as the early 90’s hit “I’ll Stand By You”.

HeartHeart is one of the most successful Rock and Roll groups in the world male or female.

The band was formed in the 1970’s by two sisters Nancy Wilson and Ann Wilson. Their debut album “Dreamboat Annie” was released in 1975 (6).

Their commercial success is undeniable. Heart has had a top 10 album in every decade since their debut in the 1970’s. Also, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 (6).

Overall, Heart has sold more than 30 million records. The group has had 20 Top 40 singles, seven Top 10 albums and four Grammy nominations. They also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 (6).

Heart’s InfluenceHeart’s enormous international success has left a huge impression on women in Rock and Roll especially in Hard Rock.

While they are not an American band they have had a major influence on American music and pop culture.

Heart has inspired women all over the world to pick up a guitar and play.

Heart has had several hits here are two of their most famous.

Barracudahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpkitLUbeEg

Magic Manhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXOO7QVHgXs

Pat BenatarPat Benatar was always interested at music even at a young age. Her interest in music came from her mother who was and opera singer (11).

Benatar almost did not become the music superstar she was because she gave up music to marry her high school sweetheart (11).

After she got divorced from her husband she pursued her music career. She played clubs and small venues until she was eventually discovered.

Pat Benatar’s passion for stardom was evident when she stated in her memoir “My dream was to be the singer in a rockin' band, like Robert Plant was to Led Zeppelin or Lou Gramm to Foreigner.“ (11).

Pat Benatar’s LegacyPat Benatar is one of the most influential female artists of all time. Her sound was hard driving and had influenced a lot of hard rock groups that are around today.

Pat Benatar’s success waned in the 1990’s but her legacy as a performer and a songwriter has lasted for over 30 years.

In all, Pat Benatar's career includes 10 platinum albums, eight No. 1 singles, and four Grammy awards (11).

One of these singles is “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRbXMWYMNno

Female Rockers of the 1990’sThe artists of the 1970’s and 1980’s laid the groundwork for the music that came out in the 1990’s

While the style was changing and rock music was being divided into many different sub genres most of the influential groups of the early years of rock led to the acceptance of many new age female rock stars

There were several very successful female groups and singers that emerged in rock music during the early 1990’s that have had a lot of commercial success.

The DonnasCourtney Love (Hole)Liz Phair

The DonnasThe Donnas are an all female rock and roll group that formed in the early 1990’s.

The Donnas won a cult following after earning a record deal straight out of high school (7).

Some people describe their sound as The Ramones fused with The Runaways (7).

The Donnas drew inspiration from Joan Jett, Heart, as well as Pat Benatar while focusing on a more hair metal sound like AC/DC and Motely Crue (7).

The Donnas biggest hit was “Take It Off”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCvRT2sy5FE

Courtney Love

After dabbling in the music business for her younger years love began to take her music much more seriously and began to play guitar and eventually formed the band Hole (3).

Hole experienced some success but not as much as the band probably should have garnered because of Love’s tumultuous lifestyle.

Courtney Love has been an influential and very controversial woman in the Rock and Roll scene. Her drug use and relationship with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana overshadowed most of the talent she had.

Liz PhairLiz Phair revolutionized the largely male dominated indie rock scene in the 1990’s (4).

Phair became an unofficial spokesperson for all the female singer-songwriters who wanted to speak honestly about relationships and insecurities (4).

Phair wasn't able to fully break into the mainstream, even with the support of the press and MTV.

Even with limited success in the mainstream she is still an inspiration for many female artists.

Here is one hit single by Liz Phair called “Supernova”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM60GAPIXTY

Modern Day Female Head Bangers

The modern age of music has seen a large number of female hard rock and heavy metal superstars.

This surge in a female presence indicates that some of the barriers that faced women in history have been broken through. However, the success that women have in the rock and metal scene still does not rival the success that their male counterparts have enjoyed.

Issues that plague female rockers today have to do with societies obsession with using sex as a selling point. Most of the female artists who do enjoy commercial success have to use their sexuality to appeal to a nearly all male audience.

Amy Lee (Evanescence)Kittie

Amy LeeAmy Lee is the lead singer for the band Evanescence that formed in the early 2000’s (1).

Evanescence's first album was released in 2003 and was nominated for five Grammys. The band won 2 Grammys for Best Hard Rock Performance and Best New Artist (1).

Amy Lee is one example of a female Hard Rocker who has had a large amount of mainstream success in the United States and internationally.

Evanescence’s biggest hit is “Bring Me To Life”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YxaaGgTQYM

Kittie

Kittie is a Canadian heavy metal band from London, Ontario, formed in 1996 (10).

The band rose to success in 1999 when the track "Brackish" from their debut album “Spit” became a hit single.

The band gained a large amount of popularity after supporting the band Slipknot on their UK tour (10).

Kittie has had relatively little success but they have a revolutionary sound that not very many female artists have. They have drawn inspiration from bands like Heart and Joan Jett.

Here is “Brackish” their most famous single. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3ThppM3IhA

ConclusionWomen in rock and roll music have come a long way since the earliest days. Artists like Janis Joplin, the original female rocker, broke new ground for the acceptance of women on stage. Joplin was controversial at the time but without her contributions to music women in rock music might not be were they are today.

The 1980’s was a prosperous time not only for rock music as a whole but for women in rock music. Bands like Heart, The Runaways, and Pat Benatar enjoyed massive commercial success. These female rockers gave women a voice and took no prisoners in doing it.

The 1990’s were a period of transition in rock and roll and many women took advantage of these changes. The Donnas stuck to their hair metal roots while Liz Phair took a more alternative approach but both were important to the progress of women in rock.

The success of these bands throughout the age of rock and roll has led to an relative acceptance of women in the genre. Women may not experience the same amount of success as their male counterparts but they are at least being considered as equals musically. The contributions of the pioneers in female music has brought on a new age of rock music that puts female voices and musicians in the forefront instead of in the background.

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