For this week’s edition of Inspired By, Jeanne Bogino author of Rock Angel shares five females who helped shape the history of Rock!
Liz Phair – The nonpareil of the ‘90s alternative rock scene, Liz Phair burst onto the radar with her 1993 benchmark album ‘Exile in Guyville,’ a song-for-song reply to the Rolling Stones’ ‘Exile on Main Street.’ Known for her sexually explicit, literary lyrics and singular guitar chops, Phair wielded her Fender Mustang like a weapon to earn a permanent spot on the list of “extraordinary” lady rockers.
Heart – The Wilson sisters helped define rock in the ‘70s and ‘80s with Nancy’s sweeping rhythm guitar and Ann’s expressive vocals. Hard-edged, powerful anthems like Magic Man and Barracuda quickly earned the band the moniker “the female Led Zeppelin,” but their undeniably feminine energy made it clear that Heart had it’s own identity, enough to influence scores of musicians of both genders over the past thirty years.
Joan Jett – Jett changed the face of popular music with her blend of punk, glam, and badass attitude. This leather-clad guitar gal fused her loud, organic brand of rock ‘n’ roll with a boisterous, spitfire persona and, in the process, became a feminist icon and role model for the generations of girl rockers coming after her.
Joni Mitchell –Joni Mitchell began as a busker and singer/songwriter playing for tips in streets and coffeehouses and evolved into one of the leading forces in music. Her complex tunes meld jazz with rock, R&B, classical influence and world beats. Renowned for her unique playing style (in part invented to make up for a left hand weakened by polio) and poetic, thought-provoking lyrics, she is arguably the most influential female musician in rock history.
Bonnie Raitt – Raitt’s delicate, gravelly voice and skillful slide guitar has made her one of the most hallowed musicians of all time. Her distinctive bottle-neck stylings have earned her near continuous acclaim, ten Grammys, and a career that spans four decades. While blues guitar is generally associated with male mojo, Raitt made the style and the instrument her own in her self-titled 1971 debut and hasn’t given it up since.
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