In a highly male-dominated area like Rock / Metal, it is not easy being a woman.
Yet, there are women who changed the rules and literally dismantled the status quo.
Their style, influence, authenticity, ability, and talent created new and bigger musical currents.
These Ladies had to work much harder, fight and play harder, just to be accepted.
In the end, however, they were vindicated and are one of the most important pieces of music history.
Today, which is World Women’s Day, we could not fail to mention these artists!
Of course, they are not the only ones, there are dozens (hundreds) still worth mentioning and we hope in future articles to see them one by one…
Memphis Minnie
- Genres: Blues, Memphis blues
- Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, electric guitar, bass, banjo, drums
- Years active: 1908–1957
Ida Cox
- Genres: Jazz, blues
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1910s–1960
Mamie Smith
- Genres: Blues
- Instruments: Vocals, piano
- Years Active: 1910 – 1924
Clara Smith
- Genres: Classic female blues
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1910–1935
Lucille Hegamin
- Genres: Classic blues
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1910–1934; 1961–1962
Bessie Smith
- Genres: Classic blues, Jazz
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1912–37
Marion Harris
- Genres: Jazz, blues, pop
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1914–1934
Mary Stafford
- Genre: Classic Blues, Jazz
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years Active: 1918 – 1927
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- Genres: Gospel, jazz, blues, rhythm, and blues
- Instruments: Vocals (mezzo-soprano), guitar
- Years active: 1919–1973
Edith Wilson
- Genres: Blues
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1919–1980
Lil Johnson
- Genres: Blues, Chicago Blues, Regional Blues, Dirty Blues, Acoustic Chicago Blues, Piano Blues
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years Active: 1920’s -1937
Bertha “Chippie” Hill
- Genres: Blues, vaudeville
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1920s – 1950
Lucille Bogan
- Genres: Classic female blues, dirty blues
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1923–1935
Victoria Spivey
- Genres: Blues
- Instruments: Vocals, piano
- Years Active: 1926 to the mid-1960s
Mary Ford
- Genres: Gospel, Western, country, pop
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar
- Years active: 1939–1966
Connie Francis
- Genres: Traditional pop, rock, and roll, country pop, vocal jazz
- Instruments: Vocals, accordion
- Years active: 1943–present
Big Mama Thornton
- Genres: Rhythm and blues, Texas blues
- Instruments: Vocals, drums, harmonica
- Years active: 1947–1984
Janis Martin
- Genres: Rockabilly, country, rock, and roll
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1956–2007
Aretha Franklin
- Genres: Soul, R&B, pop, gospel, dance, rock
- Instruments: Vocals, piano
- Years active: 1960–2017
Janis Joplin
- Genres: Psychedelic rock, soul blues, blues rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar
- Years active: 1962–1970
Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Genres: Folk, First Nations, indigenous rock, country, folk, electronic
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, mouthbow, piano, ukulele, autoharp, harmonica, percussion
- Years active: 1963–present
Deborah Harry
- Genres: Rock, new wave, punk rock, disco-pop
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1964–present
Suzi Quatro
- Genres: Rock, hard rock, glam rock, pop-rock
- Instruments: Vocals, bass, guitar
- Years active: 1964–present
Grace Slick
- Genres: Psychedelic rock, acid rock, hard rock, blues rock
- Instruments: Vocals, keyboards, recorder
- Years active: 1964–present
Joni Mitchell
- Genres: Folk-rock, jazz, pop
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, piano, dulcimer
- Years active: 1964–2002, 2006–2007, 2013
Sandy Denny
- Genres: Folk-rock, folk, British folk-rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Years active: 1965–1978
Linda Ronstadt
- Genres: Rock, pop, folk, country rock, country, art rock, hard rock, soft rock, mariachi, Latin
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar
- Years active: 1967–2011
Patti Smith
- Genres: Punk rock, art-punk, proto-punk, art rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, clarinet
- Years active: 1967–present
Emmylou Harris
- Genres: Country, Folk, Americana, country rock, country folk, bluegrass, rock, Outlaw Country, alternative rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar
- Years active: 1969–present
Bonnie Raitt
- Genres: Blues, blues rock, roots rock, folk-rock, folk, Americana
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, electric piano
- Years active: 1971–present
Nancy Wilson (Heart)
- Genres: Hard rock, folk-rock
- Instruments: Guitar, vocals
- Years active: 1972 – present
Pat Benatar
- Genres: Rock, Ηard Rock, Pop Rock
- Instruments: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
- Years active: 1972–present
Chrissie Hynde
- Genres: Rock, new wave, punk rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, harmonica, drums, piano
- Years active: 1975–present
Joan Jett
- Genres: Rock, hard rock, punk rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar
- Years active: 1975–present
Lita Ford
- Genres: Glam metal, heavy metal, punk rock
- Instruments: Guitar, vocals
- Years active: 1975–1995, 2008–present
Siouxsie Sioux
- Genres: Post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, alternative rock, exotica
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, piano
- Years active: 1976–present
Poison Ivy
- Genres: Rock n’ roll, punk rock, blues, rockabilly, psychobilly
- Instruments: Electric guitar, Bass, Theremin
- Years active: 1976–2009
Kim McAuliffe (Girlschool)
- Genres: Rock, Blues Rock, hard rock, heavy metal, biker metal
- Instruments: rhythm guitar, lead, and backing vocals
- Years active: 1978–present
Carla Olson (Textones)
- Genres: Rock
- Instruments: Guitar
- Years active: 1978–present
Lee Aaron
- Genres: Hard rock, jazz, heavy metal
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1980–present
Jennifer Batten
- Genres: Instrumental, rock, jazz, fusion, hard rock, electronica, world beat
- Instruments: Guitar, guitar synthesizer
- Years active: 1980–present
Janet Gardner (Vixen)
- Genres: Hard rock, glam metal, pop-rock, post-grunge
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, tambourine
- Years active: 1983–92, 1997–98, 2001, 2004–present
Jo Bench
- Genres: Death metal
- Instruments: Bass guitar
- Years active: 1986–present
Polly Jean Harvey
- Genres: Alternative rock, punk, blues, art-rock, indie rock, folk-rock, Avant-rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, violin, cello, saxophone, autoharp, harmonica, accordion, melodica, drums, percussion
- Years active: 1988–present
Liz Buckingham
- Genres: Sludge Metal, Doom Metal, Stoner Metal
- Instrument(s): Guitar
- Years active: 1990 – Present
Wata (Boris)
- Genres: Doom metal, experimental rock, noise, psychedelia
- Instrument(s): Guitar, keyboards, singer
- Years active: 1992 – Present
Liv Kristine Espenæs
- Genres: Symphonic metal, gothic metal, folk metal
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1993–present
Amy Lee
- Genres: Rock, Metal, gothic rock, industrial rock, alternative metal, hard rock, alternative rock, post-grunge, progressive metal
- Ιnstruments: Vocals, piano, keyboard, guitar, harp
- Years active: 1995–present
Ana Popovic
- Genres: Blues, blues rock, soul-blues
- Instruments: Guitar
- Years active: 1995–present
Marcela Bovio
- Genres: Progressive metal, gothic metal, experimental rock, classical, symphonic metal
- Instruments: Vocals, violin
- Years active: 1995–present
Tarja Turunen
- Genres: Symphonic metal, gothic metal, power metal
- Instruments: Vocals, piano, synthesizer
- Years active: 1996–present
Mercedes Lander
- Genres: Alternative metal, death metal, nu-metal
- Instruments: drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Years active: 1996 – present
Anita Auglend
- Genres: Gothic metal, doom metal
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 1996–2013
Meg White
- Genres: Rock, alternative rock, garage rock
- Instruments: Drums, percussion, vocals, guitar, organ
- Years active: 1997–2011
Orianthi
- Genres: Rock, pop-rock, hard rock, alternative rock, pop-punk, blues rock, alternative metal
- Instruments: Guitar, vocals, piano, banjo
- Years active: 1997–present
Lzzy Hale
- Genres: Hard rock, heavy metal, alternative metal, post-grunge
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Years active: 1997–present
Maria Arkhipova
- Genres: Black metal, Folk metal
- Instruments: vocals, keyboard, various others
- Years active: 2000–present
Kaki King
- Genres: Instrumental music, post-rock, shoegazing
- Instruments: Guitar, lap steel guitar, drums, piano, vocals, ukulele, dojo
- Years active: 2001–present
Elize Ryd
- Genres: Power metal, Metalcore, Melodic black metal, Electronicore, Melodic death metal, Symphonic metal, Pop rock,
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 2003–present
Nita Strauss
- Genres: Heavy metal, hard rock, tribute music, instrumental metal, deathcore
- Instruments: Guitar, backing vocals
- Years active: 2003—Present
Gina Gleason
- Genres: Sludge metal, alternative metal, progressive metal
- Instruments: Guitar
- Years active: 2003–present
Marta Peterson
- Genres: Metalcore, Melodic death metal, Symphonic black metal
- Instruments: keyboards
- Years active: 2003–2014, 2016, 2018–present
Maria Brink
- Genres: Heavy metal, metalcore, alternative metal, industrial metal, nu-metal, hard rock, gothic metal, post-hardcore
- Instruments: Vocals, piano
- Years active: 2004–present
Amalie Bruun
- Genres: Post-black metal, rock, indie pop, nordic folk
- Instruments: GarageBand, Vocals, piano, guitar, Nyckelharpa, Mandola
- Years active: 2006–present
Diamond Rowe
- Genres: Nu Metal, metalcore
- Instruments: Guitar
- Years active: 2007–present
Merel Bechtold
- Genres: Death metal, power metal, symphonic metal, hard rock
- Instruments: Guitar
- Years active: 2007–present
Elvira Alchemida
- Genres: Symphonic black metal, extreme metal
- Instruments: vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Years active: 2007–present
Brittany Slayes
- Genres: Heavy metal, power metal, melodic death metal
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 2009–present
Clémentine Delauney
- Genres: Symphonic Metal, Opera metal
- Instruments: Vocals
- Years active: 2009–present
Prika Amaral
- Genres: Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal
- Instruments: Guitar, Vocals
- Years active: 2010–present
Vicky Psarakis
- Genres: Heavy metal, melodic death metal, metalcore
- Instruments: Vocals, Piano
- Years active: 2010–present
Romana Kalkuhl
- Genres: Heavy Metal
- Instruments: Guitar
- Years active: 2011–present
Miho (of Lovebites)
- Genres: Power Metal
- Instruments: Bass, Baking vocals
- Years active: 2016–present