i know i post about more riot grrrl and grunge music, but i’d really like for yall to check out other female musicians that paved the way for other women to make music (despite the genre)
mahalia jackson- mahalia was a beautiful woman who’s work as a blues and gospel singer influenced a generation of rock n roll. i am still figuring the religious thing out but if you like christan gospel then you’ll like mahalia jackson. she is one of the artists who is also largely to credit for elvis presley’s career. she broke racial barriers at the time and was defiant in the face of segregation.
sister rosetta tharpe- i’m gonna be honest here, i have a bit of a crush on her! who wouldn’t? sister tharpe is a rock n roll legend who could play her soul out on the guitar. (often considered the ‘mother of rock n roll guitar, godmother of rock.) she wasn’t out to my knowledge, but she is also a queer icon! she had relationships with men and women, publicly married to men, but also had a committed relationship to marie knight, a fellow musician.
big mama thornton (willie mae thornton)- big mama thornton, by my definition, is one of the reasons for elvis presleys fame. another beautiful blues/gospel musician that influenced rock n roll, but she is was certainly stolen from. the song “hound dog” was originally hers, but when elvis sang it and skyrocketed to the top of music charts, there was no credit to be seen for thornton. in her own word she was sent around 500 dollars in royalties, despite the song being at the number one spot on the R&B charts for seven weeks. elvis was credited for his version, and he made hundreds of thousands of dollars off the song for years to come, even after his passing. I am a big fan of her song “ball and chain” (janis joplin did a great cover of this WITH crediting her.)
ronnie spector- ronnie co-founded and fronted the girl group the ronettes. the ronettes are a good example of early girl groups. why i specifically bring her up is her ex-husband. I HATE FUCKING PHIL SPECTOR. phil was extremely violent towards ronnie and stole so much royalties that she eventually had to sue. he was a piece of shit and she is such a good example of a strong woman.
patti smith- look her up. i’m disappointed in you.
just kidding! patti smith was an extreme influence in the early punk scene, while you hear about maybe the sex pistols starting punk, patti was really one of the women behind the scenes who started it all. she has really done it all, she is a poet, painter, author, photographer, and songwriter. (she actually wrote for blue öyster cult!)
