Pioneering Women in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Music
An introduction to some of the women that broke down barriers in the heavy metal and hard rock music scenes.
You can count the pioneering women musicians in heavy metal and hard rock on two hands. That said, these artists – from the Runaways to Vixen to the late Wendy O. Williams – set the stage and set the bar high for those who came after. And there are many – the Butcher Babies, Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Otep Shamaya of Otep, Angela Gossow and Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy, and Within Temptation’s Sharon Janny den Adel – and their numbers are growing.
Once upon a time, folk music, a seated, often-demure acoustic guitar performance, was a “safe” musical pursuit for young ladies. Then came the late 60s “Women’s Liberation” movement, a phrase that today sounds as archaic as pantyhose. You had a few women deeply exploring heavier, wilder music like, say, Grace Slick in Jefferson Airplane. But then, in the 70s, came the advent of heavy rock/metal, and the too few women who broke ground purveying it.
While there’s still a huge disparity in the numbers of women vs. men in heavy metal and hard rock bands, thanks in great part to the pioneering women below, the doors were blown open. These days, the scene is more welcoming for a female-identifying heavy music aspirant than it’s ever been.
Listen to the best of The Runaways on Apple Music and Spotify.
The Runaways
The Runaways’ story – five young teens from mid-‘70s Los Angeles – is the stuff of the movies. And their tale did indeed become one in 2010’s The Runaways. While the Queens of Noise shocked some with now-iconic songs like “Cherry Bomb” and were initially ruled by an actual Svengali, Kim Fowley, The Runaways came into their musical chops and selves. Several core members, including singer Cherie Currie, guitarists Lita Ford and “I Love Rock & Roll” hitmaker Joan Jett, have forged careers that carry on to this day, and rightly so.
Suzi Quatro
Detroit firecracker Suzi Quatro came up with The Pleasure Seekers, a family pop band with her sisters. In the mid-60s, the sight of the diminutive Quatro singing and on bass – playing with her fingers, not a pick – was an anomaly. Quatro normalized the sight and sound with her tough, catchy take on rock in a solo career that saw her gain international fame with glam-friendly songs like “Can The Can” and “48 Crash.” Though she was more popular overseas than in her native US musically, her late 70s role on Happy Days as Leather Tuscadero brought Quatro into nearly every TV in America. The one-time Rolling Stone cover girl has also written books, including The Hurricane and Unzipped.
Bam Bam/Tina Bell
Before Pearl Jam and Nirvana, there was Seattle band Bam Bam, fronted by Tina Bell. Dubbed the “Queen of Grunge Punk,” a 1984 demo of Bam Bam’s “Villains [Also Wear White]” finds Bell’s bluesy, powerhouse vocals atop punky musicality, while additional tracks, including the speed-demony, attitudinal “It Stinks,” are collected across various streaming services. A 2012 article in Seattle’s The Stranger opined that “Bam Bam struggled, in part because audiences weren’t on board with an African American female punk singer.” As the late singer’s son observed, “The press compared her to Tina Turner, as if that made any sense.” Despite their too-short tenure and Bell’s subsequent death, Bam Bam’s groundbreaking influence and songs are not forgotten.
Doro Pesch
Warlock’s irresistible chant-along 1987 anthem “All We Are” was the introduction for many to German singer Doro Pesch. Like Canadian Lee Aaron, Doro was dubbed “the Metal Queen,” and it’s a title the likable and ever-busy Pesch easily lives up to. First with Warlock, then solo as Doro, she’s put out 18 albums, living between her native Dusseldorf and New York. The frontwoman, with her cool, engaging appeal is perennially on tour. In the thick of the coronavirus pandemic, her classic ballad, “Fur Immer” (Forever), was redone, reminding audiences of her songwriting talent.
Girlschool
Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead didn’t suffer fools gladly, and as the British all-female lineup Girlschool was one of his frequent collaborators, you can be sure they were the real deal. The core members, singer/guitarist Kim McAuliffe and drummer Denise Dufort, have been with the lineup since its 1978 inception. With a jeans-and-leather image akin to their New Wave of Heavy Metal brethren Iron Maiden, they first broke with 1981’s Hit and Run album. Further highlights include their Motorhead collaboration “Please Don’t Touch,” “Race With the Devil,” and “Cmon, Let’s Go.”
Plasmatics
Mohawked frontwoman Wendy O. Williams spewed intense punk-metal with her band the Plasmatics. Her onstage persona was in the vein of Alice Cooper, pushing the boundaries of rock into shock. Six albums fronting the Plasmatics, five solo albums plus screen work – including an SCTV sketch with John Candy in 1981 and the 1986 exploitation farce Reform School Girls are just a part of the legacy that she left behind. The multi-faceted artist was an Amazonian force in all she did, but despite the impressive niche she carved for herself, Williams took her own life at the age of 48.
Vixen
Vixen had big hair, sparkly, skintight outfits, and plied their trade on L.A.’s Sunset Strip… just like many of the dude bands of the era. Originally from Minnesota, Vixen scored a major-label deal with EMI/Manhattan and their 1988 self-titled debut Vixen sold gold and nearly crashed the Top 20. With millions of Spotify streams, Vixen’s irresistibly melodic 1988 single “On The Edge of a Broken Heart” still has legs; ditto the tune “Crying.” As of 2019, the band carries on with Lorraine Lewis, a veteran of another all-female LA-based band, Femme Fatale.
Rock Goddess
Before drummer Julie Turner was even 10 years old, she was making music with her sister, singer/guitarist Jody Turner, 13. By 1977 the siblings had formed a trio known appropriately enough as Rock Goddess, joining the New Wave of British Heavy Metal alongside bands like Judas Priest and Girlschool. Songs like “Hell Hath No Fury” and “The Party Never Ends” captured 80s fans, along with strident rockers featuring deft guitar solos, including the stellar “Raiders.” Despite a long hiatus, Rock Goddess now carries on as a trio with the Turner sisters and bassist Jenny Lane. The threesome’s 2019 record, This Time, was a thrilling metal throwback.
Lee Aaron
Growing up a fan of Led Zeppelin, The Strawbs, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and The Runaways, by her mid-teens, the multi-talented Karen Lynn Greening was asked to join a band called “Lee Aaron.” Joining as singer, keyboardist, and alto sax player, Greening took the name of the band as her own. She also became known by another name – the impressive title “Metal Queen,” after her hit 1984 album and song. With a dozen albums between 1982 and 2018, Aaron has explored a variety of styles, even jazz and blues. In fact, 2016’s Fire and Gasoline, was her first-all rock album in two decades.
Think we missed some pioneering women in heavy metal and hard rock? Let us know in the comments below.
Michael White
March 31, 2021 at 6:52 am
Darby Mills of Headpins was one of my favorite female metal singers.
James Burbank
March 31, 2021 at 12:49 pm
FANNY!
Daniel Crockett
April 1, 2021 at 12:06 am
Ann Wilson. Heart’s, and Ann’s solo music, is not the hardest rock, but she is a true rock and roll singer, able to scream with the best of them.
Alain Coquil
April 1, 2021 at 4:53 am
You need to liste to FANNY (4 albums in thé beginning of thé 70′) ans the better BIRTHA, who made two lps ans spéciale their first one, extraordinairy opus of HEAVY & FUNK.
Benedict Stutt
April 3, 2021 at 10:49 pm
Tarja ex. From Nightwish
David Toupin
April 5, 2021 at 2:40 pm
Fanny should be on this list.
Dave Daley
April 5, 2021 at 9:10 pm
Maggie Bell of Stone the Crows
PB
April 5, 2021 at 11:14 pm
Fanny is the first all-female rock band signed to a major record label. They are the premier pioneers of rock for women! All others follow them. Come on guys, lets get ALL the facts. All these ladies you list here follow Fanny….
Vick lane
April 6, 2021 at 2:28 am
Leather Leone Chastain
Anne leone
April 6, 2021 at 2:29 am
Leather Leone
Ann Keech
April 7, 2021 at 6:43 pm
I’ll second Heart and add Canadian rocker Bif Naked. There’s probably a place for Pat Benatar too.
Lenny
April 7, 2022 at 2:16 pm
To all the people mentioning Fanny – they were a great rock-and-roll band, but this article is about hard rock and heavy metal.
Alex
April 7, 2022 at 3:20 pm
Janis Joplin………….
Joe
April 7, 2022 at 3:30 pm
Hard to believe that some women who stood on the shoulders of these women are in the Rock Hall of Fame, while these get passed over.
John Morrissey
April 7, 2022 at 4:18 pm
Therion, Bitch, Hellion, probably others. These made some very good metal that I strongly suggest.
Dr. Tony E. Medlin
April 7, 2022 at 5:17 pm
Fanny, dammit!
Tableaume
April 7, 2022 at 6:22 pm
Chrissie Hynde deserved a mention, even though her career didn’t get rolling until ’78, it rocked from there.
Guice Howell
April 7, 2022 at 6:57 pm
Although they weren’t metal, they were the first all-girl band to be signed to a major label deal. Reprise Records artists Fanny. Four piece rockers who were never appreciated for their artistry. There are videos of them on Youtube. I also have a few of the albums.
Baz
August 12, 2022 at 3:31 pm
Fully agree abbout Maggie Bell, sadly somewhat overlooked as Stone the Crows were very early on, and a lot of music writers now would barely remember them or her, she made a bit of a comeback many years later as a solo singer, mainly doing a couple of TV Detective Theme songs, (most notably “No Mean Streets” The theme tune to Scottish TV Detective series “Taggart”. She had a very distinctive voice, which you would definitely never mistake!
Another singer who’s often very easily overlooked, is – believe it or not – Elkie Brooks. Listeniing to a lot of her Radio friendly singles, you’d never really know it, but in the 60’s she was the singer in a band called “Vinegar Joe” sharing front of stage duties with another (male) Radio friendly crooner, Robert Palmer
Mark Gilbaugh
November 2, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Anyone remember Ruby Starr and Grey Ghost, or Rez Band with Wendy Kaiser or the Plasmatics?
Brice G Hickenbotham
March 9, 2023 at 1:08 am
I agree that Heart (many thought that their early music was very much like Led Zeppelin). And I also agree that Pat Benatar should be on this list. And, of course, as was mentioned in the Runaways section, Cherie Currie, guitarists Lita Ford (several great metal albums, including the hit “Kiss Me Deadly” and duo with Ozzy Osborne, “Close My Eyes Forever” and “I Love Rock & Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Bad Reputation,” etc. hitmaker Joan Jett should be on the list separately from their involvement with the Runaways.
Deanne Snodgrass
April 1, 2023 at 1:19 pm
Pat Benetar who was the rock inspiration for many including Shanaia. Along with Lorraine Lewis of Vixen, Britt Lightning currently playing guitar with Vixen deserves mention. She’s also working with David Fishoff as his music director. They have held 2 women in rock camps. My daughter plays drums. Sam Maloney (hole, Motley) was a counselor. Janet Robin, Randy Rhodes female protégé needs to be there.
Karin Ilona
April 1, 2023 at 9:51 pm
What about Fanny? Check out “Charity Ball” on YouTube! kicks @$# Timeless!
Mike Viehman
April 2, 2023 at 2:16 am
Pat Benatar,
Lita Ford,
Janis Joplin…
All still part of my travelin’ music…
Chris
June 8, 2023 at 4:49 pm
Took me a while to spot Lita Ford as part of the Runaways, but the one who seems really conspicuous by her absence is Alice Cooper’s Nita Strauss. Orianthi is worth a shout, I saw her several years ago – pre-covid, with Richie Sambora. There’s a whole slew of up and coming female rock lead guitarists out there and another to be mentioned, not necessarily rock but certainly blues rock is Joanne Shaw-Taylor – well worth a visit if she ever plays in your town.
Geordie
March 18, 2024 at 4:13 pm
Joanna Dean. Great rock/blues voice. Misbehavin’ is an outstanding album.