March is Women’s History month and you don’t have to look very far in the music world to find women who rock! Women who totally kick butt and stand for issues and ideas that have become important to society.  Here’s our top 10 past and present Badass Women of Music.

Cyndi Lauper

As if her fashion sense isn’t loud enough, her personality and her music make Cyndi hard to ignore.   She got her start with bubbly songs like  ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ — that made her a star. But if you dig deeper into her lyrics, Lauper’s songs speak to issues of domestic violence and emotional relationships.  She’s won a Grammy, an Emmy and a Tony — as well as various other industry awards — and she’s an active advocate for gay and transgender rights.

The Go-Go’s

The Go-Go’s rose to fame during the early 1980s as an all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments.  They were the first all-female band to write and play on a No. 1 album, 1981’s ‘Beauty and the Beat.’ They became huge stars in the 80’s and even though they’ve had a bunch of break-ups and re-unions they still tour now and then.  You might even be able to catch them this year as part of their 40th Anniversary Tour.

Debbie Harry

Famously known as the front woman of Blondie. Debbie Harry is widely recognized for her iconic vocals, and of course her unmistakable peroxide blonde hair.  But the issue with Harry being remembered for her looks, is that recognition for her talents seem to fall by the wayside. She is always praised for her voice, however her abilities as a songwriter often seems to go somewhat unrecognized. Rapture was also the first rap video to be shown on MTV and was the first song with a rap in it to reach no.1.

Bonnie Rait

Blues music is still largely dominated by men. Bonnie Raitt made her way up through the scene showing she could play a guitar as well as any man.  She has nearly 20 albums and 10 Grammys to her name. In 1989, she finally topped the charts and became a household name with the excellent ‘Nick of Time’ album. She remains one of the planet’s best blues guitarists and singers. Now that’s a women who rocks. Totally Badass!!!!

Joan Jett

Joan Jett has been rocking out to her female empowerment anthems since 1975. Her first group, “The Runaways” was an all-female band and since then, she’s gone on to a successful solo career with anthems like “Bad Reputation,” a kiss-my-ass song about independent women. She has three albums that have been certified Platinum or Gold and has been a feminist icon throughout her career. She has been described as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. She is also known as the Godmother of Punk.

Aretha Franklin

She’s the “Queen of Soul”  and she was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. There is no doubt that she is an inspiration for all musicians and listeners out there as she continues to be one of the most celebrated artists of popular music. She still does live shows too!  There’s just no stopping Aretha! She’s a women who rocks.

Filed under: history, music, women, womens-history