Women’s History Month: Pioneering Women in Music History

March is Women’s History Month and we will be featuring a post a week celebrating women in music. No better way than to drop this first essay on International Women’s Day. Instead of a genre specific entry, I thought I would go international and across genre. So, we will kick off Women’s History Month with a look at pioneering women in music history.

Dolly Parton: Backwoods Barbie

Of course Dolly’s first. She not only broke new ground for women country singers when she took on feminist themes, but she became a cultural icon. In a largely male dominated genre, Dolly sang about domestic violence, having a child out of wedlock, getting a divorce, deadbeat dads and being an independent woman. Her music was once banned from the radio, but now she has inspired millions. Dolly…you’re my hero.

Kitty Wells: It Wasn’t God who Made Honkey Tonk Angels

It’s hard to talk about country without talking about Kitty Wells. She was a little before Patsy Cline and she called out married men for cheating on her biggest hit. Proving that women could go solo in country and sing about issues that impacted women, Kitty was an inspiration for Dolly, Reba, Loretta Lynn, the Chicks and countless other country artists.

Funky 4+1: That’s the Joint

MC Sha-Rock, aka Sharon Green, is largely considered the first woman MC in hip hop history. In the late 70s and early 80s, Sha-Rock performed with the group Funky 4+1. She was an important part of the band and would showcase herself on solo verses in their biggest tracks. She laid the groundwork for women in hip hop full stop. Her work in Funky 4+1 inspired our next artist….

MC Lyte: Lyte as a Rock

Taking Sha-Rock’s lead, MC Lyte became the first woman hip hop artist with a solo record. Before Queen Latifa, Gangsta Boo, Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill there was MC Lyte. Taking on a male dominated genre with an in your face solo record, MC Lyte did not back down and paved the way for the golden age of women in hip hop we have right now.

Shakira: Hips Don’t Lie

Shakira, along with Gloria Estefan, brought latin music to the masses. However, Shakira brought latin pop to a global audience that no one imagined. Her music was universal and broke international music records. She continues to make music and is internationally known for her sexy salsa inspired pop.

Madonna: Material Girl

I loved Madonna when she first came out and still love her. She showed that a woman could own pop as a solo artist. There were women in pop before Madonna, but pop dominance was reserved for men. Madonna would change all that and dominate pop music for more than a decade. You can argue that she still dominates pop conversation, because any new music from Madonna gets people talking. Controversial, feminist, sexy, honest, uncompromising…Madonna is many things…but it all comes back to the music and that spellbinding vocal.

Aretha Franklin: Think

The Queen of Soul. A singer that inspired artists from Beyoncé to Dolly Parton, Aretha moved a nation. A strong feminist and civil rights activist, Aretha took her gospel inspired vocal and changed music forever. She was R&B, soul, pop and everything in between. Even though she was born in Tennessee, she will always ben known as a daughter of Detroit.

Janis Joplin: Move Over

Even though Janis Joplin’s career was short lived, she showed that a woman could succeed in rock as a solo act. There were women in rock, but very few as solo acts. Joplin showed that rock and blues were not male only genres and that there was room for women. She paved the way for artists like Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Lita Ford and the entire Riot Grrrl movement in the 90s. She is a rock icon…and she punched out Jim Morrison for being a dick during a Jimi Hendrix concert…so you have to love her for that.