Rank Best Female Rockers

[Jolly Blue Giant]

We are now entering the dead zone of football talk, although I expect some interesting conversations during training camp. But for now, the board is just not that exciting.

We've talked a lot about rock bands and many other things concerning music, but I don't think we've ever talked about favorite female singers of the "Rock" genre. So...I'm not talking about Taylor Swift, or Gwen Stefani, or Shania Twain. I'm talking real "rockers". I've put together an incomplete list of female rockers who I like, and I'll rank them in my order later, should this thread takes off. Looking for the "Top Three Female Rockers". Of course, it's all subjective as people like what they like. A heads-up, I like unique voices. I didn't use the YouTube button in order to keep this post shorter, but you can click it and it takes two seconds longer

Gracie Slick – I saw her in concert on a surprise free concert on the beach when I was in Ocean City, MD. She (with Jefferson Airplane) was one of the undercards for the Beach Boys. She is the only woman rocker I've ever seen in concert...which actually surprises me. Interesting sub-story. Gracie and her husband moved to a nice house in a cul-de-sac in California. She changed her name in order to live incognito. She was friends with all the women in the neighborhood who had no idea who she was. Anyway, Gracie found out her husband was cheating on her, and she chased him down the street firing a shotgun over his head. She was arrested and made headlines for a famous person getting arrested...shocking all the women who thought they knew her...LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEDnnT88A3w

Stevie Nicks Everyone knows Stevie as she had a lot of hits...probably "Edge of Seventeen" being the biggest, but she had a lot of big ones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwS9BIqbffU

Joan Jett – Her big hit was bastardized for Sunday Night Football...I will see her this summer at the NYS Fair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpNw7jYkbVc

Linda Perry (4 Non Blondes) – one of my favorite female singers of all time. I got tickets to an Aerosmith concert in Binghamton years ago, and she was the undercard. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it because she blew out her vocal cords the week before after being named "Best Musician Newcomer" to San Francisco. She didn't take professional singing lessons and sang with her throat rather than resonating volume against the roof of her mouth. She never sang again,  Only Elvis was able to sing from the throat and survive a lifetime (well a partial lifetime) of singing. Linda now writes music for Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, etc. Very talented woman and I like her a lot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NXnxTNIWkc

Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde)  - here she is singing "Joey", a great song (tune-wise and singing-wise) but the song is extremely melancholy as she sings about a man who is overcome with alcoholism and in a battle for his life against the bottle. Kind of hits home as a good friend of mine who started drinking the hard stuff from morning til night...he died at 42 yrs old on Christmas morning a couple of years ago. His wife is still having problems dealing with something where she just couldn't help him. I would never play this song when she is present...nosiree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdpTcvSn8HQ

Debbie Harry (Blondie) – not sure if she fits in the group of "rockers", but some people think so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

Bonnie Tyler – grittiest voice among all women. Her best known song was played more times last month than in the last 40 years, as people waited for the full eclipse LOL  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo

Pat Benatar – genuine rocker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vppgaVcnfS0

Amy Winehouse – unique voice and I add her to the list mostly because she died at the same age of 27 a drug overdose and joined the "27 Club" with Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain. This song is pretty dang melancholy, but shows off her chops. They blank out the word "blow", for which the guy died of (fentanyl laced nose candy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAfLE39ZZ8

Janis Joplin – the queen of rockers, but a little rough around the edges, one might say https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRhHdFRFBAs

Ann Williams (Heart) – often confused with Beach Boys, Brian Wilson's daughter(s) Wendy and Carna who teamed up with Chyna Phillips (daughter of Michele Phillips of the Mamas and Papas) and started the group "Wilson Phillips". Heart comprised sisters' Ann and Nancy Williams who got into a huge fight forcing the band to break up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZjEC4WhCvg

[Ed Vette]

No love for Linda Ronstadt, Tina or Melissa Etheridge?

Nobody tops Janice.

Then there are other folk/Pop Icons. Joan Baez, Carol king, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins... 

[Sem]

No love for Linda Ronstadt, Tina or Melissa Etheridge?

Nobody tops Janice.

Then there are other folk/Pop Icons. Joan Baez, Carol king, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins... 

I would put Linda Ronstadt at the top of my list, even ahead of Janis, due to her versatility.

Personally I don't think Carole King has a great voice, (I do love it though), but her strength is more as a songwriter.

**edit: It's Ann Wilson of Heart, not Williams. And yes, she's right up there on the list.

I would also add Bonnie Raitt


Depending on how far you want to stretch the term "rocker..."
Karen Carpenter!!
Diana Ross
Etta James
Barbara Streisand

[Ed Vette]

I would put Linda Ronstadt at the top of my list, even ahead of Janis, due to her versatility.

Personally I don't think Carole King has a great voice, (I do love it though), but her strength is more as a songwriter.


Depending on how far you want to stretch the term "rocker..."
Karen Carpenter!!
Diana Ross
Etta James
Barbara Streisand

I loved Karen Carpenter and Mama Cass.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I loved Karen Carpenter and Mama Cass.

I agree they had great voices (Mama Cass was in a league all her own), but I didn't think of them as "rockers". My list wasn't "complete" as I pointed out. Completely forgot about Ronstadt...loved her. she should be on the list. The others mentioned aren't really my idea of "rocker" differs from others

I mean, Shania Twain rocks more than Karen Carpenter by a thousand miles...and I didn't include her because even though she rocks the house down...I don't think of her as a "rocker", but she is cool 

And believe me, if you've never been to a country concert and compared them with a rock concert, country tends to be louder and rockier at concerts