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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era* Starts November 21st!

We've scheduled a date for the beginning of our next grand music special, The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era*.  It will kick off November 21 with much fanfare and celebration!  This countdown tracks the top solo female performers and all-female groups of the Rock Era.  Note:  It does not include a female's performance in a group, unless of course that group is an all-female group.  That project would be named something such as The Top 100 Women of the Rock Era.

When the Rock Era was in its infancy, you had Easy Listening artists such as Patti Page, Connie Francis, the McGuire Sisters, Gale Storm and Kay Starr contributing songs to the popular culture.  Soon, Brenda Lee burst onto the scene, and music was beginning to change.  Girl groups soon became the hot trend, with the Shirelles starting in the early part of the 1960's, followed closely by the Crystals, the Chiffons, the Ronettes, and the Supremes. 

Then in 1964, the Beatles changed music forever.  We make that point often because its important that today's younger generation understand that.  Music pre-1964 and music post-1964 is radically different, and there's never been a time since in which the music changed so drastically.  The Beatles, their fellow countrymen who comprised the British Invasion, and American rock & roll groups essentially put many of the aforementioned artists as well as their male counterparts out of business.  It was a new sound, and if you wanted to compete, you'd better either learn to play an instrument extremely well or be able to hire backing musicians who could.  You'd better be able to write profound lyrics and catchy melodies, or again, find someone who could do it for you.

In most cases, female chose the latter--they had songwriters write songs from them and play the instruments to back them up.  Petula Clark, Nancy Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Mary Wells, Dionne Warwick, Jackie DeShannon and Barbra Streisand were just a few of the great female stars of the 60's to be able to respond to the change in music and enjoy widespread popularity.

We went through the Psychedelic 60's, and artists such as Janis Joplin were popular career, although hers was much like a shooting star.  Women everywhere were starting to take more control of their own careers; the same was true in music.  Great female songwriters such as Carole King, Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell began to emerge.  The turbulence of the 60's gave way to the Soft Sound of the 70's, as people took a step back to reflect and just relax a little. Diana Ross,  Anne Murray, Linda Ronstadt, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Helen Reddy, and Olivia Newton-John all fit in perfectly with the times.

By this time, the Rock & Roll Tree was branching out, with several variations of the music beginning to sprout.  The hottest of these was Disco.  It's pulsating rhythms filled the dance floors in the late 70's, and artists such as Maxine Nightingale, Donna Summer, and Sister Sledge became popular.

Up until now, women primarily fronted a group or sang songs that others wrote for them, with the notable exceptions of Carole King and Joni Mitchell and a few others.  The Runaways were one of the first all-female groups to write their own songs and play their own music.  Problem was, few knew who they were.  So it is Heart that must be credited with turning the music world upside down, and specifically Ann and Nancy Wilson.  Those sisters were in charge of the first group to make it big that featured women who wrote the songs and, in Nancy's case, played an instrument.

Heart blew open the doors for others.  The Go-Go's were the first major all-female group to write their own songs and play their own instruments.  The Bangles were the second. 

Pat Benatar, Sheena Easton, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Wilson Phillips, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Sade and Paula Abdul were just a few of the female stars of the 80's, as both the number and the overall quality of female artists began to rise in the Rock Era.

Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Jewel, the Spice Girls, Aaliyah, Shawn Colvin, the Indigo Girls, Brandy, Monica and Lisa Loeb were some of the talented newcomers to begin in the 1990's.  And now, it could be said that females not only hold their own in the music business; they dominate it.  Female performers such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson, Alicia Keys, BeyoncĂ©, Colbie Caillat, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Adele pretty much rule the roost.   

We've been working on this special throughout the summer, and are excited to bring it to you.  If you've enjoyed The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 1970's*, The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's*, The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*, The Top 100 Guitarists of the Rock Era*, or The Top 500 One-Hit Wonders of the Rock Era*, you will enjoy The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era*.  It will include the same background information on each artist, a review of their career, including their albums, hit songs and top tracks, and accomplishments, and will, of course, include videos that show how great these artists are.

Don't miss it!  The Top 100 Female Artists of the Rock Era* begins November 21st on Inside The Rock Era!

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