Women belong in rock and roll because they’ve been there since the beginning. Many who focused on rock were shoved aside in the early days of the industry, as the genre was dominated by men. But for all the girl bands from the 60s who never broke into the mainstream, there were even more in the 70s, then more in the 80s, the 90s, and you get the idea. These women still paved the way, even if they didn’t achieve huge industry success.
7 Year Bitch
7 Year Bitch formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington, and were instrumental in shaping the burgeoning riot grrrl scene. Coincidentally, or maybe not, since they were named after the film The Seven Year Itch, they lasted only seven years. But in that time, they put out three studio albums and helped grow the riot grrrl punk-adjacent scene. Their debut, Sick ‘Em, was dedicated to original guitarist Stefanie Sargent, who died of an overdose while making the album. Two years later, they released ¡Viva Zapata!, dedicated to Mia Zapata of The Gits, who’d died in 1993.
The Clingers
The Clingers formed in 1966 and became one of the very first all-female rock ‘n’ roll bands. The four sisters from Utah started out as a barbershop quartet before transitioning to performing their own instrumentals. They started out playing state fairs and small-town festivals, where other bands, like The Yardbirds and The Pleasure Seekers, started taking notice, urging them to play more venues. The Clingers were proud of the fact that they played their own instruments, which not all bands in the 60s did. Especially not girl bands. While The Clingers never really broke into mainstream rock and roll as an all-female band, their dedication to the music opened the door for The Runaways in 1975.
Dickless
Dickless formed in 1990 in Seattle as part of the first wave of grunge, and their lyrics often brought attention to feminism and gender issues with bite and aggression. This was unusual for an all-girl band at the time, but Dickless unapologetically pushed their way into the grunge scene anyway. They signed to Sub Pop Records, where many of the boys’ club grunge bands of the 90s found a home. While they aligned with the growing riot grrrl movement by the very nature of being an all-female band, their approach to rock music held much more irony than most riot grrrl-era songs. Dickless only released a series of singles and compilations, but they became underrated fixtures of grunge.
Fanny
Fanny was formed in the early 1970s by two sisters and went on to become the first all-female rock band to earn commercial success. Hailing from Los Angeles, Fanny purposely rejected the mantle of “girl group.” Instead, they focused on the music, much like The Clingers did. There weren’t many all-female rock groups for them to look up to, so a main inspiration for them was The Beatles. But they also looked to the Motown studio group, The Funk Brothers. While they weren’t the first female rock band to sign to a major label, they were the first to release an LP. Additionally, they were laser-focused on their live show, determined to let the music speak for itself. At that time, there were misconceptions about women in rock music, and Fanny was dedicated to breaking the glass ceiling.
Flying Lesbians
In Germany, the Flying Lesbians took over for a brief period from 1974 until 1977. A band of seven women with only one full-length album, they became one of the first all-female rock bands in Europe. The Flying Lesbians were completely independent during their time. They wrote, performed, and produced their own music; they also did their own setup and transportation during live shows. Their debut came in 1974 at a women’s festival in Berlin, called Rockfete im Rock (Rock Party in a Skirt), after just two rehearsals together. After gaining significant success with an LP, they toured Europe exclusively at festivals for women. The Flying Lesbians were once described by Miriam Frank as “the German women’s movement expressed in music.” Frank also called their music “refreshingly aggressive and controversial.”
The Liverbirds
The Liverbirds formed in Liverpool in 1963 and are often considered one of the first female rock bands ever. They predate The Clingers by three years, but The Liverbirds found it hard to be taken seriously. Often billed as “the female Beatles,” they were made out to be more of a gimmick than a serious band. Infamously, John Lennon told them that women couldn’t play guitars, and in their hometown, the audiences generally preferred rock and roll played by men. That was the nature of rock in the 60s, but The Liverbirds found unexpected success in Germany. They broke up after just five years, but just the fact of their existence inspired many more women to take up guitars. For more on The Liverbirds, there’s an entire New York Times “Almost Famous” documentary episode about them.
Screamin’ Sirens
Screamin’ Sirens were making alternative country before alternative country was even a thing. Formed in Hollywood in 1983, when the California punk scene was chugging along nicely, Screamin’ Sirens chose to take that and combine it with country, funk, and rockabilly. Their four-year tenure produced two albums and several compilations, but their live show was electric and eclectic. Their lineup changed often, but this primarily all-girl rock band really made some of the first y’all-ternative.
The Pandoras
The Pandoras were part of the 80s garage rock scene, forming in 1982 and lasting until 1991. They were one of only a handful of all-girl rock bands to sign with a major label. Specifically, they were influenced by 60s garage rock, which drew the original lineup together. Their first major label was Rhino Records, and during that time, their live show became a huge draw in and beyond Los Angeles. The Pandoras were contemporaries with Iggy Pop, Nina Hagen, The Cramps, and Johnny Thunders, often billed alongside them. While The Pandoras underwent lineup changes, label shifts, and the death of founder Paula Pierce in 1991, they remained influential to girl bands in the garage rock scene.
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