Celebrating 5 Legendary Women In The Music Industry
From International Women's Day to Women's History Month, March is a time to celebrate the power of women's accomplishments and continue to inspire a future of equal opportunity. As a women-owned music business, we believe it is important to continue the legacies of those that paved the way before us; this means understanding how female artists influenced the genres that we know and love today. Here are just a few of the legendary women who rose to international fame in a male dominated industry:
1. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
The “godmother” of Rock N’ Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe has been cited as an influence by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jimix Hendrix, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Johnny Cash. Born on March 20, 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, Tharpe pioneered several guitar elements distinctive of Rock n’ Roll. For example, due to her background in performing in an evangelical troupe, she developed a distinctive fingerpicking style earmarked by a strong string attack, and often performed in Vestapol (open guitar) tuning. Additionally, she was notable for her use of tone distortion, which was a huge influence to rock musicians that followed.
2. Celia Cruz
This Cuban singer is widely recognized as one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. She rose to fame in the 1950’s as a vocalist of the popular musical group Sonora Matancera, a group that lasted until 1965. From there, she became known globally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music. Up until her career began, the Afro-Latin music scene was largely male dominated. However, Cruz broke through the industry with her improvisational musical style which combined the folk rhythms of many different cultures along with a captivating stage presence and a determination to always remain relevant to her fans. Her musical legacy is made up of a total of 37 studio albums, as well as numerous live albums and collaborations. Throughout her career, she was awarded countless prizes and distinctions, including two Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. She has sold over 10 million copies of her records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time.
3. Celine Dion
Known as “The Queen of Power Ballads,” Celine Dion is a Canadian singer/songwriter and is one of the most famous female musicians of all time. She gained international recognition by winning the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. From there, Dion skyrocketed to success with countless number one albums, both in English and in French. With record sales of over 200 million worldwide, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist and the best-selling French-language artist in music history. She is also one of the highest grossing touring musicians in history, generating over $1 billion in concert revenue. Her incredible vocal range, electric performances, and dedication to her craft continue to inspire countless musicians to this day.
4. Édith Piaf
Edith Piaf is widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer and one of the most celebrated performers of the 20th century. She was born in 1915 and began her career at age 14, touring with her father who was an acrobatic street performer. After writing and performing several famous tunes, she became France's most popular entertainer in the late 1940’s, crossing over into theatre and film as well. Her popularity garnered international fame and led her to appear on the world famous American variety show, The Ed Sullivan Show, eight times! Despite facing many adversities in her short 47 years of life, Piaf's legacy has paved the way for countless musicians and actors, and she is still celebrated today as one of the most important French performers to have lived.
5. Enya
Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin (Enya) is an Irish singer and composer and is one of the leading voices of new-age music. She began her musical career playing alongside her family's Celtic folk band Clannad, before becoming a four time Grammy Award winner for her solo work. You can hear Enya’s music in several television shows and movies, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Her music has inspired a generation of female musicians (Nicki Minaj and Brandy to name a few), and has even been sampled by several artists including The Fugees in their 1996 hit “Ready or Not.” Still making music today, Enya is the best-selling Irish solo artist and second-best-selling Irish music act overall (only after rock band U2).
As we celebrate those who paved the road, we also want to give a shout out to all the fierce women who are working tirelessly in today’s industry to continue to break barriers and make their voices heard. Wired magazine says that “Women are redefining, reinventing and reigniting the music industry on their own terms…Women will dominate - and dismantle - the music industry…They will anchor the cultural conversation and remake the music biz.” And, we are here for it! As we approach International Women’s Day this Friday, March 8th, let us remember to keep encouraging more girls and young women to pursue careers in the music industry so that we can keep working towards a future where everyone has an equal opportunity to express themselves through music!
Looking for more ways to celebrate? - Check out some incredibly talented female musicians on the “101 Songs to Celebrate International Women’s Day” playlist: