Women Of Rock

The Bynx Collection Pays Homage to Female Rock N’ Rollers

The world of rock and roll wouldn’t be what it is today without women. From Sister Rosetta Thorpe to Courtney Love, Janis Joplin to Aretha Franklin, Ronnie Spector to Grace Slick, female artists have had an heavy hand in shaping the musical landscape as we know it. While women are of course well represented in every genre, today’s focus is exclusively on rock n’ roll. So put another dime in the jukebox, baby…

The List Goes On…

Of course, no list of this sort is ever exhaustive. But I’m certain some of these names spring to mind:

• Pat Benatar
• The Runaways
• Ann Wilson
• Alanis Morissette
• Kate Bush
• Kim Gordon
• The Slits
• The Go Gos
• Siouxsie & The Banshees
• Chrissie Hynde
• Grace Slick
• Stevie Nicks
• Nico
• Debbie Harry
• Patti Smith

These women inspired legions of young female artists to pick up an instrument or microphone and share their unique perspectives with the world. It’s especially laudable considering they had to co-exist in a world that was largely seen as dominated by men. But that was no matter to these giants of rock, who couldn’t be deterred in the least. Good music is good music. And they were going to share theirs with the world on their own terms.

Storied Careers

These legendary women of rock were significant contributors across all genres — classic rock, grunge, indie, punk, you name it — and many continue to blaze new trails in music today. Many of their stories have been documented in autobiographies and other publications, many of which Bynx has curated. These stories are honest, hard hitting and entertaining.

Take, for example, Just Kids by Patti Smith. Or Lady Sings The Blues by Billie Holiday, one of the more heartbreaking tales to come out of the jazz world; a world filled with the kind of debauchery that would foreshadow its rock n’ roll successor. Then theres Girl In A Band by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Or even I’m With The Band by “the world’s most famous groupie,” Pamela Des Barres, which offers a compelling perspective on an oft-joked-about aspect of the rock n’ roll lifestyle. There’s even the new-age (albeit fantastical) story about Daisy Jones & The Six, inspired by the legend of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac.

In 2023, it’s not exactly news that these women of rock have played a massive role in popular culture. Today, women may be more represented than ever — but we can’t forget the fighting spirit found in their predecessors. They fought to have their voices heard just as loudly as their male counterparts, and they succeeded.