Though it started out as the soundtrack for rebellion, classic rock music has since become a timeless genre. In every small town or big city around the country, you’ll find a classic rock music radio station. Everywhere you go, they are jamming out to the large, buzzy songs of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and beyond. Classic rock, it seems clear, is here to stay.
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One of the reasons for classic rock’s ubiquity is its lead singers. And those are the folks we wanted to highlight here today. More specifically, we wanted to showcase three classic rock frontwomen from over the decades. Three lead vocalists who stood up on stage, holding a microphone and belting out lyrics into the void. Indeed, these are three timeless classic rock frontwomen.
Ann Wilson
Born on June 19, 1950, Ann Wilson rose to fame as the lead singer for the rollicking rock band Heart. Known today for songs like “Magic Man” and “Barracuda”, the Pacific Northwest-born Heart was as large and luminescent as any at the height of rock music. Rivaling the sound of bands like Led Zeppelin, Heart featured Ann as lead singer and sister Nancy on lead guitar. A formidable duo to be sure, and it was Ann’s voluminous vocals that helped distinguish the sister-led project from so many other groups of the day.
Grace Slick
Born on October 30, 1939, Grace Slick became a household name thanks to her Bay Area-born rock band Jefferson Airplane. The psychedelic group was known for songs like “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love,” and it was Slick’s Northern Lights-like voice, with all its shimmering size, that helped the band become so essential to the 60s and 70s scene. Not only does she boast one of the greatest rock names—Grace Slick—but she also offers one of the greatest voices, too.
Joan Jett
Born on September 22, 1958, Joan Jett is your favorite rebel’s favorite rebel. From a young age, she wouldn’t accept that girls weren’t meant to play electric guitar, so she turned the instrument into her calling card and rock music into her theme songs. Whether she’s wearing a long black coat and even darker eye-shadow or she’s on stage singing about her love for rock, Jett is a walking talking icon that many can look to for inspiration today.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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