Venus Zine Crowns the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll!
Issue #44
PART 1: STAFF PICKS
By Venus Zine Staff
Published: September 3rd, 2010 | 10:45am
Patti Smith has been called the Godmother of Punk. Joan Jett is often termed the Original Riot Grrrl. But in the history of rock music, no single woman has come forward to claim the title of Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
So, when writer Allison Ford came to us with the idea to find the lady who could hold court with Elvis, we became a bit obsessed. At the end of our many discussions, we felt there was no “middle of the road” in giving the crown to …
chrissie hynde
The Pretender is the real deal—the face, the voice, the bangs of a generation
Long before it was widely accepted for women to front rock ‘n’ roll bands, Chrissie Hynde had no problem stepping up to the mic and into the spotlight. Best known for leading the Pretenders since its inception in the late ‘70s, Hynde has been a one-woman wrecking ball and also a magnetic force field of rock music for the past 35-plus years.
As the one constant member of the Pretenders in the drug-riddled and conflict-saddled history of the band, Hynde was never one to hang up her jacket—and in the process crafted nine acclaimed studio albums and 33 singles, including such FM radio gems as “Stop Your Sobbing,” “Brass in Pocket,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” “Back on the Chain Gang,” and likely one of the most impressive ballads of our time, “I’ll Stand By You.”
She has been a virtual tour guide through the growing pains of rock music over the years—standing firm in her punk roots while adapting to the new wave trend of the ‘80s, the alternative nation of the ‘90s, and even today’s indie rock grip, starting her own label (La Mina Records) and forming her first-ever project outside of the Pretenders just this year (read more about JP, Chrissie, & the Fairground Boys on page 31). At nearly 60, an age when many rock stars have seen their brightest moments, Hynde is just now forging a new path with the same pristine contralto pipes, vision, and fashion sense that made her an effortless icon decades ago, even as other frontwomen used clichéd forms of image to gain attention.
As a kid from Akron, Ohio who was bored with Middle America and relished the cultural breeding ground of ‘70s London, Hynde moved to where the action was in 1973 and found a job writing for music magazine NME. Little did she know she would soon be featured in its pages as well.
She’s weathered relationships with her own rock muses like Ray Davies (the Kinks) and Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), which produced two daughters and inspiration for new material. A vocal PETA activist, Hynde has always been the voice for the underserved, whether it’s animals or the many generations of young women looking for a cultural icon they could relate to. Chrissie Hynde will always be the “talk of the town,” and for that, we proudly crown her the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll. — Selena Fragassi (Venus Zine Music Editor)
Runners-up: The Rest of Rock Royalty
As we discovered, there’s a reason why one woman has never been officially honored as the Queen of Rock. Although Elvis has always held a league of his own as the king, the many brilliant women in the history of rock music make it hard to choose just one. Here, we include the legacy of the frontrunners who forever shaped music as we know it—from the classic icons to the young’uns leading the next wave of heirs to the throne.
janis joplin
The classic rocker still takes a big piece of our hearts
Nobody could touch Janis Joplin for emotion. Every note came from deep down, whether sweet, strained, or full of pain. Even “Me and Bobby McGee,” the closest she ever came to a pop song, roars and cries. To hear her voice and know it came from a skinny, awkward, 20-something white girl is unfathomable.
Steeped in the music of Big Mama Thornton and Odetta, Joplin’s classic tracks are backed by an intimate understanding of the blues. One of the last songs she recorded, “Mercedes Benz,” has only a simple backbeat and shows just how mesmerizing a vocal performance can be. When her mouth is open, it’s hard to hear anything else. That’s why her work with Big Brother and the Holding Company produced her best songs. With the restraint of experienced musicians, they provided a steady rhythm to her wild vocals. “Piece of My Heart,” a perfect song both in gritty recordings and live, offers a basic blues-based groove, Joplin’s best performance, and a lesson on woman-scorned rock ‘n’ roll.
No one knows what she would have sounded like at 30, or what she would have produced. What we do know is that without her, there would be no Stevie Nicks, no Kathleen Hanna. She gave ladies the license to be both fierce and fragile, and to use those emotions to create rock ‘n’ roll on a woman’s terms. — Sarah Collins
tina turner
Love had everything to do with creating rock ‘n’ roll’s original diva
ann & nancy wilson
The sisters bonded by ballads made us heart grunge
wanda jackson
The first lady of rockabilly broke ground as country star
grace slick
The white rabbit led us on a trip in psychedelic rock
Amid the bevy of fragmented relationships and shifting alliances that define the history of Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, the closest thing these musical groups ever had as a constant was the talent of Grace Slick. When she joined Jefferson Airplane in 1966, Slick was supposed to be only a replacement. The San Francisco ensemble had been together for a year and had already released a debut record that demonstrated its potential. Slick, however, was a huge influence that took the group away from the folk-rock love songs that were far more synonymous with the Byrds to the psychedelic masterpiece of the band’s next album, Surrealistic Pillow (RCA Victor).
Highlighted by the bordello groove of “White Rabbit” and the fiery “Somebody to Love,” the album was a work of hallucinogenic inspiration. Acidic in its mix of folk, blues, and garage rock, Surrealistic Pillow became a milestone that embraced hippie culture’s mentality of free love, war protest, and drug experimentation, thus crowning Slick the unofficial First Lady of 1967’s Summer of Love.
Alongside her friend and professional peer Janis Joplin, Slick was the first to legitimize a female lead vocalist. She had managed to tap into a specific place and time and gave it an audible signature. — Mike Hilleary
aretha franklin
R-e-s-p-e-c-t’ed as the first woman inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. She’s a songwriter, she’s a self-taught pianist, and she’s been proclaimed the best singer of all time by Rolling Stone. From soul to jazz, pop to R&B, blues to gospel, hell, even rock, she masters them all. The year 1967 may as well have been named the Year of Aretha, as she scored hit after hit—“Chain of Fools,” “Baby I Love You,” “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
Franklin reached new heights, however, in April ’67 when she released her own version of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” Originally a soulful track about a man insisting on a woman’s admiration, Franklin morphed it into a high–energy tune with an empowering message for civil rights, sexual liberation, and the feminist movement. Forty-three years later, it’s still her signature track, considered one of the greatest songs of the 20th century by music aficionados, the National Endowment for the Arts, and average folks alike.
As the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a recipient of countless awards, from Grammys to honorary doctorates, Franklin was and still is a force to be reckoned with. What’s more rock ‘n’ roll than that? — Kelley Hecker
kim gordon
The first to provide an alternative during our sonic youth
patti smith
The eternal Poet Laureate of punk rock
Ferocious. Uncompromising. Outspoken. Genre- and gender-bending. Patti Smith is the king, queen, duke, duchess, knight, and court troubadour of rock music. Born of the wellspring of New York punk and mayor of such landmarks as CBGB’s and Max’s Kansas City, Smith has clenched her place as one of the most provocative artists around. With her smoky growl and mastery of words, she could take a well-worn song and make it her own. The things she did with Them’s “Gloria” or Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” were like electrical jolts to the boys’ club of gritty musicianship.
Smith has been a vocal champion for peace and human rights, with her “People Have the Power.” In doing so, she has inspired generations of firebrands—from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe to Shirley Manson of Garbage and even Karen O—to tear down walls and celebrate individualism, to blur the lines of art and pure energy.
Smith was a soothsayer (how appropriate is the 32-year-old “Till Victory” these days? It’s uncanny.) and remains a shaman of prose and lyric. She is a pulsar of truth. She’s even tread on “enemy” territory—as a contributor to Rolling Stone and Creem magazines. Patti Smith is intrepidness incarnate. — Melissa Bobbitt
pat benatar
The heartbreaker combined power chords with sexual power
karen o
The gold lion gave music its 21st century roar
pj harvey
Harvey says music will never be Rid of Me
Polly Jean Harvey was raised on a sheep farm in Dorset, England where her parents introduced their young daughter to the music of Howlin’ Wolf, Jimi Hendrix, and Captain Beefheart. It was in the English countryside where Harvey assembled the trio that would record 1992’s Dry (Indigo), a debut met with widespread critical acclaim and launched the career of one of rock’s most innovative artists.
In nearly 20 years since her foray, Harvey has released seven studio albums, two compilations, and two collaborations with John Parish. Determined not to repeat herself musically, Harvey’s discography may not be as voluminous as some of her contemporaries, but each entry reveals more layers of her creativity and artistic growth.
Throughout her career, Harvey has been a critical favorite, if not always a commercial success. Her 2000 release, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (Island) garnered her the 2001 Mercury Music Prize (awarded to the best album from the U.K. or Ireland) and sold more than million copies. She’s been nominated for five Grammy Awards and has had two of her albums (Rid of Me and To Bring You My Love) included in Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Albums of All Time.
Critical adoration is meaningless in rock, though, if an artist can’t deliver live. The always–eccentric Harvey more than delivers: She’s in total control on stage with a voice and a presence that demands full attention. Mark our words, Harvey is among those leading the next wave of Queens of Rock ‘n’ Roll. — Bonnie Thurston
beth ditto
No one stands in the way of rock’s most daring frontwoman
eleanor friedberger
The quiet, yet fiery furnace fuels rockmusic’s new wave
Eleanor Friedberger is the coolest kid sister on the block. As the female half of the Fiery Furnaces, she’s helped create some of the most inventive, shape-shifting, indie rock–pop numbers of the last decade. But what else makes her queen-worthy?
Furnaces fans know that while brother Matthew writes most of the band’s music—a guitar riff here, a few electronic synth loops imitating the sounds of an imaginary “Tropical Ice-land” there—Eleanor is responsible for bringing the lyrics to life. She does so with a spitfire-like intensity on record and a quiet focus on stage, but there’s more to her artistic persona.
If Matthew is the technician, Eleanor is the lover; if he’s the Tin Man, she’s the heart he so desperately needs. In Ms. Friedberger’s world, life’s a land where dogs are suddenly lost, but then found praying in church. It’s a local social club where a girl named Brandy Butterscotch barters and begs, and a dude named Vincent Vibraphone drunk-dials nearby. Mostly, though, her world is about love. When Eleanor signs autographs after a concert, she’ll sultrily ask for each fan’s name and write it down. Then she emblazons her own signature with a big, cheesy heart. — Jeremy Adams
courtney love
Grunge girls’ favorite baby doll became rock’s miss world
liz phair
The songwriter released us from our exile in guyville
kristin gundred
The Dum Dum is a genius new leader of rock
Dum Dum Girls mastermind Kristin Gundred (you may know her better as her alter ego, Dee Dee) writes catchy songs and harmonies reminiscent of ‘60s girl groups like the Ronettes, but there’s no modern-day Phil Spector pulling the strings here. Gundred first arrived in the music world as the drummer and singer for the San Diego-based band Grand Ole Party. In 2008, Gundred struck out on her own, using the Dum Dum Girls name (a shout-out to the Vaselines’ Dum-Dum (Rough Trade) and Iggy Pop’s song “Dum Dum Boys”) as a moniker to release her home recordings.
Before putting a band together, Gundred had already written and recorded the songs that would become the debut LP, I Will Be (Sub Pop). It features 30 minutes bursting with non-stop swirling guitars, garage-pop hooks, declarations of undying devotion, and (of course) those dreamy harmonies. With her winning combination of sunny beach pop, hazy reverb, and just the right amount of darkness (what Gundred terms “blissed-out buzzsaw”), the future looks bright for Dee Dee and her Dum Dum Girls, the newest in a long line of queens ready to take the throne. — Dana Raidt
alison mosshart
The high priestess of hard rock kills it onstage
Everyone comes into this world screaming, but few continue to holler long after they’ve learned how to walk. No woman can summon that primitive cry quite like Alison Mosshart. The Florida-born London transplant first unleashed her voice in high school when she fronted the punk band Discount. Today, she growls, bellows, moans, and whispers kiss-me-deadly lyrics as co-founder of the Kills and the Dead Weather.
Mosshart’s gritty voice spews great vengeance and furious fire. You covet that voice and its tremendous power. You want to steal those nicotine-ravaged pipes to dress down your foes or tell some impressionable bloke to treat you like his mother. Like Chrissie Hynde, Mosshart evokes effortless cool with an onstage persona that swings between subtle swagger and breathtaking ferocity, flipping on a dime as she thrashes about with that mop of black hair. She’s confident enough to team up with rock giants Jack White and Jamie Hince and not only hold her own, but even overshadow their efforts.
Footage of Mosshart playing an early Discount show recently surfaced online. The video depicts an artist on the verge of finding her voice and tapping into her power—she’s at about half-throttle compared to current Dead Weather gigs. With a new Kills album on the horizon, it’s possible she’ll ratchet up her performance level once again and inch one step closer to the rock ‘n’ roll throne. — Jamie Gadette
Be sure to check out who our Insiders and Readers think should be named the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll!
PART 2: Insiders' Picks
PART 3: Readers' Picks
Comments
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liliput1 (3 months)
They really rocks
orphinsit (3 months)
Cool pics i really like the second one...Furnaces fans know that while brother Matthew writes most of the band’s music.
zingwang (about 1 month)
I really like the content of the site and the collection of pics are also good..
Shaun (about 1 month)
This is the dumbest list ever. Tina Turner has had a MAJOR career for more than 50 years. She fronted a band long before Ms. Hynde. She has broken concert attendance records world wide and is actually known as the Queen of Rock all over the world. She transcends culture and generations. The same can't be same for your first choice or the rest of your list (with the exception of Aretha Franklin).