Nancy Wilson celebrates her birthday today (March 16.) It goes without saying that she and Ann Wilson together broke down tremendous gender barriers. Their work in Heart helped further open the door for women in rock.
As part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum’s “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power” exhibit, Nancy sat down and talked about holding a guitar for the first time and the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated rock world.
In the time since Heart’s debut (and the band’s induction into the Rock Hall in 2013), it’s safe to say that countless women owe a big “Thank You” to Nancy and Ann. Who knows what the musical landscape would be without them?
A Salute to the Women Performers in the Rock Hall
Today (March 8) is International Women’s Day. How should we celebrate? By honoring the influential women that have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
…Oh, and to serve up the reminder that women accounting for just over eight percent of Rock Hall inductees is simply inexcusable. (For a further breakdown of this, check out Evelyn McDonnell’s exceptional piece “The Manhandling of Rock ‘N’ Roll History.”)
John Sykes, the Rock Hall’s new chairman after Rolling Stone/Rock Hall founder Jann Wenner stepped down as of January 1, 2020, said in countless interviews how the Rock Hall needs to evolve and diversify. It seems as though he’s keeping his word. More women are being nominated and more women are being inducted. Tina Turner, Carole King and The Go-Go’s were inducted as part of the 2021 class. Meanwhile, Annie Lennox, Dolly Parton, Pat Benatar and Carly Simon are members of the 2022 induction class. Hopefully, fans will see even more women make the cut in future classes.
Until then, scroll through the gallery. It features the remarkable women who have defied the odds to be recognized by the Rock Hall.
Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock news blogger who's well versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice.
