Why is rock roll without a great female guitarist?
David Segal, Calgary Herald, 08-31-2004 Where are all the female guitarists who can light it up in some original, groundbreaking and influential way? Can you name any? Have you heard the phrase “guitar heroine?” Probably not, and for good reason. This won’t win you friends, but here’s the hard truth: Fifty years after Elvis Presley recorded That’s All Right Mama, the grand total of pantheon-worthy female rock guitarists is zero. What about Bonnie Raitt? you say. Raitt is a fine player, but she didn’t pioneer a style or push the instrument to places it hadn’t been, feats required for a seat on the varsity squad. She proved a woman can play beautifully — many women play beautifully — but if she were a dude, she’d never be mentioned with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen. That might sound sexist, but it’s conventional wisdom. Last year, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, and just two women made the cut: Joan Jett a
