#29. Memphis Minnie
Born in 1887 in rural Algiers, Louisiana, Minnie was known as the “Queen of the Country Blues”. Not only was she a guitarist but also an amazing singer and composer.
It was said that Minnie played “like a man” when in reality, many men wanted to play like her. She was vital in the forming of the roots of Chicago electric blues, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll and remains a strong inspiration for many artists nowadays.
#28. Kristin Hersh
Old-school guitarists from the first alternative rock bands like J Mascis (from Dinosaur Jr.) and Johnny Marr (from The Smiths) are usually heralded as some of the most essential influences on indie rock's contemporary sound, but what about Kristin Hersh?
Eternally (and sadly) overshadowed by other male big names, the guitarist was a core element of Throwing Muses, one of the most original rock bands in the 90s. Hersh could effortlessly switch from blistering power-chords to a delicate acoustic, and this versatility was undoubtedly a crucial part of her band's unpredictable sound, which relied on unconventional structures and shifting tempos.
#27. Wendy Melvoin
With his unique combination of funk, rock, R&B, and pop, Prince was already head and shoulders above the rest of the mainstream artists in the early 80s with albums like Controversy and 1999. But what really turned him into a legend was his 6th studio albums (and accompanying film), Purple Rain.
For this LP and the following one, he assembled The Revolution, a stunning band that could easily keep up with Prince's crazy ideas on and offstage. Wendy Melvoin was the group's guitarist, and not only did she play a key role in the composition of Purple Rain, but also she also introduced Prince to psychedelic music and was able to go toe to toe with the icon's live repertoire of dazzling solos and funky riffs.
#26. Susan Tedeschi
Many blues and rock and roll fans tend to forget about Susan Tedeschi when discussing the best guitarists of all time. They do remember her husband, the legendary Derek Trucks, who famously entered The Allman Brothers Band at the age of 19, though.
But Tedeschi is also a force to be reckoned with, fellas! Her dazzling solos now shine in the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and both her and Derek have vastly improved their already stunning skill since joining forces. If you liked this one, don't miss the next slide!
#25. Vicki Peterson
Not unlike Heart's case, The Bangles' quality and crossover appeal were turned up a notch with the formidable creative input of two sisters. The Wilson sisters were born for rock and roll stardom and they achieved it with Heart, and the same could be said for Debbi and Vicki Peterson, who broke new ground for the genre with The Bangles.
After a slow start in the early 80s, the band released some of the most memorable rock tunes of the decade with Manic Monday, Eternal Flame, In Your Room, and many others. Vicki Peterson's spectacularly varied repertoire at lead guitar was what made those songs possible, and that's why she earned a high spot on this list.
#24. Carrie Brownstein
When talking about the 90s rock explosion in America after Nirvana's Nevermind made such a splash in the music industry, most people tend to forget that Washington's underground rock scene was already blooming before the famous grunge trio.
That's right, Nirvana's rise to stardom began when Kurt Cobain moved to Olympia, Washington, but several bands that had honed their skill in the city's small bars were already bringing a breath of fresh air to the genre. Amongst these was Sleater-Kinney, the indie duo that consists of Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein. The latter is behind the band's thundering guitar solos, but the chemistry between both is what really makes Sleater Kinney's live set so memorable!
#23. Beverly Watkins
Beverly Watkins was one of those musicians that had a truly special connection with their instrument. Early in her career, she received a suitable nickname: Guitar Watkins. Yep, that's pretty much Beverly in a nutshell, fellas, she really really loved the guitar!
Unfortunately, fame and widespread recognition didn't get to her during her peak, probably because she excelled at roots and blues, which are genres generally disregarded by the mainstream. However, she gained the respect of several icons like B.B. King, James Brown and many more after playing with them and demonstrating her breathtaking prowess!
#22. Nancy Wilson
Many rock critics focus on the historic relevance of The Runaways, one of the first all-female hard rock groups that broke many barriers in a genre that was dominated by white men. The band of Joan Jett deserves all the praise they get, but don't forget that Heart was actually formed a couple of years before!
The band had several lineup changes, but their most iconic singers were the Wilson Sisters, who entered the band in 1973 and played the guitar with impressive dexterity. Nancy could easily transition from beautiful acoustic ballads to stomping hard-rock hits, and thanks to her, Heart became the first successful rock band fronted by a woman.
#21. Donita Sparks
If you consider yourself a fan of the Grunge era, then L7 should at least ring a bell. If it doesn't, it's probably because most music critics and people whose nostalgia is triggered by the 90s tend to focus solely on Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.
But there was more to rock than those 4, fellas! Not only did remarkable alternative acts like Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins rise to stardom, but a whole wave of female punk bands appeared, such as Bikini Kill and L7. Sparks was the latter's guitarist, founder, and main force during the band's ferocious live shows.
#20. Peggy Jones
A young guitarist who considers herself talented can maybe dream about performing at some bars or forming a promising rock band, but Peggy Jones was already achieving much more with merely 16 years! Indeed, at this age, Peggy joined none other than the great Bo Diddley.
Despite her young age, Peggy knew how to hold her own and the pressure of being the first female guitarist in a renowned rock band wasn't a burden for her. Bo Diddley's band wouldn't have sounded the same with such a sharp rhythm guitarist, and since the genre was still at a very early stage, Jones would later be called the Queen Mother of Guitar.
#19. Lzzy Hale
Sure, Lzzy Hale didn't coin a near-impossible technique like Elizabeth Cotton (her unorthodox style is now known as Cotton-picking) but she's still a legend in her own right. Though heavy metal is usually populated by white men, Lzzy managed to carve a niche for herself in the genre.
In 1997, she founded Halestorm with her brother Arejay behind the drums, bassist Josh Smith, and Joe Hottinger in charge of the rhythm guitar. They earned a Grammy Award in 2013 for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, and Lzzy even had her own Gibson Explorer Signature designed for her!
#18. Mary Ford
The fame of her husband Lester William Polsfuss (also known as Les Paul) has sadly overshadowed Mary Ford's outstanding accomplishments, but don't forget that these two were a formidable guitar-duo in the 40s and 50s!
In fact, they had a song that remained at #1 for a mind-whopping amount of 11 weeks. Impressive, right? To give you an idea of their success, they were the early-50s equivalent of Drake and Ed Sheeran, combined. A pioneer of the multi-tracking technique, Mari was not only a skilled guitarist but also an outstanding singer.
#17. PJ Harvey
Amongst the many top-notch and stylistically varied musical acts that appeared in the 90s, PJ Harvey is perhaps the most interesting of them all. The acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist received an endless amount of Brit and Grammy Award nominations during this decade with her art-rock/alternative albums.
In fact, Rolling Stone chose not one, not two, but THREE of her fabulous records for the magazine's prestigious 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list. Her ahead-of-the-curve sound and thought-provoking lyrics may have overshadowed the fact that she's a mesmerizing guitarist, but the British artist can definitely shred when she wants to!
#16. Ani Defranco
American Singer, songwriter and guitarist Ani Defranco was born in Buffalo in 1970. Although she’s known as the “Little Folksinger,” her music spans through many genres such as funk, jazz, soul and even punk.
She’s widely considered a feminist icon while she also supports many social and political movements. She’s also one of the first artists to create her own record label (Righteous Babe – 1990).
#15. Elizabeth Cotten
Maybe Elizabeth Cotten didn’t sell millions of records or scored multiple top ten hits, but she did make history by developing a guitar-playing technique that’s almost inimitable. Born in 1893 in North Carolina, Cotten quickly became a self-taught prodigious banjo player.
Being left-handed, the young woman who would later become a blues and folk legend had a problem when she took her right-handed brother's guitar. Her solution was turning the guitar upside down and inaugurated a groundbreaking technique: the melodies were played with her thumb, while the finger-picking was used for the bass chords.
#14. Ana Popović
Blues guitarist and singer Ana Popović was born in former Yugoslavia. Listening to her father’s guitar/bass jams sessions as a young girl, she grew up to become one legendary musician. She picked up the guitar at 15!
Although she formed a band from 1995 to 1998 called Hush, her career has been mostly solo. In 2000 she was featured on the Jimi Hendrix Tribute album Blue Haze: Songs of Jimi Hendrix, alongside many other great artists.
#13. Kaki King
Kaki King is much more than a badass name. If you still haven’t listened to her unorthodox style, prepare yourself to be blown away by her immense talent and search Playing With Pink Noise or Doing the Wrong Thing. If you want more, check out her latest studio album, the brilliant The Neck Is a Bridge to the Body.
Though Kaki is a multi-instrumentalist, she's best known for her bewildering acoustic guitar performances, which combine elements of flamenco, jazz, rock, and classical music. With only 26 years old, she was the only woman featured on Rolling Stone's “New Guitar Gods” list in 2006.
#12. Annie Clark
Annie Clark, a.k.a St. Vincent, is one of the most important figures in rock and roll to have risen in the 21st Century, period. Not only did she release two of the best albums of the 2010s (St. Mercy, released in 2011, and her last record from 2017, Masseduction), but she's had a key role in innovating the possibilities of the guitar as we know it.
Closer to the approach of Frank Zappa's freaky soloing than to the successors of Jimi Hendrix, Annie loves to experiment with different textures, effect pedals, distortion, and syncopation in order to create new sounds. > "In some ways, I feel very reverent about guitar. I love it so much... But I also don't care about it being a guitar or sounding like a guitar", Annie Clark said in an interview with The New Yorker.
#11. Chrissie Hynde
Iconic musician Chrissie Hynde was born in Ohio in 1951. She’s one of the founding members, guitarist and lead vocalist of the late 70s band The Pretenders. Also, she’s their primary songwriter and only constant member.
She’s collaborated with a lot of bands, such as INXS, The Black Keys, UB40 and other iconic singers such as Cher, Neneh Cherry and even Frank Sinatra! She’s also performed in 1985 at Live Aid, the historical benefit concert.
#10. Samantha Fish
Samantha Fish, born in 1989 in Kansas City, Missouri is a blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. However, her live shows feature multiple genres such as bluegrass, country, rock and funk.
Her last solo album, Kill or Be Kind, was chosen 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic. Moreover, she’s won many awards such as Best Blues Performer, Best Guitarist, Best Female Vocalist and Artist of the Year (2018 Best of the Beat Awards)
#9. Poison Ivy
And while we're at it, The Cramps, much the same as Joan Jett, are also regarded as huge precursors of punk rock. The trailblazing group first started to make an impact in the burgeoning rock scene of late 70s New York at the CBGB, where Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, and The Cramps themselves started to play their first songs.
The band was forced to call it a day after its singer Lux Interior's death in 2006, but they left a huge mark in rock history throughout their 4-decade-long career. Kristy Marlana Wallace, also known as Poison Ivy, not only co-wrote and produced most of the band's songs, but she also effortlessly rocked those reverb-filled riffs with her famous Dan Armstrong guitar.
#8. Joni Mitchell
We've mostly talked about women who knew how to cause a stir with an electric guitar, but don't forget that countless female artists have also displayed their immense talent with an acoustic guitar! Case in point, the great Joni Mitchell.
Her angelical voice combined with her exquisite playing can be heard throughout any song of her mesmerizing albums from the early 70s, like Blue or Ladies of the Canyon. If you've already listened to these classics, check out some of Joni's later albums that feature a jazzy, complex style, like Hejira. That woman can pull off just about anything!
#7. Sharon Isbin
American classical guitarist Sharon Isbin is not only a multiple-Grammy-Award winner, but also she’s the founding director of the guitar department at Julliard School.
She got a B.A. cum laude from Yale University and a Master of Music from Yale School of Music. She’s appeared in over 200 orchestras and her catalog ranges from baroque to crossover and jazz fusion.
#6. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Born in 1915 in Arkansas,Sister Rosetta Tharpe is widely considered one of the most influential and groundbreaking artists in Western music. She first garnered acclaim in the 30s and early 40s, time in which she became the most innovative figure in Gospel.
Critics affirm Tharpe was the first popular Gospel artist to take elements from rhythm and blues, and her sound would later influence legends like Chuck Berry, Elvis, and Little Richard. A gifted acoustic player, Tharpe also experimented with distorted tones and intricate solos (check her live renditions of Up Above My Head on YouTube) and managed to combine genres like no other. No wonder they later called her “The Godmother of rock and roll”!
#5. Joan Jett
This list wouldn't be right without the most badass woman in rock and roll, don't you agree? Yes, technical ability is always essential for any musician, but don't ignore the importance of mastering stage presence and showing personality in front of a huge crowd!
And when talking about on-stage swagger, Joan Jett is simply head and shoulders above the rest, that's a fact. A founding member of the all-female hard rock band The Runaways (which inspired tons of women to pick up a guitar and start a band), Joan Jett scored multiple hits as the leader of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, including Bad Reputation, I Love Rock 'n Roll, and Dirty Needs, and many other towering tunes.
#4. Nita Strauss
Born in 1986, Nita Strauss was ranked No. 1 on Guitar World’s "10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know." Her family comes from a long tradition of classical musicians, one of her ancestors being the renowned Austrian composer Johann Strauss.
Most of you will recognize her as Alice Cooper’s touring guitarist, as she’s replacing Orianthi since 2014, but she’s also played with The Iron Maidens (a tribute band), Femme Fatale and Jermaine Jackson.
#3. Lita Ford
Born in 1958, Lita Ford is a heavy-metal songwriter, singer and guitarist. She was the lead guitarist for the late 70s band The Runaways. After that, she embarked on her solo journey.
One of her most successful songs is a collab with Ozzy Osbourne called “Close My Eyes Forever”. After a long hiatus between 1996 to 2007, she returned to the stage in 2008 in full force. In 2016 she released an album featuring recordings with Dave Navarro and Gene Simmons among others.
#2. Orianthi
From one hard-rock big name to another: Orianthi may have received some backlash from rock and roll purists after collaborating with Carrie Underwood (the country star that rose to fame after winning the fourth edition of American Idol in 2005), but she has forged her electrifying sound with the likes of Steve Vai and Alice Cooper.
In fact, Orianthi was picked by the renowned Guitar Magazine as the Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year in 2010, and after making a splash with her first solo releases, Michael Jackson called her for the This Is It tour rehearsals, but the singer of Thriller and Bad unfortunately passed away before the tour kicked off.
#1. Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt is a blues and rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. Since the 1970s, this lady has immersed herself in cultural and political activities. For her spectacular career, she was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March of 2000.
Through these years, Bonnie has accumulated 10 Grammy Awards and is listed as #50 in Rolling Stone’s “100 Singers of All Time” and #89 on “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.