Top 10 Most Influential Women in Music

Who are the top 10 most influential women in music? Today, women have greater control over their careers in the music industry, but this wasn’t always the case. Countless women blazed trails for those who followed.

These women not only broke down barriers and took charge of their own lives but also continued to drive change for future generations even after achieving success. Below is a top 10 list of influential women in music. It’s important to note that there are many more women who deserve a spot in this category! However, for the sake of brevity and clarity, we’ve narrowed it down to 10.

If your favorites didn’t make the cut, consider this the start of a conversation. We’re open to further discussion and revisions down the line.

Ella Fitzgerald – First Lady of Song

Lady Ella is celebrated for her pure tone, flawless diction, phrasing, and improvisational skills—especially in her scat singing. Her life story is a classic rags-to-riches tale: Fitzgerald found stability through musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra and performances at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom. Over the course of her career, she recorded more than 200 albums, won 14 Grammy Awards, and sold over 40 million records.

She more than earns the title “First Lady of Song” for breaking numerous barriers. She was the first African American woman to win multiple Grammy Awards, a feat achieved at the very first Grammy Awards Ceremony in 1958. Additionally, she was among the first African American women to perform during a Super Bowl Halftime Show (Super Bowl VI in 1972). Her impressive 3-octave vocal range only adds to her legacy!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe – Godmother of Rock

Known as the “Godmother of Rock,” she’s also a pioneer of rockabilly. She began her career as a gifted gospel musician and singer, and was one of the first gospel artists to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences. Her music influenced early rock-and-roll icons like Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Tharpe was also an early innovator in guitar technique. She was among the first artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, foreshadowing the rise of electric blues. Her guitar playing had a profound impact on the development of British Blues in the 1960s. A 1964 tour with Muddy Waters, which included a stop in Manchester, helped draw the attention of British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards.

Dolly Parton – A Living Legend

Hailing from Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, Dolly Parton became the most successful country singer of all time. What hasn’t been said about Dolly Parton? She’s a shrewd businesswoman, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actress, author, and humanitarian.

After finding success writing songs for others, Parton launched her own performing career. She’s composed over 3,000 songs throughout her career—boasting an extensive catalog of standards as well as a large collection of unreleased tracks she’s saving for the future.

Dolly is part of an elite group of individuals to receive at least one nomination from all four major annual American entertainment award organizations: Emmy, GRAMMY, Oscar, and Tony. In 2004, the U.S. Library of Congress awarded her the prestigious Living Legend Award. She’s the only musician in the world with her own theme park, which employs many people from the communities near her hometown. Most recently, she celebrated fifty years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Carole King – Trailblazing Female Songwriter

King started her career in the late 1950s as a performer and writer, making a name for herself with “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” in 1960. Co-written with lyricist Gerry Goffin (her first husband) for The Shirelles, the song became the first No.1 hit in history for an African American girl group and kickstarted King’s extraordinary career.

Carole King began by writing and producing songs for other recording artists, quickly establishing herself as a hitmaker throughout the 1960s. Her credits include “The Loco-Motion,” “Up On The Roof,” “I’m into Something Good,” “One Fine Day,” and Aretha Franklin’s massive hit “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

By the 1970s, she emerged as a recording and performing star in her own right, particularly with her 1971 smash album Tapestry. In 2013, she became the first female recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. She even has a Broadway show, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which tells her life story and career journey. Countless songwriters owe a debt of gratitude to Carole King.

Patti Smith – The Godmother of Punk

Patti Smith, aka The Godmother of Punk, was a revolutionary artist in music. In her wake came punk, grunge, alternative rock, and indie. Many key figures of these genres—from Siouxsie and the Banshees to Kurt Cobain, Bikini Kill, R.E.M., and The Smiths—cite Smith as an influence, and their music has, in turn, shaped hers.

Smith’s 1975 debut album Horses, which she once described as “three-chord rock merged with the power of the word,” was ahead of its time. It foresaw the explosion of DIY music-making and the focus on songs for the disenfranchised. And who could forget her collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, “Because the Night,” which became a Top 20 hit in 1978? Furthermore, she created music with unapologetic honesty, redefining the role of female rock stars for future generations.

Ma Rainey – The Mother of the Blues

Ma Rainey had an “over-the-top personality” when performing the blues, earning her the nickname “Mother of the Blues.” Her musical style was a direct, no-nonsense brand of southern blues. When she took the stage, she dressed to impress in glitzy attire, belting out the blues with her larger-than-life voice. She was also one of the first blues singers to record music, going on to release more than 100 singles that left a historic imprint on the blues for future generations.

One standout track is “See See Rider,” which became “one of the most famous and recorded of all blues songs. (Rainey’s) is the first recording of that song, giving her ownership of the copyright, and one of the best of the more than 100 versions.” She was also a shrewd businesswoman: she retired from the music industry in 1935, settling in Columbus, Georgia, where she dedicated her time to owning three entertainment venues—the Lyric Theater, Liberty Theatre, and the Airdrome.

Diana Ross – A Supreme Diva

Diana Ross started singing with friends as a teenager, eventually forming the groundbreaking 1960s trio The Supremes, which scored hits like “Come See About Me” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Ross launched her solo career in 1969, later topping the charts with hits such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Love Hangover.” She also starred in films like Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues, earning an Oscar nomination for the latter.

Despite personal and professional ups and downs, Ross has endured as a performer with a career spanning more than four decades. Her breakthrough in the music industry inspired countless women. With 70 hit singles and 18 No.1s, she remains the only artist to reach the top as a solo artist, duet partner, trio member, and ensemble performer. Billboard magazine named her the “female entertainer of the century” in 1976.

Madonna – Boundary Breaker

Whether you love her or hate her, one thing is undeniable: she’s a master at overcoming obstacles. No one has done more for women’s self-determination in music than Madonna. She and a handful of others paved the way for women in music to be taken seriously beyond a career based on looks and youth. In 1978, she left Michigan for New York with just $35 in her pocket, landing gigs as a backing singer and dancer in bands.

After signing to Sire Records as a solo artist, she quickly made a name for herself in the club scene before crossing over to the mainstream with the hit single “Holiday.” Being a trendsetter is challenging, but Madonna is savvy—she writes her own material and was ahead of the curve when it came to using technology and 1980s-era visual elements.

She never sticks to one direction, constantly evolving her style, music, acting, writing, and filmmaking—often pushing boundaries with a mix of controversy. She’s also a champion of creative and financial independence, launching her own label Maverick Records. Beyond the label, she’s involved in numerous business ventures, including a $120 million deal with Live Nation that revolutionized the financial landscape for 21st-century artists. As you can see, this material girl knows how to get things done.

Bessie Smith – “Empress of the Blues”

Bessie Smith recorded her first single, the chart-topping “Downhearted Blues,” which launched her career as one of the most popular female blues singers of the 1920s and 1930s. Featuring Clarence Williams on piano, Smith’s debut single and its B-side, “Gulf Coast Blues,” were recorded for Columbia Records. Selling 780,000 copies in six months, “Downhearted Blues” was a smash hit that eventually went on to sell 2 million records.

Bessie Smith became the highest-paid African-American entertainer of her era, earning the nickname “The Empress of Blues.” While the song was originally composed and recorded by Alberta Hunter, Smith’s version received the most attention and acclaim. She went on to record other hits during her career, such as “The St. Louis Blues,” “Gulf Coast Blues,” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” but her debut remains her most successful song.

In 2002, her recording was selected by the National Recording Preservation Board for inclusion in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also named Smith’s “Downhearted Blues” one of the 500 songs that shaped rock music, and the track was awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2006.

Bonnie Raitt – Slide Guitar Queen

What makes Bonnie Raitt and her music so beloved? For one, she always surrounds herself with top-tier songwriters and musicians. She’s an exceptional slide guitar player—able to make her guitar moan just as skillfully as any classic or contemporary blues player. She studied the blues thoroughly, honing her craft.

Beyond her music, Bonnie’s personality and sincerity win people over. She’s unpretentious when it comes to her music and guitar playing, with a unique ability to interpret each song in a way that resonates with listeners.

She’s a champion of great American music, exploring classic blues, folk, R&B grooves, and other styles depending on her current project. She paved the way for future generations of singers and songwriters, serving as a role model for countless artists, musicians, and fans.