# Female Band Members **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180 "2011-08-18T15:34:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/1 "2011-08-18T15:34:59Z")
List time! Trying to think of bands that are mostly male and have non-lead-singer female members. Perfect example: Smashing Pumpkins with D’arcy Wretzky on bass. Not a good example: No Doubt, Hole, Florence + The Machine Other good examples: Belle & Sebastian (even tho the girls sing sometimes, but not much) Skankin’ Pickle Lenny Kravitz…if we consider him a band, and his drummer Cindy Blackman ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/2 "2011-08-18T15:44:47Z")
Talking Heads Velvet Underground ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/3 "2011-08-18T15:48:34Z")
Autolux has a female drummer, Carla Azar (the other two members are male). Lenny Kravitz’ band has a female drummer, Cindy Blackman. The Beastie Boys used to play with a female drummer, Kate Schellenbach, in their early days. Yo La Tengo, also has a female drummer, Georgia Hubley (other two members are male). ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/4 "2011-08-18T15:49:09Z")
White Zombie ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/5 "2011-08-18T15:50:45Z")
Every 90’s alternative band ever. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/6 "2011-08-18T15:51:55Z")
Jeff Beck’s bass player, [Tal Wilkenfeld](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_Wilkenfeld). ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/7 "2011-08-18T15:52:07Z")
The Cramps, alas, stopped performing after Lux Interior died. Throughout the history of the band–& _many_ personnel changes–he sang lead & his wife, Poison Ivy, played guitar… ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/8 "2011-08-18T15:53:40Z")
Lordi ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/9 "2011-08-18T15:53:44Z")
Arcade Fire have a couple female members, occasional lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Régine Chassagne and violinist Sarah Neufeld. Others that spring to mind, the White Stripes, The Decemberists, The Dandy Warhols, Silversun Pickups and Faithless. Female instrumentalists are definitely under-represented in rock music. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/10 "2011-08-18T15:54:01Z")
Another one: Paz Lechantin played bass with A Perfect Circle. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/11 "2011-08-18T15:58:40Z")
I just remembered what sparked my interest in this topic to begin with. A commercial on my favorite radio station by “Anna, from Airborne Toxic Event” ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/12 "2011-08-18T15:59:37Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > The Cramps, alas, stopped performing after Lux Interior died. I was just about to say, I wasn’t sure if the Cramps counted as “mostly male”…I guess it depends on the specific lineup. The early-mid '70s incarnations of the Mothers with Ruth Underwood. There were also the short-lived Zappa band lineups with Norma Bell and Bianca, both of whom contributed some lead vocals but weren’t the main singers. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/13 "2011-08-18T16:03:28Z")
The Jayhawks have Karen Grotberg on keyboards. Despite her singing lead on a fair number of songs, I think Christine McVie qualifies. She was always one of two or more singers and made an important contribution instrumentally as Fleetwood Mac transitioned from a blues band to a pop band. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/14 "2011-08-18T16:05:52Z")
Sara Lee played bass for Robert Fripp’s League of Gentlemen and later for the Gang of Four. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/15 "2011-08-18T16:16:36Z")
[Elaine Harris played drums for Trip Shakespeare](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukZh0VB32fY), whose three other male members all sang lead (she did not). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/16 "2011-08-18T16:23:21Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Jeff Beck’s bass player, [Tal Wilkenfeld](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal_Wilkenfeld). Rhonda Smith took over for the most recent tour. Jeff had the amazing Jennifer Batten in the band before that. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/17 "2011-08-18T16:32:10Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I just remembered what sparked my interest in this topic to begin with. > > A commercial on my favorite radio station by “Anna, from Airborne Toxic Event” She’s the one I thought of when I read the title thread. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/18 "2011-08-18T16:32:45Z")
I seem to recall a little known band named [WINGS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_(band)) ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/19 "2011-08-18T16:33:06Z")
Tammy Glover has played drums in Sparks for the past decade plus. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180/20 "2011-08-18T16:40:58Z")
> [@MegaBee](#): > > Lordi Who’ve had 2, both of them keyboardists. Interesting how many of the examples are drummers, though. I’ll add another - the Japanese metal band Maximum the Hormone. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-band-members/593180.md?page=2)