# Girls in the band, but not the singer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2007, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872 "2007-08-25T05:25:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/21 "2007-08-25T07:26:56Z")
[QUOTE=percussion] Cindy Blackmore was lennys drummer. killer chops [/QUOTE] Cindy Blackman, actually. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/22 "2007-08-25T08:01:29Z")
No love for **The Thermals**? Kathy Foster is the bassist. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/23 "2007-08-25T08:34:35Z")
[Poison Ivy](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poison_Ivy_%28musician%29&redirect=no) was a founding member of The Cramps, but did not, as far as I know, sing. To those who’ve mentioned The White Stripes: Meg has sung backup on some songs, and even taken lead on a few, such as “In the Cold, Cold Night” from the album _Elephant_. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/24 "2007-08-25T09:43:22Z")
Gillian Gilbert, of New Order. I think she did do some singing, like most band members do, but she was never the lead vocalist. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/25 "2007-08-25T10:59:28Z")
Robert Palmer? 😉 ---
**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 25, 2007, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/26 "2007-08-25T11:53:32Z")
Trip Shakespeare: Drummer Elaine Harris was the only one of the four members who did not sing. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/27 "2007-08-25T12:02:31Z")
Shonna Tucker of the Drive By Truckers. Although she looks kinda like a dude. ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/28 "2007-08-25T12:03:28Z")
Somebody mentioned Pat Smear, which got me thinking… Donna Rhia and Belinda Carlisle drummed for The Germs, but I don’t think either of them ever did vocals for the band, did they? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/29 "2007-08-25T12:15:58Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] I think he’s saying that Robert Plant looks like a girl. [/QUOTE] I think he meant Robert Palmer. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/30 "2007-08-25T12:24:55Z")
Sara Lee played bass for Robert Fripp’s League of Gentlemen and later for the Gang of 4. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/31 "2007-08-25T13:19:21Z")
Lynn Perko was the drummer for the Dicks and Sister Double Happiness. Poisen Ivy for the Cramps was mentioned earlier and she only plays bass. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/32 "2007-08-25T13:28:30Z")
Lordi’s keyboard player is a female character and most likely played by a woman. [QUOTE=BlakeTyner] This may be stretching the OP, since it involves a touring band member rather than a studio member, but **Nirvana** had a female on cello during the In Utero tour as well as their taping of MTV’s “Unplugged” Pat Smear played back-up guitar during both of those, as well, and in a lot of circles he’s considered a “real” member of the band, so I think the cello lady might qualify. ~Blake [/QUOTE] [trivia]The cello lady is [Melora Creager](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melora_Creager), singer for Rasputina.[/trivia] [QUOTE=Team of Scientists] I could swear Weymouth sings backup on some songs, but I may be making that up. Wish I had Stop Making Sense on DVD. [/QUOTE] She did backing vocals during their live shows, but I don’t think she did any in the studio recordings. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/33 "2007-08-25T14:58:01Z")
Chrome (during the period when Helios Creed rebooted it and was on Cleopatra Records) had Z Sylver on keyboards. ---
**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 25, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/34 "2007-08-25T15:13:39Z")
Do “session” players count? Jody Linscott has been in many bands. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard her voice. ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/35 "2007-08-25T15:49:50Z")
Mellencamp ALSO featured Susan Voelz on violin for a time. She was a member of Poi Dog Pondering. CH ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/36 "2007-08-25T16:20:15Z")
I don’t believe Rosie Stone of Sly and the Family Stone did vocals (Cynthia Robinson, the trumpet player, did occasionally sing). ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/37 "2007-08-25T16:38:22Z")
How about non-singing members of bands with a female vocalist? Do they count? ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/38 "2007-08-25T16:56:26Z")
Coal Chamber has had two female bassists. The first was [Rayna Foss-Rose](http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/8/8c/180px-RaynaFossRose.jpg) and the second was [Nadja Peulen](http://www.nadjaonline.com/photos/n_studio/zoltan3.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/39 "2007-08-25T17:37:47Z")
Skid Row- Rachel Bolan on bass. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872/40 "2007-08-25T17:47:54Z")
I’m thinking just about every other alternative band in the 90s stretching into the 00s that had female bass players. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-in-the-band-but-not-the-singer/416872.md?page=3)