# Groups where female is not the lead singer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [June 27, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977 "2022-06-27T16:34:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/1 "2022-06-27T16:34:24Z")
I can only think of Talking heads ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/2 "2022-06-27T16:36:35Z")
I don’t understand the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/3 "2022-06-27T16:36:37Z")
WTF? The vast majority of groups have a male lead singer. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/4 "2022-06-27T16:36:46Z")
Beatles, Zep. Floyd, Doors, etc. It is extremely common. @Bijou_Drains; did you mean groups with women in them and no woman is the lead singer? _I can fix the title for you._ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/5 "2022-06-27T16:38:01Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Did you mean groups with women in them and no woman is the lead singer? Oops, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/6 "2022-06-27T16:38:53Z")
Many groups also have female backup singers but a male lead. Bob Seger comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/7 "2022-06-27T16:39:26Z")
The Pixies ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/8 "2022-06-27T16:41:04Z")
There’s the Pixies and Velvet Underground — both female members sang but they weren’t the lead. Also Smashing Pumpkins. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/9 "2022-06-27T16:43:08Z")
I assume the question is about groups that have at least one female member, where that woman is not the lead singer. I will add the White Stripes (if a duo counts as a group). If vocal groups count, there’s also the Platters. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/10 "2022-06-27T16:44:00Z")
The Pogues are another. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/11 "2022-06-27T16:44:31Z")
Yes, perhaps the OP is thinking of a group that has a female playing a lead instrument but not a lead singer (or a backup singer). [The Talking Heads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remain_in_Light#/media/File:TalkingHeadsRemaininLight.jpg) would be an example. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/12 "2022-06-27T16:48:14Z")
The Dandy Warhols. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/13 "2022-06-27T16:48:24Z")
Eagles of Death Metal ---
**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:** [June 27, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/14 "2022-06-27T16:50:35Z")
Linda LaFlamme of It’s a Beautiful Day. Keyboards only, and they already had a female vocalist (Pattie Santos) The Honeycombs had Honey Landtree as their drummer. Despite the fact the group was named after her (she was a hairdresser, thus Honey Combs), she did not sing. For session musicians, there is Carol Kaye. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/15 "2022-06-27T16:50:38Z")
Decemberists Gogol Bordello ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/16 "2022-06-27T16:56:16Z")
Gaelic Storm is an Irish music band whose fiddle player is always a woman, and they’ve had a good number of them. As of this post it’s Katie Grennen. Only one ever sang lead, Kathleen Keane sang a few tracks on the 2001 album, _Tree_. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/17 "2022-06-27T16:58:30Z")
My Bloody Valentine Silversun Pickups (often considered Pumpkins/MBV ripoffs) Yo La Tengo pre-_License to Ill_ Beastie Boys If bands can only have one “lead” singer, maybe these Canadian supergroups? My guess is that these guys sing the plurality of the songs, but I haven’t done the math: Broken Social Scene (Kevin Drew) The New Pornographers (A.C. Newman) ---
**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:** [June 27, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/18 "2022-06-27T17:07:36Z")
Gail Ann Dorsey (bass) in Bowie’s band for the Reality Tour Not a great example due to lack of vocals in general, but Jeff Beck has had some extremely talented female musicians in his touring bands (Tal Wikenfeld, Rhonda Smith, Jennifer Batten) ---
**Author:** ![kwintenstraler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kwintenstraler/32/10698_2.png) [@kwintenstraler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwintenstraler)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/19 "2022-06-27T17:13:13Z")
Velvet Underground ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/20 "2022-06-27T17:14:37Z")
Prince’s various band incarnations. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977.md?page=2)