# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/61 "2022-06-28T00:37:49Z")
Throbbing Gristle. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/62 "2022-06-28T00:43:07Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > The Cramps were my very first thought. Female lead guitarist (and female bassist, depending on the incarnation) with male lead singer. Poison Ivy is great. (And for whatever reason, there aren’t many bands that have female guitarists.) ---
**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:** [June 28, 2022, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/63 "2022-06-28T00:45:18Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > there aren’t many bands that have female guitarists. Well, there’s the Electric Mayhem. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/64 "2022-06-28T01:08:35Z")
Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see any mention of Linda McCartney of Wings. ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/65 "2022-06-28T01:17:41Z")
LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/66 "2022-06-28T01:34:05Z")
The Dream Academy. Kate St. John was the multi-instrumentalist (mostly horns or woodwinds). She’s a perfectly capable singer – as her solo work testifies – but that wasn’t her role in that act. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/67 "2022-06-28T02:34:21Z")
Going all the way back to the early British Invasion, there were the Honeycombs. [The Honeycombs - Have I The Right - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUfSXaTc8w) ---
**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 28, 2022, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/68 "2022-06-28T03:49:20Z")
Yes I mean 1 or more women in the group but none sing lead except maybe a song or 2. Stevie Nicks is certainly a lead singer in Fleetwood mac. Trivia: Tina Weymouth’s niece was publisher of the Washington post from 2008-2014 ---
**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 28, 2022, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/69 "2022-06-28T03:50:25Z")
yes that is correct ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/70 "2022-06-28T04:54:08Z")
I should mention the B52s had 2 female backup singers who sometimes played instruments. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/71 "2022-06-28T06:58:01Z")
Wings ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/72 "2022-06-28T09:05:10Z")
Nancy Wilson of Heart sang lead on _These Dreams_ ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/73 "2022-06-28T09:12:52Z")
Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson sang lead on a number of The Supremes / Diana Ross and The Supremes songs, but I challenge most of you to name a song that didn’t feature Diana. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/74 "2022-06-28T10:56:17Z")
Kora btw would you _expect,_ say, the bass player to sing? Is it true that the “triple threat” is usually acting, singing, and dancing? ---
**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 28, 2022, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/75 "2022-06-28T11:17:31Z")
Otis Taylor often toured with his daughter Cassie playing bass. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/76 "2022-06-28T15:27:09Z")
[Bolt Thrower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_Thrower) with [Jo Bench](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Bench) on bass but not vocals. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/77 "2022-06-28T15:29:31Z")
Guitarist Orianthi has been a hired-gun guitarist for many groups, including Alice Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/78 "2022-06-28T15:41:42Z")
The earliest female bassist in a rock group that I know of is the Applejacks with Megan Davies in the early 60s. [Video here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yRxDKAYwlM). ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/79 "2022-06-28T15:44:13Z")
This thread reminds me of an interview I saw with the Go-Go’s last year when they were finally inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame. Before them, only one female drummer (Moe Tucker) and one female bass player (Tina Weymouth) had previously been inducted. ---
**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:** [June 28, 2022, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977/81 "2022-06-28T15:53:39Z")
It felt like in the 90s you couldn’t walk two steps without running into a female bassist in an alternative rock band. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/groups-where-female-is-not-the-lead-singer/966977.md?page=5)