As an avid music fan and a bassist myself, I’ve always been keenly aware of this situation. I can name a lot of great female bassists right off the top of my head. Kim Deal, Kim Gordon, D’Arcy (Smashing Pumpkins), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), Meshell Ndegocello, Sheryl Crow (yes, I have seen her play bass numerous times), and the phenomenally talented Carol Kaye, a prolific session bassist who played on innumerable hits of the 60s and 70s. That’s just off the top of my head without looking anything up. Oh, and Esperanza Spalding, though she plays jazz, not rock, as far as I know.
Can I think of a single female guitarist who was known primarily as a guitarist first and foremost, not a singer? The answer is no, unfortunately, I can’t. (Is Nancy Wilson known more for guitar or for singing?) Everyone I mentioned above except Sheryl Crow and possibly Kim Gordon, are known more for their instruments than their voices, even if they do also sing.
Can I think of a single female rock drummer? OK, I actually can: Meg White. And Tennessee Thomas, from a band called The Like, who I only know by name because she is the daughter of Attractions drummer Pete Thomas and a mutual friend of his and mine clued me in on that after I once posted a video of the Like. (She’s good though!) Trying to think of others…trying…failing. Damn
The only possible reason why I can think that there might be more well-known female bassists than guitarists or drummers, is - and this is a total long shot, but who knows - the bass has four strings, the cello also has four strings, and there are probably way more girls who grew up playing cello in orchestra, than playing guitar or drums, and then maybe switched to the bass because it was the closest instrument if they wanted to transition to playing rock. I have no idea if any of the above female bassists actually started out on cello, though, so this could be completely wrong. But it’s the only logical explanation I can think of.
(Obviously there are also female double bassists too, in orchestras, but probably fewer because of the size of the instrument.)
Someone could probably argue, from a feminist perspective or something, that the bass is considered a “background” instrument and women are more likely to be taught by society that they should be in the background than in the spotlight as a lead guitarist would be. Yet this argument fails when you consider that, 1. there’s no shortage of girls being pushed into the spotlight as singers (or actresses, or violinists/cellists, what have you), often by their parents but probably just as much by their own ambition; and 2. the drums are also considered a “background” instrument, yet female drummers seem rare.
Also, the title of this thread was supposed to be “why are there so few well-known female guitarists and drummers, compared to bassists?”, but wound up being ! because I meant the ! to go at the end of the word “Damn”, but somehow clicked into the title bar as I was typing it and then hit submit without looking.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - An Originator. A badass on an SG/Les Paul Custom. Just inducted!
Jennifer Batten - played in Michael Jackson’s, and in Jeff Beck’s bands.
Lita Ford - she was lead guitar for the Runaways and known as a player before she started singing
Nancy Wilson - Iron Hands Wilson is a guitarist who can sing.
Kaki King - poppy/slappy innovator. A monster player.
St. Vincent - she is everything - a persona, a singer, a musician - but Annie Clark is, very specifically, known for being a badass guitarist. She is up there with John Mayer as a personality who also happens to be one of the top few pop crossover guitar masters on the charts. Her new signature guitar from Ernie Ball/Music Man is my cite
Emily Remler - a jazz player who died too young of a heroin overdose. Staked out her own territory as a jazz player, respected by the masters of the day like Jim Hall and Pat Martino. Still avidly discussed in jazz guitar circles.
As for “Why does it seem like there are more women bass players?” I think you are missing a key element: the power balance in bands, and the power balance in music. Back in the day, playing the bass was “the only way for a girl to get into a band.” And it is a role that, in stereotyped ways, is the stable peacemaker in the band, the bassist is the one who ties everyone together, the one who shoulders the burden of keeping things moving while the Egos preen and pose. Girls can get shoved into that role because of the politics of a band and the egos of the guys who claim they are the singer or the guitarist (even when no one is anything quite yet).
Also, bass can be seen as a thankless job - especially at the beginning, in a band, when the bassist can’t do anything but play the simplest stuff, because it’s all they know and so everyone else can sound okay. If no one wants to play bass, you get the girl to do it.
Please note: This isn’t my personal experience and I don’t feel that way about women musicians. I am sharing the POV I encountered throughout my musical experiences and what I have read in so many rock memoirs. Fortunately, women are leading the way in so many ways now. The guitar industry looks at Taylor Swift as the George Harrison of sales, St. Vincent is a guitar hero, and the accessibility of YouTube and the #metoo movement are all getting more voices heard.
In music circles, yes - and she is now, per your link label, Cindy Blackman Santana, having married Carlos a few years ago.
Another guitarist to add is Kat Dyson, who toured with Prince as part of the New Power Generation, and has been Cindy Lauper’s guitarist off and on for years.
I see I fucked up a little bit, Emmylou Harris is mostly known for her singing. I Only know the following person from appearing on television shows when I was a kid in the 70s, but I hear that Charo could pluck a string or two. But again, is she mostly known for being on television shows clowning around with her accent or as a guitarist?
Charo was a Latina hyped-up version of Sofia Vergara’s character Gloria on Modern Family. Who happened to be able to sit down and blast out some really well-done classical guitar. But it was more of a cool curiosity, like finding out Christopher Walken started out as a song and dance man (well, until Spike Jonze exploited it for the Weapon of Choice video).
That’s the American version of things. Outside the US she’s really known as a guitarista.
Still, here she’ll always be the character she monetized. Catch her in interviews sometimes and she’s pretty straightforward about how she chose a specific direction in the US to cash some really big checks. Can’t ever blame a performer for that. Such opportunities are rare and shouldn’t be wasted.
). Singing, too, but she played a terrific guitar.
