Glancing through Star Guitars … That Rocked the World,
one might get the erroneous impression that women guitarists are few and far
between-- only THREE women are listed out of 101 guitarists! (Sister Rosetta Tharpe is one of the
three). Here’s a shout-out to—and partial list
of— a few often overlooked, incredible African-American
female guitarists, past and present.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
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| Sister Rosetta Thorpe, late 1930's. Photo: Roxie Moore |
Godmother of rock and roll.
Gospel superstar.
Performed at the Cotton Club.
Performed with the Dixie Hummingbirds, Lucky
Millinder, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, and
Sammy Price.
Gospel superstar.
Performed at the Cotton Club.
Performed with the Dixie Hummingbirds, Lucky
Millinder, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, and
Sammy Price.
Performers Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Little
Richard, Johnny Cash, Isaac Hayes, and Aretha
Franklin all credited Tharpe as having had a major
influence on their music.
Andy Allo
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| Photo from Urban Bush Babes, October 2015. |
Cameroon-born singer, songwriter, guitarist,
and actress Andy Allo's first solo gig was in
and actress Andy Allo's first solo gig was in
2008 in downtown Sacramento's Fox &
Goose Public House. Allo released her first
independent album (UnFresh) in 2009,
which led to her role as a backup singer and
guitarist for Prince’s band The New Power
generation.
In 2017 Allo appeared in the film Pitch
Perfect 3 as Evermoist band member
Serenity.
Jimmy Kimmel Live (March 31, 2013)
Bibi McGill
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| Image from About Face, Portland's Interview Magazine, July 2012. |
Belinda “Bibi” McGill is best known as the lead
guitarist and musical director of the all-female
guitarist and musical director of the all-female
Suga Mamas, Beyoncé's backing band.
Bibi also toured with Pink, among other bands.
Video: “If I were a Boy.” Guitar solo with Beyoncé
McGill currently lives in Portland, Oregon where
she is also a yoga teacher— and founder of Bibi
Food Enterprises which produces kale chips and
other “gluten-free artisan food snacks.”
Video “Believe,” produced in collaboration with
Open School North, Portland, Oregon
 |
| Image from online article in All Access Music |
Malina Moye
Malina Moye, “the female Jimi Hendrix,” is a singer, songwriter,
lefty guitarist and entrepreneur.
Moye grew up surrounded by music--
her father played with Bernard Allison, and her mother was a background
singer with Tina Turner.
Video: “Foxy Lady”
Tamar-Kali
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| Image from Black Women Rock website. |
Singer, guitarist and composer
Tamar-Kali, NYC underground punk
rock fave and star of the documentary
Afro-punk, takes her name from the
Hindu goddess of war and death.
Tamar-Kali likes to describe her music
as “classical experimental” and
“aggressive melodic rock.” How would
you characterize her music?
Here are two music videos of Tamar-
Kali performing to help you decide.
Video: “Boot” live
Video: “Senseless” (Tamar-kali &
Psychochamber Ensemble, MOMA, 2015)
Toshi Reagon
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| Image from iHeart Radio |
Singer and guitarist Toshi Reagon is
the daughter of musician activist
parents. Both parents were members
of the civil rights musical group The
Freedom Singers. Mother Dr. Bernise
Johnson Reagon founded Sweet Honey
in the Rock. Father Cordell Hull Reagon
was a leader of the civil rights
movement in Albany.
Toshi is also the goddaughter of folk
singer Pete Seeger, and was named
after Seeger’s wife.
Toshi continues to speak out against
injustice as her parents did-- she and her band BIGLovely performed with Nona
Hendryx at the Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2007.
Video: “Battle of the Broken Word”
Valerie June
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| Image: i.ytimg.com [aka YouTube image] |
Musician Valerie June Hockett likes to described her music as “organic moonshine roots music.” A modern woman, she raised funds to record an album via Kickstarter, raising $15,000 in 2 months. Valerie June is particularly popular in Europe and the UK, and her music is often played on BBC Radio 6.
Video: “You can’t be told”:
Interested in learning, (hearing, watching) more? Unfortunately, there is little written about female guitarists,
particularly those who are African American. O’Grady does, however, own the book She's a Rebel : the History
of Women in Rock & Roll, as well as DVDs such as Ken Burn’s Jazz series (plus companion volume)
and Martin Scorsese’s The Blues, a Musical Journey series.
Several Summit Libraries own Gayle Wald’s biography Shout, sister, shout!, as well as CDs of Tharpe's music.
UK filmmaker Mick Csaky's one-hour documentary Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock & Roll can
be found online (currently through Vimeo, for example), and of course many music videos are available online
thanks to YouTube.