Rock Out With This Quiz on Female Musicians

In 1967, Joni Mitchell released her first album. The album’s original title was “Songs to a Seagull,” and it was spelled out on the cover by seagulls flying through the air. However, the picture was imperfectly cropped and the title could not be properly seen, so the album became known as “Joni Mitchell.” The mistake was corrected years later.

In 1971, Carole King included “You’ve Got a Friend” on her second studio album, “Tapestry.” However, the song didn’t take flight until later that year when James Taylor released a version that hit No. 1. Additionally, King included her song “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” on “Tapestry,” but Aretha Franklin’s 1967 version made the song a Top 10 hit. “I Feel the Earth Move” was composed and performed by King, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1971.

In the early 1970s, Patti Smith was a spoken-word poet in New York City. With a keen interest in music and the burgeoning punk scene, Smith began to concentrate on making music. In 1975, she released her debut album, “Horses,” to critical and commercial success. The album includes the tracks “Land of a Thousand Dances” and “Gloria,” which became anthems of the early punk movement.

In 1970, Karen Carpenter burst onto the music scene with the Carpenters, a duo with her brother Richard. At first, she sang from behind her drum kit, but eventually she was persuaded to stand center-stage. The Carpenters had many hits, including “(They Long to Be) Close to You” (1970) and “We’ve Only Just Begun” (1970), before their success was cut short by Karen’s untimely death from anorexia.

In 1963, Nina Simone wrote “Mississippi Goddam” in response to the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Alabama, which killed four young Black girls. Over the years, Simone adjusted the words of the song to reflect the locations of other acts of racial injustice. The power of the song and Simone’s rousing performance made it emblematic of the civil rights movement.

In 1975, Joan Jett formed the Runaways while still a teenager, and one year later, the band released their self-titled debut album. The band’s punk-pop sound was a big departure from the then-current disco trend, and their album saw only modest success. Jett later went solo and became the first woman to own an independent record label when she set up Blackheart Records in 1980.

Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald’s contribution to the Great American Songbook has long been celebrated, so it’s fitting that she was also the first African American woman to win a Grammy. Her wins took place at the very first Grammys in 1958, where she was awarded Best Individual Jazz Performance and Best Female Vocal Performance.

In the mid-1930s, saxophonist Lester Young gave jazz singer Billie Holiday the nickname “Lady Day.” Holiday, whose birth name was Elinore Harris, was known for her incredible intensity, which is perhaps best encapsulated by her vocal performance on “Strange Fruit” (1939). Despite her early death, Holiday is remembered as one of the most iconic jazz performers of all time.

Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee. In 1956, she joined Ike Turner’s band, Kings of Rhythm, and took on the stage name “Tina Turner.” Her rich vocals and energetic performance style became her trademark. After divorcing Ike in 1978, Turner went on to enjoy solo success with hits such as “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (1984) and “The Best” (1989).

Singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, and the band saw great success with its self-titled album that same year. However, it was not until 1977 that the group scored its first — and only — U.S. No. 1 hit with “Dreams.” Nicks wrote the song against a backdrop of personal turmoil for the band, as several members’ romantic relationships were breaking down, including Nicks’ relationship with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first musicians in 1986, but it was not until January 3, 1987, that the first female artist was included: Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul had numerous hits in the 1960s, including “Respect” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” and was one of the world’s bestselling musicians.

In the 1970s, Donna Summer became known as “the Queen of Disco” after releasing several influential disco songs. Her first hit, “Love to Love You Baby,” came out in 1975 and included a club version that was 17 minutes long. Summer’s other disco hits include “I Feel Love” (1977), “Last Dance” (1978), and her duet with Barbra Streisand, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (1979).

Etta James began singing gospel songs on the radio at the age of 5, and her vocal talent made her seem destined for success. Two decades later in the 1960s, James finally saw that success on the charts with “All I Could Do Was Cry.” She went on to record her version of “At Last” in 1961, which became her signature song and is considered the definitive rendition of the much-recorded track.

Whitney Houston made her movie debut in “The Bodyguard” (1992), co-starring with Kevin Costner. The film was unpopular with critics but became a huge commercial success, grossing more than $410 million worldwide. Houston recorded the hugely successful soundtrack to the movie, and her rendition of “I Will Always Love You” became the bestselling physical single by a female artist of all time.

Dolly Parton is not only a legendary performer but also an extremely talented songwriter. In 1973, the musician scored her second No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “Jolene.” And while most people now know Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” it was first a country hit for Parton in 1974. “9 to 5” was written in 1980 for the film of the same name and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Respect,” meanwhile, was written by Otis Redding and made famous by Aretha Franklin.

“Holiday” was Madonna’s third single and her first to hit the Billboard Hot 100. The song launched her into the limelight, and she quickly racked up additional hit singles, including “Like a Virgin” (1984) and “Into the Groove” (1985). Madonna’s dance-pop energy and street-fashion style made her an icon, and her continued reinvention has ensured her musical longevity.

Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard were signed to Motown records in 1961 as the Supremes. They scored their first hit in 1964 with “Where Did Our Love Go” and went on to achieve five No. 1 hits in a row. Ross was soon picked out as the star performer, and in 1969, she went solo, achieving numerous hits throughout the ’70s and ’80s, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Upside Down.”