Cherry Bombs
Rock N' Roll has always been a male-dominated business. The notion of an all-girl hard rock band was not met favorably. Girls were sometimes lead singers in all-male bands, but in the '70s, things began to change: all-female bands were beginning to flourish. A few women were actually instrument playing members of the band, such as Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, but serious all-girl lineups were basically unheard of. There were some such as Fanny and Girlschool, but in the mid-70s The Runaways, packed a bit of spark and punch. Though a fairly short-lived band, they definitely made their presence known.
Basically promoted as "live jailbait", The Runaways enforced the image of underage runaway girls living in a wild world. Their packaging advertised sex; front girl Cherrie Currie appeared in lingerie while their powerhouse lead guitarist Lita Ford came in leather. The Runaway's music however, had more to offer. The song "You Drive Me Wild" from the first album is still hot. 
The first time I ever saw Joan Jett, I believed she was the real deal. She soon proved that point by cranking out power chords and hard rock with the same level and ability as many other male bands of the time. Though female power rockers and shredders are commonplace now, this type of ability and outright courage was almost non-existent in female groups.
Joan went on into the '80s making a huge splash, but in her day, very few bands left a mark as unforgettable as The Runaways.
A Songbird, 1943-2022
I couldn't talk about the women in rock music without first celebrating Christine McVie, the Songbird. As a songwriter, she was an amazing talent. As the years progressed, McVie was racking up many of Fleetwood Mac's chart-topping hits.
McVie rocked the charts with an amazing onslaught of great songs. Some of these include: "Show Me a Smile", "Spare Me a Little of Your Love", "Dissatisfied", "Just Crazy Love", "Say You Love Me", "Warm Ways", "Over My Head", "Songbird", "You Make Loving Fun", "Over, and Over", "Think About Me", and "Never Make Me Cry."
Once More with Heart
Guitar wizard Nancy Wilson and her powerhouse singer sister Ann, seared the air waves with a catalogue of respectable hits. "Crazy on You" was on the radio constantly, and got several plays on my stereo as well. Heart's music was high-quality, and there was seriousness to it; Nancy Wilson soon became one of my favorite composers, and I could also hear her influence on many newer bands that came out in the 80's. The song "Barricuda" is still considered a riff monster in rock music today, and remains inspired classic.
Power to the Punk
The newly-evolving punk scene also gave us some serious female rock stars, but as a whole, the female as a rock performer, was a force to be reckoned with. Acts like Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde, Suzie Quatro, The Go-Go's and Girlschool were making big waves on the scene.
"Thunder only happens when it's raining..."
When newcomer Stevie Nicks joined the ever-changing Fleetwood Mac lineup, what we saw was a future performer with unique songwriting prowess and amazing staying power. Through her tenure with Fleetwood Mac, and into the '80s, Stevie Nicks proved herself to be a superstar with chart-peaking songwriting abilities. During her '70s reign with Fleetwood Mac, she gave us indelible, and unforgettable hits such as: "Dreams", "Rhiannon", "Landslide", and "Sara". The song "Dreams" was written with only 2 chords (G and F), and reached a top chart position.
Power Vocalists
A 1972 Grammy winner for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Aretha Franklin gave us another huge hit with "Rock Steady" that year. The song appeared on her 18th studio album "Young, Gifted, and Black".
Janis Joplin travelled in from the '60s time machine and gave us a loving farewell hit with: "Me and Bobby McGee" After her tragic exit, this probably became the song she was best known for. Janis was the unequivocal template of a female power rock vocalist, making her shoes nearly impossible to fill.
Similarly, women singers likeGrace Slick, Pat Benatar, Lydia Pense, Gayle McCormick all cut their teeth on '60s grooves. Grace Slick continued on into the '70s with the refurbished Jefferson Airplane which took flight as "Jefferson Starship".
Lydia Pense of Cold Blood was by far one of the most powerful and astonishing female vocalists I'd ever heard in my life. She was pure soul! Her sound was electric, and unforgettable. She entered the San Francisco scene with her band "Cold Blood" with a memorable hit "You Got Me Hummin'"
Progressive Ladies
Rock N' Roll was fun, but when it came to more creative structures, the progressive rock band Renaissance featured frontwoman Annie Haslam on vocals.
Sonja Kristina was also a frontgal for Curved Air. The song "Back Street Luv" from 1975's "Curved Air Live", is truly wonderful.
