It’s genuinely exciting to acknowledge that when discussing the best female guitar players, the sheer number of talented individuals makes it impossible to fit them all onto a single list, even one extending beyond the typical ‘top 25’. This rich history stretches back to the very foundations of genres like gospel, country, folk, and rock and roll. While your personal favorite might not be explicitly named here, this list aims to spotlight those pioneering women who shone brightest, each forging a distinctive style, playing pivotal roles in legendary bands, or creating groundbreaking music that continues to inspire generations of guitarists. These are some of the most influential musicians ever to record, and in many cases, they are the very players from whom male guitar heroes themselves drew inspiration.
If you’re looking for a refreshing change from the usual male-dominated guitar narratives, this compilation of 25 Great Female Guitar Players is definitely for you.
Poison Ivy of The Cramps playing guitar on stage, known for her unique reverb-drenched sound and influential role in punk and rockabilly
Poison Ivy – The Cramps – Photo: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images
25: Sarah Lipstate (Noveller)
Sarah Lipstate, known as Noveller, is a master of sonic architecture. She utilizes looping technology to craft expansive, textural soundscapes, drawing parallels to the work of Rhys Chatham, with whom she has collaborated, and the legendary Robert Fripp. However, Lipstate also retains the sensibility of an indie rocker’s approach to songwriting. The underlying melodic structure in her compositions, though often veiled beneath layers of feedback, is always present. This unique blend of sonic exploration and melodic grounding has led to her touring with artists across genres, including St Vincent and Iggy Pop.
24: Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney)
While Carrie Brownstein often receives more individual recognition, particularly for her lead guitar work, the true magic of Sleater-Kinney’s guitar sound resided in the intricate interplay between Brownstein and Corin Tucker. Notably, the band lacked a bass guitarist, yet they produced powerful basslines, often created by Tucker using a harmonizer alongside her signature choppy rhythms. Their guitar collaboration was a study in contrasts: mathematical precision combined with raw, controlled energy. Tucker’s guitar skills also extended beyond Sleater-Kinney, showcased in collaborations with Eddie Vedder on his solo projects.
23: Felicia Collins
For many, Felicia Collins is synonymous with her role as the lead guitarist in the house band for Late Night With David Letterman. A funk specialist at her core, Collins demonstrated an exceptional ability to adapt to any musical style, seamlessly aligning with the diverse range of guests on the show. Prior to her television fame, Collins was deeply embedded in Nile Rodgers’ musical network, performing with numerous artists he produced, including Madonna, and even making guest appearances with Parliament-Funkadelic. Her guitar work was a key element in the funky sound of Thompson Twins at Live Aid.
22. Vicki Peterson (The Bangles)
In contrast to their contemporaries The Go-Go’s, who leaned towards the vocal-centric “girl group” sound, The Bangles drew heavily from the energy of mid-60s garage rock. Their early performances featured covers of The Yardbirds’ “I’m Not Talkin'” and The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard,” songs that remained part of their set even as they achieved mainstream success. Vicki Peterson’s often-understated lead guitar playing was a crucial element in The Bangles’ sound. As the band evolved, Peterson’s guitar work expanded to encompass power-pop jangle, driving power chords, George Harrison-inspired lead lines, and whatever else each song demanded, firmly establishing her as one of the great female guitar players. Beyond her guitar skills, she was also a significant songwriter for the band.
21: Wendy Melvoin (The Revolution, Wendy & Lisa)
The impact of Wendy Melvoin and her musical partner Lisa Coleman on Prince’s musical trajectory cannot be overstated. They were instrumental in introducing Prince to psychedelic music, and the film Purple Rain cemented Melvoin’s status as one of the best female guitar players and highlighted her crucial role in creating the iconic title track. Later, through their work as Wendy & Lisa, Melvoin proved her own prowess as a funky riff-master and compelling soloist, independent of Prince’s influence. Her subsequent career has seen her collaborate with diverse artists like Madonna and Neil Finn.
20: Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell’s distinctive and lyrical acoustic guitar playing on her early albums alone would warrant her inclusion among great female guitar players. As her music evolved towards electric instrumentation, she collaborated with guitar luminaries such as James Burton and Larry Carlton. However, as Mitchell’s compositions became increasingly complex, external musicians found it challenging to fully grasp her intricate musical vision. Consequently, she took on more of the guitar work herself, playing approximately half of the lead guitar parts on Hejira (including the memorable jazz-infused riffs in “Coyote”), all but one on Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter, and all lead guitar on Mingus, demonstrating her ability to hold her own alongside jazz giants like Wayne Shorter and Jaco Pastorius.
19: Dot Wiggin (The Shaggs)
If you believe that playing guitar for The Shaggs required no musical skill, try replicating their distinctive sound. The Shaggs, a late-1960s garage band comprised of sisters, defied conventional musical logic. Whether they were untrained prodigies or simply an accidental phenomenon, their impact as female guitarists is undeniable, surpassing many more conventional bands. Dot Wiggin’s vocals and guitar playing, often in completely different rhythms (while the drummer followed yet another rhythmic path), demanded a unique kind of focus. Furthermore, the enduring indie-rock tradition of female trios utilizing two guitars instead of a bass can be traced back to The Shaggs’ pioneering approach.
18: Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge embodies the Pete Townshend approach of playing acoustic guitar with the intensity and aggression typically associated with amplified electric guitars. This powerful style likely stems from her years performing in coffeehouses, where her closely-miked acoustic guitar became the central instrumental hook in many of her hits. While her bands usually feature a dedicated male lead guitarist, they often take a supporting role when Etheridge’s raw, emotive playing takes center stage.
17: Anne Clark (St Vincent)
During her Masseduction tour, St Vincent, the moniker of Anne Clark, made a striking visual statement by using a different DayGlo pastel-colored guitar for each song, all variations of her custom Ernie Ball signature model. Her guitar playing was as vibrant and dynamic as her instrument choices. She is a fluid and inventive soloist in the vein of Robert Fripp and Frank Zappa, crafting solos built on intricate melodic lines. Beyond her soloing prowess, she is also a gifted dance-pop songwriter, seamlessly integrating her distinctive rhythm guitar work into tracks like “Slow Disco.”
16: Joan Jett (Joan Jett And The Blackhearts)
Joan Jett has never positioned herself as a lead guitarist, and her bands have always included dedicated lead players. However, the very essence of punk guitar – rhythm chords delivered with urgency and unwavering precision – is deeply ingrained in her musical DNA. While often unacknowledged, her rhythm guitar work is arguably as influential as that of her Runaways bandmate, Lita Ford. Characteristically, Jett remains focused on the music itself, rather than seeking accolades regarding her status among great female guitar players.
15: Orianthi
Orianthi first gained attention playing alongside Carrie Underwood and was slated to tour with Michael Jackson on his final tour. This Australian guitarist’s primary achievement lies in her ability to transcend genre boundaries within rock music. She is equally comfortable playing lead guitar with Alice Cooper, trading licks with Steve Vai, and forming the duo RSO with Richie Sambora. Her rendition of “Hellbound Train” is considered by many to be the definitive Savoy Brown cover, regardless of gender. Despite the recent news of her separation from Sambora, Orianthi remains a formidable musical force in her own right.
14: Bonnie Raitt
Within the pantheon of 1970s rock guitar heroes, it would be challenging to find a slide guitarist with a more immediately recognizable and distinctive sound than Bonnie Raitt. Her contemporary and admirer, Lowell George of Little Feat, was both a collaborator and devoted fan. While Raitt maintains a strong presence in the singer-songwriter realm, her guitar playing, particularly her slide work, serves as a vital link to her blues roots. Although her bands typically include guitarists to handle melodic passages, the most electrifying and emotionally charged guitar moments in her music invariably come from Raitt herself.
13: Nancy Wilson (Heart)
Nancy Wilson holds the distinction of being the first female guitarist to lead a rock band to the top of the charts. She and her sister Ann are the enduring core of Heart. While the band has featured other lead guitarists, Nancy delivered arguably their most iconic guitar moment: the acoustic transition from “Dreamboat Annie” into “Crazy On You.” Nancy’s contributions ensured that Heart’s artful acoustic side always coexisted with their powerful electric sound, even during their arena rock era of the 1980s. She also played a significant role in composing nearly all of their most famous songs.
12: Poison Ivy (The Cramps)
Poison Ivy, of The Cramps, was arguably the most visually and sonically distinctive guitarist within the American punk scene. A Cramps song is instantly identifiable, often before lead singer Lux Interior begins to sing, due in large part to Ivy’s guitar work. She reconnected punk rock to its primal roots in trash culture and twangy guitar sounds, contributing to the rediscovery of artists like Link Wray and Nokie Edwards of The Ventures. Her place among great female guitar players is secured by the sleazy, reverb-drenched riffs that formed the foundation of The Cramps’ sound, and she developed into a skilled soloist as their discography grew. Her mastery of reverb is unparalleled. Ivy has maintained a low profile since the passing of her partner Lux Interior, and her absence is felt within the music world.
11: Marnie Stern
Marnie Stern, with her shredding speed and indie-rock ethos, represents the modern embodiment of a guitar hero. Even those who are not particularly drawn to guitar-centric music can appreciate her concept album, The Chronicles Of Marnia, which is filled with cleverly crafted pop hooks. However, for guitar enthusiasts, her playing is a marvel of imagination, characterized by rapid, inventive runs and a remarkable sense of economy. Across five albums, she has yet to record a song exceeding four and a half minutes in length. If Eddie Van Halen had joined Sleater-Kinney, the result might still not have reached the level of originality and excitement that Marnie Stern delivers.
10: Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses)
Kristin Hersh is perpetually underrated, yet she ranks alongside Bob Mould and J Mascis as a pioneering figure in indie-rock guitar, possessing a sound instantly recognizable. Undeniably one of the great female guitar players of the 1980s and 90s, she is equally adept at unleashing furious lead lines and crafting mind-bending distorted power chords, while also capable of delicate and elegant acoustic guitar work. She truly came into her own during the period when Throwing Muses streamlined into a three-piece band (their later albums are essential studies in revitalizing the power-trio format). Her more recent solo albums, where she also plays bass, showcase the full breadth of her sonic palette.
9: Susan Tedeschi (Tedeschi Trucks Band)
Any follower of the jam band scene will attest that the Tedeschi Trucks Band is not simply a band featuring both female and male guitarists, or a married couple leading a band; it is a band driven by two exceptional guitarists, plain and simple. Remarkably, both Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have experienced significant growth as musicians since joining forces. Tedeschi has absorbed some of her partner’s jazz inclinations, while Trucks has incorporated her R&B sensibilities into his playing. To witness Tedeschi at her peak, seek out the performance clip of her playing “Crossroads” alongside Eric Clapton at his festival, and observe Clapton’s broad smile of admiration after her guitar solo.
8: Kaki King
Kaki King stands apart from other great female guitar players as she is more accurately described as a contemporary composer who happens to be a guitar virtuoso. Her compositions are rich with elements of modern classical music, progressive jazz, and occasional forays into satisfying pop structures. Whether collaborating with classical or rock musicians, she pushes the boundaries of acoustic guitar, employing a percussive technique that blends flamenco influences with echoes of Van Halen. While she could have easily built a career on virtuosity alone, her more recent work, including the conceptual piece The Neck Is A Bridge To The Body, reveals her pursuit of deeper artistic ambitions.
7: Peggy Jones
Peggy Jones, better known as Lady Bo, holds the distinction of being the first female guitarist in a prominent rock and roll band. She joined Bo Diddley’s group at the age of 16 and contributed to many of his classic singles, including “Mona,” “Crackin’ Up,” and “Bo Diddley’s A Gunslinger.” Later in her career, she played on a number of singles highly sought after by record collectors, such as Les Cooper’s “Oowee Baby” and The Soul Rockers’ “Wiggle Wobble,” and even spent a period performing with James Brown’s band. She continued to perform as Lady Bo until her passing in 2015.
6: Liona Boyd
Born in London and raised in Toronto, Liona Boyd was both a classical guitar prodigy and a television personality in the 1970s. Marketed as the “first lady of the guitar,” she was an early protégé of Andres Segovia and performed at Carnegie Hall in 1975. Boyd became a familiar face on Canadian television and, though less publicly known at the time, was romantically involved with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. While many favor her classical recordings, particularly those compiled on her 20th Century Masters volume, she gradually transitioned into New Age music and increasingly focused on vocals after a neurological condition impacted her guitar playing.
5: Emily Remler
Like many guitarists hailing from New Jersey, Emily Remler’s early musical experiences were rooted in rock music. However, her musical horizons expanded significantly after studying at Berklee College Of Music, where she discovered the music of Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery. She rapidly emerged as a leading modern guitarist in the bebop tradition, approaching jazz standards with a flowing tone and boundless improvisational creativity. Remler recorded extensively throughout her short career, collaborating with artists such as Larry Coryell and Astrud Gilberto. During a brief period in New Orleans, she also performed with funk and R&B bands, although no recordings from this period are known to exist. Like Montgomery, her life was tragically cut short, leaving one to wonder what she might have achieved had addiction not claimed her life at the age of 32.
4: Memphis Minnie
Lizzie Douglas, better known as Memphis Minnie, was a pioneering force among early guitar pickers. She taught herself guitar and banjo and honed her skills in the vibrant Beale Street blues scene in Memphis. She recorded for numerous prominent labels, including Columbia, Checker, Decca, and Okeh, and played a crucial role in the urbanization of the blues sound. Undeniably one of the great female guitar players in history, this fearless blueswoman famously engaged in “cutting contests” with blues legends Big Bill Broonzy and Muddy Waters – and often emerged victorious.
3: Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Cotten, a trailblazing figure in folk and blues music, developed her unique guitar style somewhat accidentally. Being left-handed, she initially learned to play her right-handed brother’s banjo upside down. When she transitioned to guitar, she retained the instincts of a banjo player, and because the guitar was still reversed, she fingerpicked the bass strings while using her thumb to play the melodies. This distinctive “Cotten picking” style is notoriously difficult to master, which may explain why no two renditions of her signature song, “Freight Train,” sound exactly alike.
2: Mother Maybelle Carter
Mother Maybelle Carter significantly shaped the landscape of country guitar playing. She earns her place among great female guitar players for inventing a style variously known as thumb brush, the church lick, but most famously as Carter Family picking. Possibly inspired by banjo techniques, Maybelle used her thumb to play melody lines on the bass strings while strumming rhythms on the higher strings. This innovative approach gave the Carter Family trio the sonic depth of having multiple guitars. Guitar greats like Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, and her son-in-law Johnny Cash all acknowledged her profound influence.
1: Sister Rosetta Tharpe
No, the devil certainly did not have all the best songs, or even all the great guitarists. Topping this list of great female guitar players is Sister Rosetta Tharpe, an early gospel artist who genuinely pioneered many of the distorted guitar tones that blues and rock players would later embrace. Before achieving this, Sister Rosetta Tharpe recorded some of the most remarkably fluid acoustic guitar leads ever captured. On her 1945 hit, “Strange Things Happening Every Day,” she blurred genre lines between country, jazz, and gospel, all in service of her powerful spiritual expression. To truly be amazed, seek out the live video of her performance of “Up Above My Head (I Hear Music In The Air).” While the original 1948 single lacks a guitar solo, this live rendition, circa 1963, showcases her proto-shredding guitar work as a choir enthusiastically claps along. You can hear echoes of Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry, infused with an overwhelming sense of jubilation, before she exclaims, “Let’s do that again!” Yes, Sister, please do.
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