Women have played an extraordinary part in American History. Whether moving toward freedom from slavery, freedom in the workplace, or the freedom to make one's own choices, women have positioned themselves as voices of empowerment and endurance. These women have lent their incredibly important voices in the struggle for their own rights, civil rights, human rights, and the movement for peace. The women of American Folk Music are no exception. Here's a look at 30 of the most notable women in folk music, in alphabetical order.
Gillian Welch
© Glen Rose
Gillian Welch burst on the scene in the 1990s, but became a force to reckon with during her involvement with the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? Her command of traditional Americana styles—from country to classic folk—and her haunting, narrative original songs have won her a faithful following.
Hazel Dickens
© Rounder Records
Hazel Dickens is one of bluegrass music's greatest contributors. Over the course of the last three decades, she's delivered album after album of provocative working class music, bluegrass, folk, and protest songs.
Indigo Girls
© Kim Ruehl / About.com
With their rich harmonies and their smooth, melodic counterpoint guitar work, the Indigo Girls have carved out a distinct niche for themselves in the area of folk-pop. They're also fierce activists for civil and human rights, as well as spokespeople for the Native American traditional community. Indigo Girl Amy Ray runs a small not-for-profit record company that helps expose audiences to great artists running the gamut from Danielle Howle to legendary Utah Phillips.
Janis Ian
© Beth Gwinn
Janis Ian started her career when she was just a child. Even still, Ian continues to release oustanding CDs one after the other. Her prolific songwriting ability has made her a real force to be reckoned with. Janis has continually taken a stand against the big business record companies.
Joan Armatrading
photo: Getty Images
British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading has spent decades exploring various styles of Americana, from blues to jazz and contemporary folk. Through the years, she's managed to influence countless artists with her fearless innovative style, and continues to deliver remarkable work.
Joan Baez
© Dana Tynan
Few women in American folk music have had a more direct and integral impact on positive changes in America than Joan Baez. Her efforts combined with the efforts of others during the Civil Rights and Women's Rights movements helped to directly change the course of American history. Joan was also undeniably one of the most famous women of the 1960s folk revival, and has enjoyed one of the fullest, more prolific careers.
Joanna Newsom
photo: Mike Flokis/Getty Images
Joanna Newsom is one of the most inventive new singer-songwriters on the scene. One of the artists frequently lumped in the hard-to-define freak folk category, Newsom's dreamy harp-driven songs have attracted considerable attention over the course of her still brief career.
Joni Mitchell
© Steve Dulson
Joni Mitchell and her hundreds of alternate tunings have no doubt influenced the way so many women attack the acoustic guitar even to this day. Her poetic lyrics and her stunning soprano voice have infected the record collections of other songwriters and fans of just about every musical genre. Even though she often considers herself more of a painter than a songwriter, songs like "Big Yellow Taxi" will always be timeless classics and inspirations to female songwriters.
Judy Collins
© Wildflower
Judy Collins was a great champion of the topical folk song movement of the 1960s and has, as such, become a bit of a feminist icon. While she started her career recording traditional songs and those of her contemporaries, the late 1960s saw her recording her own originals.
k.d. lang
© Victoria Pearson
k.d. lang's career started with kitschy classic-style country music and has evolved over the years to focusing hard on her extraordinary vocal skills. Though she's become known for being a bit of a crooner, her influences in classic country and contemporary folk shine through. She's become one of Canada's greatest contributions to Americana music.
