The Women in Jazz & Jazz-Rock Fusion

I'm not sure why female artists are so few in both the Prog World as well as that of Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion: I'm not sure if it's due to lack of interest, cultural discrepancies in education and societal norms, or mysogynistic behaviors from men, but there are definitely fewer women in the non-classical musical genres than population demographics would predict.

I am compiling a list of the women who managed to make a name for themselves in the bloom of classic Jazz-Rock Fusion (and Prog). (Names printed in red connote Jazz and/or Jazz-Rock Fusion artists.)


Patti Austin / vocalist (Bob James et al.) 

Mireille Bauer / percussionist (Gong, Édition Spéciale, John Greaves, Art Zoyd) 

Madeleine Bland / cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals (Fuschia)

Carla Bley / composer

Angela Bofil / vocalist, bandleader

Máire Brennan / vocalist, harpist

Dee Dee Bridgewater / vocalist

Valéry Btesh / vocalist (Tangerine, solo, Pollen)

Jill Child / vocalist (Midwinter) 

Alice Coltrane / keyboards, harp, vocalist (Pharoah Sanders, John Coltrane) 

Mireille Dalbray / vocalist (Cortex)

Sandy Denny / vocalist (Fairport Convention, Fotheringay, solo)

Randy Crawford / vocalist

Nanny De Ruig / vocalist (Hoelderlin)

Anne Dierks / vocalist (Eden)

Julie Driscoll (Tippets) / vocalist, guitarist (Brian Auger's Trinity, Keith Tippett) 

Urszula Dudziak / vocalist, percussion (Michal Urbaniak) 

Judy Dyble / vocalist

Dorle Ferber / lead & backing vocals, violin, flute, percussion (Zyma)

Roberta Flack / singer-songwriter, pianist

Miriam Francis / vocalist

Jane Free (Brainticket) 

Barbara Gaskin / vocalist (Spirogyra, Hatfield & The North, Dave Stewart)

Miquette Giraudy / vocals (Gong, System 7)

Minne Graw / vocalist (Ougenweide)

Janita Haan / vocalist (Babe Ruth)

Wendy Haas / vocalist (Azteca)

Lani Hall / vocalist

Vanessa Hall-Smith / violin, backing vocals (Fuschia)

Anne Haslam / vocalist (Renaissance) 

Lisa Helljesen / vocalist (Folque)

Dolly Holmes / vocalist (Emtidi)

Sylvia Houtzager / violin, viola, cello, harp, panpipes (Flairck)

Bobbi Humphrey / flutist (self/solo, Lee Morgan, Herbie Mann) 

Celia Humphris / vocalist (Trees)

Lily Isaacs / singer-songwriter, guitar (Lily & Maria)

Rickie Lee Jones / singer-songwriter, guitar & pianist

Jerney Kaagman / lead vocals (Earth And Fire)

Renate Knaup / vocals (Amon Düül II)

Beate Kraus / vocalist (Carol of Harvest)

Dagmar Kraus / vocalist (Henry Cow, Art Bears, News From Babel)

Sonya Kristina / vocalist (Curved Air) 

Linda LaFlamme / organ, piano, electric piano, celesta, harpsichord (It's A Beautiful Day)

Debra Laws / vocalist

Eloise Laws / vocalist

Nest Llwelyn / vocals, keyboards (Pererin)

Jacqui McShee / vocalist (The Pentangle) 

Lee Menelaus / lead & backing vocals (Agincourt, Ithaca)

Joni Mitchell / singer-songwriter, guitar and pianist

Gayle Moran / keyboards, vocalist (Mahavhishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Chick Corea) 

Dorothy Moskowitz / lead vocals (The United States of America)

Dawn Muir / vocalist (Brainticket)

Carole Muriel / vocalist (Brainticket)

Maria Newman / singer-songwriter, guitar (Lily & Maria)

Doris Norton / vocalist (Jacula, Antonius Rex)

Amanda Parsons / vocalist (Egg, Hatfield & The North, Gilgamesh, Clearlight, Laurent Thibault, Bruford, National Health) 

Annette Peacock / singer-songwriter, vocalist (self/solo, Bruford) 

Linda Perhacs / singer-songwriter

Linda Peters (Thompson) / singer 

Maddy Prior / vocalist (Steeleye Span, Silly Sisters)

Flora Purim / vocalist (Return to Forever, Santana, Airto Moreira, self/solo) 

Jane Relf / singer, percussion (Renaissance) 

Catherine Ribeiro / vocalist (Alpes, solo)

Maggie Riley / vocals (Mike Oldfield)

Minnie Ripperton / singer-songwriter

Janet Rogers / violin, backing vocals (Fuschia)

Ann Rosenthal / vocalist (Hatfield & The North, Clearlight) 

Patrice Rushen / keyboards, vocalist (self/solo, Eddie Henderson, Jean-Luc Ponty)

Katya Sanna / vocals (Dunwich)

Judy Schomper / violin, viola (Flairck)

Jenni Schücker / vocalist, flute, bells (Bröselmaschine)

Clodagh Simonds / vocals, piano (Mellow Candle, Mike Oldfield) 

Grace Slick / vocals, piano, organ (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship)

Gilli Smyth / vocals, poetry (Gong, Mother Gong)

Margareta Söderberg / vocalist (Älgarnas Trädgård)

Pascale Son (De Trazegnies) / vocalist, oboe (Cos)

Ann Steuart / vocalist, acoustic guitar, piano, flute (Tudor Lodge)

June Tabor / vocalist (Steeleye Span)

Linda Tillery / vocalist (Azteca, Santana, Lenny White)

Ruth Underwood / tuned percussionist (The Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa) 

Stella Vander / vocalist (Magma, Offering) 

Henny Vonk / bass, vocalist (Chris Hinze Combination, John Lee/Gerry Brown, Napalis) 

Bobbie Watson / percussion, vocals (Comus)

Alison Williams / vocalist (Mellow Candle) 

Gay Woods / vocalist (Steeleye Span, The Woods Band) 

Marie Yacoub / vocals, acoustic guitar, dulcimer, tambura (Malicorne)

Djong Yun / vocalist (Popol Vuh)

Amaia Zubiria / vocalist (Haizea)

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