10 Greatest Female Hard Rock Guitarists

There was no disputing the male dominated rock scene in the early '70s. Even though you had a few different female guitarists in the rock pantheon, they felt less like a fully-fledged member of these groups and more like backing musicians at the service of the main star. While there were plenty of generic rock frontmen to go around, no one could really argue with the raw musical talent at play with Heart.

Despite the various changes in musical style over the years, the quality has always remained the same thanks to Nancy Wilson's brilliant guitar work. Rocking both an acoustic and electric guitar, Nancy's way of playing off of her sister Ann at the front made for some of the most euphoric music on songs like Magic Man or Crazy on You. Even with the more pop-centric moments in the '80s with Alone and These Dreams, don't let that dissuade you from something like the gallop of Barracuda.

As the band started to go unplugged in the '90s, the tone never shifted, with Nancy's incredible fingerpicking work and trance-like melodic phrases made for songs that could have turned up on the mellower side of Led Zeppelin records. It's not like the accolades aren't there either, with everyone from Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains to Chris Cornell citing them as major musical inspirations. While many great female artists had reached the top of the charts before, Nancy Wilson was one of the first to truly be known as a female guitar hero.