12 Best Female Rock Singers Of All Time
1. Janis Joplin
When combing through the great rock frontmen, most of them are known to be on the wild side. From Jim Morrison's outlandish acts onstage to the natural grit of Mick Jagger, each rock singer who stepped up to the mic always had an element of danger to their performance.
In an era when no one entertained the idea of female singers, Janis Joplin snuffed out her competition by marrying unbridled chaos with some of the most soulful singing of the 60's.
Starting off with Big Brother and the Holding Company, it wasn't long before Joplin struck out on her own, with songs like "Piece of My Heart" already becoming staples of her live performance. Though most of her repertoire consisted of the typical blues rock of the time, the amount of energy Joplin put forth onstage was like a spiritual exorcism was taking place whenever she sang.
Even when she slowed things down, ballads like "Me and Bobby McGee" could rip your heart right out of your chest with its sincerity. Joplin's wild ways ended up catching up with her though when she died of a heroin overdose shortly before her first record was released.
She may have tapped into her inner pain during her tunes, but her voice left the entire rock world feeling a little bit brighter afterwards.