50 Influential Guitarists Who Shaped The ’90s
[In celebration of the 10th issue of She Shreds, we will be posting some of our favorite selections from across our print catalog throughout April. The feature was originally published in the sixth issue of She Shreds Magazine (currently SOLD OUT!), October 2014 and has been edited for timely accuracy.
With reunions of bands such as Babes In Toyland, and The Breeders, re-issues from classic ‘90s albums like Slant 6’s Soda Pop*Rip Off, plus the entire Sleater Kinney discography in a box set, and the explosion of bands taking on power-chords, and angular riffs with an overlaying sound of feedback, it’s undeniable: the ‘90s are back or, perhaps, they just never went away.
In the 1990s, the rise of new genres like indie, alternative, and grunge paired with the efforts of movements like Riot Grrrl and women-focused magazines, countless new guitarists emerged, unknowingly creating unique sounds that would influence people for decades to follow. To show just how important this time was for women in music, we decided to make a list of 50 women whose contributions in the ‘90s still resonates with us today (in no particular order).
LESLIE MAH
Along with vocalist Lynn Breedlove, queercore and hardcore punk pioneer Leslie Mah was one of the founding members of seminal queercore band Tribe 8. Her aggressive guitar playing in the group demonstrated innovative use of lead guitar riffs combined with the speed and heaviness of hardcore punk rhythm guitar.
Recommended listening: Fist City (1995)
KAT BJELLAND
Kat Bjelland’s guitar sound helped define what would eventually become the sound of Riot Grrrl, influencing such bands as Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and 7 Year Bitch. Her fearless playing was a driving force in her band Babes in Toyland, ensuring her a place among 1990s punk legends.
Recommended listening: Fontanelle (1992)
CHRISTINA BILLOTTE
Christina Billotte’s work with Slant 6 expertly combined hardcore punk riffs with pop-punk tone energy. Her later playing with Quix*o*tic reflects elements of early rock and roll with a good measure of stylistic influence from punk and goth, creating a distinctive minimalistic sound. Billotte’s flexibility as a guitarist permitted her to experiment with a variety of sounds in alternative rock and made her one of the best guitarists in the genre.
Recommended listening: Night for Day (1999), Quix*o*tic; Soda Pop * Rip Off (1994), Slant 6
DONITA SPARKS
Donita Sparks played with L7, where her heavy guitar sound had a strong influence on grunge and Riot Grrrl. Her hard-hitting riffs and forceful rhythm playing helped make L7 a particularly memorable group. In addition to her work with L7, Sparks collaborated with the Feminist Majority Foundation to create Rock for Choice, a concert series benefiting pro-choice organizations.
Recommended listening: Smell the Magic (1990)
CARRIE BROWNSTEIN
Carrie Brownstein is widely recognized as a pioneer in Riot Grrrl because of her involvement with Excuse 17 and Sleater-Kinney. Her minimalistic lead guitar sound in Sleater-Kinney is made even more distinct by tuning in D flat, an innovation that makes up for the band’s lack of a bassist and became one of its stylistic signatures.
Recommended listening: Dig Me Out (1997)
YOSHIKO “YAMA” YAMAGUCHI
Yoshiko Yamaguchi is the talented bassist from the legendary cult all-girl Japanese band, The 5.6.7.8’s. Heavily influenced by ’60s girl groups and surf rock, the stylish and energetic band was known in Japan’s under-ground garage-rock scene to cover songs they loved by deconstructing rock and roll into punk with the use of distortion, noise, and screaming. In 2003, The 5.6.7.8’s were hand-picked to perform in the izakaya scene of Kill Bill: Vol. 1.
Recommended listening: Can’t Help It (1991)
PJ HARVEY
While Polly Jean Harvey is most of-ten noted as a singer-songwriter, the eccentric English musician is also well versed in a wide and varying range of instruments from the saxophone to the autoharp. In 1992 Rolling Stone awarded her Best New Artist and Best Singer Songwriter, just four years after her professional career began.
Recommended listening: To Bring You My Love (1995)
KIM DEAL
The self-effacing Kim Deal is an unstoppable musical force and may be mostly remembered as the bass player from the Pixies, but the guitar was her first love. Deal formed The Breed-ers with her identical twin, Kelley, when the pair were young teenag-ers in Dayton, Ohio. Deal wrote hundreds of songs before releasing quintessential ’90s album Last Splash, which features the band’s biggest hit, “Cannonball”.
Recommended listening: Last Splash (1993)
KIM GORDON
Producer, director, and visual artist extraordinaire, Kim Gordon is a fore-runner who pushed the envelope in the post-punk/no wave scene. Instead of getting shoved behind a front man, Gordon was up front and center, playing bass and trading lead vocals with Thurston Moore. She influenced countless aspiring and established musicians, including Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna.
Recommended listening: Goo (1990)
DEBBIE GOOGE
My Bloody Valentine’s Debbie Googe played the bass as if every time was her last. Playing with arguably the best shoegaze band with the fewest releases, she helped to shape and influence the perception of the genre. Though she did not appear on the 1991 album Loveless, she brought the songs to life with her raucous bass playing at the band’s live shows.
Recommended listening: Loveless (1991)
KATHI WILCOX
Kathi Wilcox played bass in seminal feminist punk band Bikini Kill, hailing from Olympia, Washington. While she might not have known it at the time, Wilcox and the rest of the band were founders of the Riot Grrrl movement, and inspired creative and expressive freedom in generations to come. You can find her playing bass today alongside Bikini Kill cofounder Kathleen Hanna in The Julie Ruin.
Recommended listening: Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (1993)
KAZU MAKINO
When Kazu Makino met her future Blonde Redhead bandmates at a restaurant in New York City, they never expected they would become one of the archetypal noise-rock bands of the of ’90s. Makino, who has discussed her battles with stage fright, plays guitar and sings in the band, which has made innovative and ornate atmospheric music for more than twenty years.
Recommended listening: La Mia Vita Violenta (1995)
CORIN TUCKER
Corin Tucker may be one of the most recognizable faces—and voices—of the late-’90s Pacific Northwest music scene, playing mostly rhythm guitar to complement Carrie Brownstein’s angular lead lines in pioneering feminist punk band Sleater-Kinney. Tucker previously played in Heavens to Betsy and currently plays in The Corin Tucker Band.
Recommended listening: Sleater-Kinney (1995)
NINA GORDON
Veruca Salt guitarist and vocalist Nina Gordon met her bandmate Lou-ise Post in 1993 in Chicago. Together, their breed of alternative rock took the airwaves and MTV by storm, and over the next few years, they toured with Hole, Live, and PJ Harvey. Ver-uca Salt may have peaked early, but their sound is so quintessentially ’90s that it will always be classic.
Recommended listening: American Thighs (1994)
KRISTEN PFAFF
Kristen Pfaff was asked to join Hole after touring on the West Coast with her Minneapolis-based band, Janitor Joe. After initially turning down the offer, she moved to Seattle in 1993 to work on Hole’s second album, which reached platinum status within one year of its release. Pfaff was a vital part of Hole’s continuous growth and saga, and will be remembered as a prolific bassist.
Recommended listening: Live Through This (1994)
LIZ PHAIR
Before Liz Phair released Exile in Guyville, one of the most beloved girl-power records of the 1990s, she recorded the now-infamous Girly Sound tapes on a four-track in her bedroom. In stark contrast to Phair’s later work, 1991’s Girly Sound record-ings are intimate, stripped down, and soul bearing: just a girl, her guitar, and her words.
Recommended listening: Exile in Guyville (1993)
MARY TIMONY
Formed in Boston and signed to Matador Records, Mary Timony’s band Helium effortlessly combined new wave, punk, slide guitar technique, and samples of recorded explosions into cohesive epics. Timony’s technically adept playing and magnetic vocals demonstrated mastery as both a lead singer and guitarist.
Recommended listening: The Magic City (1997)
NOTHEMBI MKHWEBANE
Considered the Queen of Ndebele (a language spoken by 1.6 million people in South Africa) music, and a national icon, Nothembi Mkhwebane is widely considered to have brought the Ndebele language to the world stage. A prolific multi-instrumentalist, Mkhwebane composes on guitar and traditional instruments, and her songs often feature uplifting hand-claps, intricate guitar riffs, and music shakers.
Recommended listening: Zimani Balibalele (1998)
TU NOKWE
Hailing from South Africa, Tu Nokwe taught herself to play the guitar as a young woman. She eventually landed a spot at the Manhattan School of Music and went on to perform around the world. Nokwe’s work has detectable funk and pop influences, but her adept guitar playing and soprano voice create a style that is uniquely her own.
Recommended listening: African Child (1999)
SEAN YSEULT
Sean Yseult is best known for her work in heavy metal band White Zombie. Although hardly ever given credit for being a founding member, Yseult spent 11 years as the band’s bass player and in 2010 released her own book of stories titled I’m in the Band: Backstage Notes from the Chick in White Zombie.
Recommended listening: Astro-Creep: 2000 (1995)
RADIO SLOAN
Radio Sloan helped redefine two-piece bands with her angular yet heavy distorted guitar parts in Olympia queercore band The Need. Sloan has worked with bands such as Peaches and Le Tigre and now focuses on instrument gear repair in Vancouver, Washington.
Recommended listening: The Need (1997)
NAOKO YAMANO
Naoko Yamano plays a perfect blend of DIY rock and punk riffs, juxtaposed with sugary lyrics. As the only original member left in Shonen Knife, Yamano helped bring Japanese underground music to an international level during the band’s 30-year existence.
Recommended listening: 712 (1991)
MICHELLE MAE
Michelle Mae began her career in Olympia, Washington, as the second bass player in The Frumpies before moving to Washington, DC, to start The Make-Up. Mae combines punk with soul and funk to create her own style that helped define The Make-Up’s signature sound.
Recommended listening: I Want Some (1999)
COURTNEY LOVE
A living Rorschach test, discussions about Courtney Love, the woman, frequently neglect to include Love the musician. Throughout her work, Love fearlessly addresses sexual violence, elitism, the perils of fame, and child abuse in unforgettably listenable packages. Distorted power chords, pop chord progressions, and glossy 12-string guitar work are frequently used tools in her band Hole’s arsenal. In recognition of Love’s artistry, Fender’s Squire label released a sig-nature guitar designed by Love called the Venus in 1997.
Recommended listening: Pretty on the Inside (1991)
KELLEY DEAL
Even though Kelley Deal, Kim Deal’s twin sister, barely knew how to play guitar when she first joined The Breeders, she played lead on their critically acclaimed 1993 release, Last Splash. In 1995, she formed The Kelley Deal 6000 and released two albums as a solo artist.
Recommended listening: Go to the Sugar Altar (1995)
25 more guitarists who helped define sounds from the ’90s:
MELISSA AUF DER MAUR The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole
TANYA DONELLY Belly, The Breeders, Throwing Muses
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
MAUREEN HEMAN Babes In Toyland
SUZI GARDNER L7
ERIN SMITH Bratmobile
DONNA DRESCH Team Dresch
JOHNETTE NAPOLITANO Concrete Blonde
MAGGIE VAIL Bangs
GAIL GREENWOOD Belley, L7
KIM SHATTUCK The Muffs
ELKA ZOLOT The Trashwomen
MARY RAMIREZ The Detroit Cobras
DEBBIE SMITH Curve, Echobelly
TRACY CHAPMAN
EMILY’S SASSY LIME (rotating guitarists)
KIM WARNICK The Fastbacks
HOLLY GOLIGHTLY Thee Headcoats
TARA MCLEOD Kittie
GRACIELA FOLGUERAS Las Brujas
LARISSA STRICKLAND Laughing Hyenas
JODY BLEYLE Hazel
KAIA WILSON Team Dresch
DELIA SPARROW Mambo Taxi
STEFANIE SARGENT 7 Year Bitch
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Comments
It’s puzzling to me why you would include Nina Gordon in this list but not Louise Post. Nina is an adequate rhythm guitar player at best, but when you’re talking about a girl who shreds, Louise is the obvious choice!!! Check out the solos in “Volcano Girls” and “One Last Time” and countless other tracks, cuz that’s Louise!
Comment by Aaron on April 25, 2016 at 4:15 pmI just came to the comments section to post the exact same thing.
Comment by Dave on April 26, 2016 at 4:37 pmExactly.
Comment by David on April 28, 2016 at 7:58 amImsivpsree brain power at work! Great answer!
Comment by Louisa on April 27, 2017 at 10:10 amHow about Juliana Hatfield? She could play circles around every person on this list. 🙂
Comment by Darren Day on April 25, 2016 at 5:38 pmJuliana Hatfield is so underrated!
Comment by Wendy Rudokas on April 30, 2016 at 4:51 pmShe shreds in her sleep!
Shreds circles around these other chicks!
Fix this
Pretty please. 🙂
Oh & Kristen Hersh.
You could definitely see your enthusiasm in the paintings you write. The arena hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. At all times follow your heart. “A second wife is hateful to the children of the first a viper is not more hafltue.” by Euripides.
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Comment by Lisa on June 8, 2017 at 1:35 amLouise Post should definitely be at the top of this list. She shreds harder than 90% on the list already. Her guitar solos are legendary – even the boys in Metallica have said it. She was Courtney Love’s first choice and go-to-girl for lead guitarist when she was assembling her short-lived female super group, “Bastard.” Courtney even commented that she shreds with the best of the boys, “playing with a cocky confidence” and holding her heavy Gibson guitar high while she plays.
Comment by Nick on April 25, 2016 at 7:20 pmNo Allison Robertson. Seriously?!
Comment by John on April 25, 2016 at 8:35 pmNo Kristin Hersch? A travesty given some of the names that made this list. Hersch is distinctive and ferocious. She absolutely shaped these times.
Shout out for Delia Sparrow!
Comment by Ren on April 26, 2016 at 1:32 amI was just about to post the very same thing. Kristin Hersh was a remarkable guitarist from day one and she continues to push her artistry, and the industry, to this day. I won’t knock any of the other women listed here, but whether she’s shredding with Throwing Muses or playing her haunting solo acoustic material, Kristin Hersh is my personal guitar hero. In addition to her stellar musicianship, she was instrumental in the invention and implementation of Creative Commons licensing and pioneered the ‘pay as you will’ model of digital music sales. She also had one of the first subscription based fan sites, which allows her fans to support her directly and receive a mountain of content and personal contact in return. Sites such as Bandcamp are seriously in her debt.
Comment by Normy Chapstick on April 28, 2016 at 9:42 amYes! Who are you? Because I need you in my life!
Comment by Kristina Marion on April 28, 2016 at 6:48 pmI was curious if you ever thought of chinnagg the layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
Comment by Janae on April 27, 2017 at 1:33 pmBig ups for Kristen Hersh who is so f’n awesome!!!
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Comment by Loree on April 27, 2017 at 1:36 pmList is BS without Allison Robertson
Comment by Don on April 26, 2016 at 8:47 amGina Volpe from the Lunachicks! Rawk!
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Comment by PENNY on April 28, 2016 at 7:33 amstill in the 80s, that’s where.
Comment by David on April 28, 2016 at 7:56 amCourtney Love makes this list but not Kristin Hersch, Julianna Hatfield, Justine Frischmann, or Rachel Haden? Automatically discredited.
Comment by David on April 28, 2016 at 7:55 amRuth “Ruthie” Morris from Magnapop could use some love from this list. Especially as Juliana Hatfield has already been mentioned in the comments and has honored Ruth with her song “Ruthless” which pretty much describes Morris’ style.
Comment by Steve on April 28, 2016 at 10:21 amYes indeed, Ruthie kills and is far too often overlooked..
Comment by Rod Mill on May 1, 2016 at 3:47 pmYour article pectrefly shows what I needed to know, thanks!
Comment by Essie on April 27, 2017 at 9:43 amThat’s an innoigeus way of thinking about it.
Comment by Elly on April 27, 2017 at 9:53 amKristen Hersh is not on the list. Wth?
Comment by Kristina Marion on April 28, 2016 at 6:45 pmAt last! Someone who unntsseaddr! Thanks for posting!
Comment by Hawk on April 27, 2017 at 9:39 am1) What, No Kristin Hersh?
2) Really? You’re going to talk up Debbie Googe, but you’re going to point people at THE RECORD SHE DOESN’T PLAY ON? Come on. Isn’t Anything is a great album, and she rules on it.
Comment by James Roy on April 29, 2016 at 11:41 amSorry Fred, I di#71d82&n;t see your last post. Of course the Record only hire commies. Fox news and the web, wingnut blogosphere hire the true thinkers. My bad.
Comment by Betty on April 27, 2017 at 1:36 pmMiki Berenyi (Lush) / Mary Hansen (Stereolab) / Rachael Goswell (Slowdive)m/ Amelia Fletcher (Tallulah Gosh/Heavenly/Marine Research)
All deserve a place on this list.
Comment by David BM on April 29, 2016 at 10:40 pmYou are fucking awesome to mention these underrated musicians.
Comment by chingun on July 28, 2016 at 2:01 amI don’t see this as an attempt to influence any campaign. It’s enforcing a church discipline, which is a Biblical duty of the church. It’s something the church should do even if it costs them their tax-exempt status. I’m talking strictly about the principle here – I am not commenting on this particular problem and this chr2;hu17cs choice of disciplinary action. I’m not familiar with Catholic church practices, anyway.
Comment by Delphia on April 27, 2017 at 2:29 pmRebecca Gates or this is an incomplete list.
Comment by jason on April 30, 2016 at 12:01 amKristin Hersh, Tanya Donnelly, Leslie Langston.
Comment by eb on April 30, 2016 at 3:59 pmTsk tsk tsk.
Hear, hear. My PhD adviser insisted that we all take a course that covered, 1,3,& 4, and I believe it improved my ability not only to test hyotshesep, but to come up with them. I don't think that R was that robust even 8 years ago as it is today (most people then used S or MatLab). I would add that the skill I consider the most important in statistics is the proper formulation of a null hypothesis & the alternative hypothesis.
Comment by Trudy on April 27, 2017 at 2:21 pmNotably absent: Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Melissa Etheridge, Lisa Loeb… not lead players but definitely the reason why millions of girls in the 90s picked up a guitar at all.
Comment by Laura on April 30, 2016 at 5:34 pmTwo words: Ruthie Morris. (Of Magnapop — okay four words..)
Comment by Rod Mill on May 1, 2016 at 3:48 pmIt won’t affect hubby’s credit. It will affect your ability to buy a home. He can buy but you won’t qualify. Deed in lieu of foreclosure is still a foreclosure on the credit. Sorry! By the way 3 years after the home transfers into new owners name you will once again be able to try to buy- as long as credit is PERFECT after the foRrlcosure.eeferences : 26 years mortgage lender. Was this answer helpful?
Comment by Marylouise on April 27, 2017 at 1:39 pmTara Key, Antietam.
Comment by Sara Prigan on July 22, 2016 at 9:19 pmWhere is Allison Robertson? Seriously!
Comment by Val on July 23, 2016 at 4:20 pmI vouche for Toko Yasuda. Epic work with the lapse, blonde redhead and enon. And she still rips on tour with St. Vincent!
Comment by Noah on July 26, 2016 at 10:11 pmWith you all the way on that one.
Comment by David B on July 28, 2016 at 12:49 pmwhy do Deb Googe and Radio Sloan have the same picture?
Comment by ben on August 7, 2016 at 7:43 pmBilinda Butcher
Miki Berenyi
Emma Anderson
Nicole Fiorentino
Aimee Mann
Kristin Hersh
Tanya Donnelly
Juliana Hatfield
Jenny Toomey
just a few names off the top of my head you might have mentioned
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Comment by Eliza on April 27, 2017 at 9:49 amwhere is The Great Kat ????????
Comment by Tanisha on May 14, 2017 at 5:33 pmI leave a leave a response when I like a post on a site or I have something to add to the discussion. It is a result of the sincerness displayed in the post I looked at. And on this article. I was actually excited enough to drop a thought 😉 I do have some questions for you if it’s okay. Is it only me or does it appear like a few of the remarks come across like coming from brain dead folks? 😛 And, if you are posting on other online sites, I would like to keep up with you. Would you list the complete urls of your community pages like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
https://twitter.com/katekdesigns/status/986689356546084868
Comment by marketing on July 5, 2018 at 3:34 pm