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March is Women’s History Month, so here is a list of the top 10 (my opinion) female rockers and a few suggested tunes to get your listening started. If you are looking for Aretha Franklin or Etta James, they will not be on this list because they were not rock singers. But rest assured that I love their music.
10. Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) – “White Rabbit,” “Somebody to Love,” “Volunteers”
9. Bonnie Raitt – “Runaway,” “Angel from Montgomery,” “Something to Talk About”
8. Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) – “Middle of the Road,” “Tattooed Love Boys,” “Message of Love”
7. Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson (Heart) – “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” “Barracuda”
6. Melissa Etheridge – “Somebody Bring Me Some Water,” “Like the Way I Do,” “The Angels”
5. Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) – “Stop Dragging My Heart Around,” “Rhianon,” “You Make Loving Fun”
4. Joan Jett / The Runaways – “Bad Reputation,” “Cherry Bomb,” “Do You Wanna Touch Me”
3. Patti Smith – “Gloria,” “Because the Night,” “Piss Factory”
2. Linda Ronstadt – “You’re No Good,” “Love Has No Pride,” “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”
1. Janis Joplin – “Ball and Chain,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Move Over”
Ticket Alert
Hillary Duff first made her mark as an actress, starring in the Disney Channel television series “Lizzie McGuire” and films like Agent Cody Banks, Cheaper by the Dozen and A Cinderella Story. Additionally, she has written several best-selling children’s books and served as “Chief Mom Officer” with the Carter children’s clothing company. Oh, and for the past 20 years or so, Duff has maintained a career as a recording artist, and that’s what she’s concentrating on right now. Tickets are currently on sale for her concert at the Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, June 27.
Are you ready for the Flashback Funk Fest on Saturday, July 11, at the Smart Financial Centre? The lineup is strong, featuring Morris Day and the Time, the Zapp Band, Confunkshun and the SOS Band. Presales are in progress, with the general sale beginning on Friday. “Jerome! Where’s my mirror?”
The hard rocking band Breaking Benjamin will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, October 10. Tickets for the show, which also features openers Kami Kehoe, Starset and Chevelle, are on sale now.
Concerts This Week
Diana Ross has always possessed something of a reputation as a diva. However, when asked about this assessment, she replied, “Just because I have my standards, they think I’m a bitch.” On another occasion, she said, “It takes a long time to get to be a diva. I mean, you gotta work at it.” OK, fair enough. No one can deny the fact that Miss Ross has spent plenty of time in the showbiz trenches, notching her first No. 1 single with the Supremes (“Where Did Our Love Go?”) in 1964. Now, at 81, Ross can still command a stage, if recent concert reviews are any indication. You can see for yourself tonight at the Smart Financial Centre.
Back when, an artist had to work through a veritable labyrinth to get to the point where a record company would back a few recording session and possibly release an album. That paradigm has certainly changed over the past decade or so, with aspirants able to release their music directly – on YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, etc. – to potential listeners. Conan Gray, who grew up in Georgetown, TX, was among those who took advantage of this filterless media environment to gain a foothold in the business. Tonight, he’s playing Toyota Center as part of his Wishbone World Tour. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Gray says that his biggest musical influence is Taylor Swift, declaring to Seventeen magazine that he is “the largest Swiftie.”
The Boys 4 Life tour – which features R and B icons B2K and Bow Wow – rolls into Toyota Center on Thursday. It’s crowded bill, with performances by Amerie, Yung Joc, B5, Crime Mob, Franchize Boyz and Pretty Ricky also on tap.
Canadian alt-rockers Our Lady Peace will perform on Friday at the White Oak Music Hall. “Cause Knowledge is Power: Lead vocalist Raine Maida has distinguished himself over the years by singing in a countertenor range, which is comparable to that of a female contralto or mezzo-soprano. In contemporary times, countertenors often take on roles in baroque operas which were originally written for castrati. Yes, things were tougher in the old days. Talk about suffering for your art!
Musically speaking, the best bet for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this week at NRG Stadium is on Thursday, when Chris Stapleton will perform the post-competition concert. Since his debut album Traveler was released in 2015, Stapleton has pretty much ruled Nashville, racking up a bunch of awards and selling a ton of records while managing to appeal to music lovers of many stripes, as he has demonstrated by opening for Tom Petty, the Eagles and Guns N’ Roses.
Also of note is a performance by Red Dirt legends Cross Canadian Ragweed on Monday. The band went on hiatus in 2010 but began playing select dates last year, discovering that its fan base is very much still intact. For more on CCR’s recent resurrection, check out Clint Hale’s Houston Press interview with guitarist Cody Canada. The next few days at the Rodeo stack up like this:
Creed Wednesday, March 11
Chris Stapleton Thursday, March 12
Shaboozey Friday, March 13
Kelly Clarkson Saturday, March 14
Pepe Aguilar Sunday, March 15
Cross Canadian Ragweed Monday, March 16
Red Clay Strays Tuesday, March 17