Here to compare for most of my favourite female singers their age and birthday (listed chronologic), with place of birth (if indicated) and short description (as shown in Wikipedia).
(born before 1940)
+ Bessie Smith (July 9, 1892 or April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer.
+ Marlene Dietrich (27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992, Berlin, Germany) was a German-born American actress and singer.Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer. In 1999 the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth greatest female star of all time.
+ Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed Lady Day.
+ Édith Piaf, born Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 -10 October 1963), French singer and cultural icon who is almost universally regarded as France's greatest.
92 -
Vera Lynn Dame Vera Lynn, DBE (born 20 March 1917) is an English singer whose career flourished during World War II. Nicknamed "The Forces' Sweetheart", the songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again" and "The White Cliffs of Dover".
+ Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 in Newport News, VA – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella (the First Lady of Song), was one of the most influential jazz singers of the 20th Century, the winner of thirteen Grammy Awards.
+ Peggy Lee (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002) was an American Grammy award winning jazz and popular music singer and songwriter and Academy Award-nominated actress. She was born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota.
+ Maria Callas (New York City December 2, 1923 – Paris, France September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the twentieth century.
+ Dinah Washington (August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American blues, jazz, and gospel singer. Because of her strong voice and emotional singing, she is known as the “Queen of the Blues”
+ Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Mortenson (Los Angeles, 1 juni 1926 – 5 augustus 1962).
83 -
Irene Papas - Irene Papas (born September 3, 1926) is a Greek actress and occasional singer.
+ Julie London (September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress who was known for her smoky, sensual voice (Cry me a river). Born in Santa Rosa, California,
+ Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 - 10 November 2008) was a South African singer and civil rights activist also known as Mama Africa.
+ Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963), born Virginia Patterson Hensley, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s. Since her death at age 30 in a 1963 plane crash at the height of her career, she has been considered one of the most influential, successful, revered, and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century
77 -
Petula Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades. Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II. During the 1960s she became known internationally for her popular upbeat hits, including "Downtown," "I Know a Place," "My Love," "Colour My World," "A Sign of the Times," and "Don't Sleep in the Subway". With more than 70 million records sold worldwide, she is the most successful British female solo recording artist ever and is cited as such in the Guinness Book of World Records.
76 -
Yoko Ono, (born February 18, 1933), is a Japanese-American artist and musician. She is known for her marriage to John Lennon and for her work as an avant-garde artist and musician.
+ Nina Simone - Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known by her stage name Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist.
75 -
Brigitte Bardot (born 28 September 1934) is a French actress, former fashion model, singer and animal welfare/rights activist.
74 -
Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1935) is an American country music singer-songwriter; she was one of the leading country vocalists and songwriters during the 1960s and 1970s and is revered as a country music cultural icon.
72 -
Roberta Flack - Roberta Flack (Feb 10, 1937 in Asheville NC, USA).
72 -
Wanda Jackson - Wanda Lavonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist.[1] She is known to many as the The First Lady (or Queen) of Rockabilly, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence on April 4, 2009.
71 -
Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938) is an American blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll and jazz singer and songwriter. She is the winner of four Grammys, seventeen Blues Music Awards, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (in 1993), the Blues Hall of Fame (in 2001), and the Grammy Hall of Fame (in both 1999 and 2008).
+ Nico, Christa Päffgen (October 16, 1938 – July 18, 1988), singer of psychedelic sixties band
The Velvet Underground.
+ Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien OBE (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known as
Dusty Springfield, was a pop singer and entertainer. Of all the female British pop artists of the 1960s, she made one of the biggest impressions on the American market. Owing to her distinctive sensual sound, she was one of the most notable white soul artists.
70 -
Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington).
70 -
Grace Slick - Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing on October 30, 1939), singer of psychedelic sixties band
Jefferson Airplane.
70 -
Tina Turner - Tina Turner, Anna Mae Bullock (Nutbush, 26 november 1939).
(born between 1940 - 1950)
69 -
Merrilee Rush (born January 26, 1940, Seattle, Washington, USA) is an American singer best known for her recording of the song "Angel of the Morning", a Top 10 charting song which earned her a Grammy nomination for Female Vocalist Of The Year in 1968.
69 -
Nancy Sinatra - Nancy Sandra Sinatra Jr (born June 8, 1940, in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of the legendary singer Frank Sinatra and his first wife Nancy Barbato.
68 -
Joan Baez - Joan Chandos Baez (born in Staten Island, NYC, USA, on January 9, 1941), folk singer.
68 -
Shirley Owens (born June 10, 1941, Henderson, North Carolina) was the member of the hit group,
The Shirelles. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
+ Cass Elliot (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), born Ellen Naomi Cohen, was a noted American singer, best remembered as Mama Cass of the pop quartet
The Mamas & The Papas. After the group broke up, she had a successful solo career, releasing five studio albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out performances at the Palladium. In 1998, the four members of the group were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
67 -
Carole King - Carole King, born as Carole Klein (Brooklyn (New York), 9 februari 1942).
67 -
Aretha Franklin (March 25, 1942) is a Memphis, Tennessee-born but Detroit, Michigan-raised American iconic gospel, soul, and R&B singer. Many have called her “The Queen Of Soul” and “Lady Soul”. She is renowned for her soul and R&B recordings but is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, and gospel. She is generally regarded as one of the best vocalists ever.
67 -
Barbra Streisand - Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Joan Streisand, April 24, 1942) is an American singer, film and theatre actress.
+ Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as
Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998), was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of country music's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists.
+ Janis Joplin - Janis Lyn Joplin (Port Arthur (Texas), 19 januari 1943 – Los Angeles (Californië), 4 oktober 1970).
66 -
Cilla Black (born Priscilla Maria Veronica White on 27 May 1943) is a British singer, actress and television performer, origin from Liverpool, Lancashire, England, who has been successful as an entertainer from 1963 through the present day. She is most famous worldwide for her successful singles "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "You're My World". After a successful recording career and a brief time as a comedy actress, she became the best paid female presenter in British television history.
66 -
Christine McVie - born Christine Anne Perfect, July 12, 1943, in Birmingham, Greenodd, Cumbria, England) is an English singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. Her primary fame came as a member of the band
Fleetwood Mac.
66 -
Ronnie Spector (born Veronica Yvette Bennett, 10 August 1943, in New York City) was the lead singer of the 1960’s girl group
The Ronettes, who most famously sang Be My Baby. She is the ex-wife of producer Phil Spector.
66 -
Joni Mitchell - Joni Mitchell, born as Roberta Joan Anderson (Fort Macleod (Alberta, Canada), 7 november 1943).
65 -
Françoise Hardy - Françoise Madeleine Hardy (née le 17 janvier 1944 à Paris).
65 -
Diana Ross (born Diana Ernestine Earle Ross; March 26, 1944, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) is an American singer and actress. During the 1960s, she helped shape the Motown Sound as lead singer of
The Supremes, before leaving the group for a solo career on January 14, 1970. Since the beginning of her career with The Supremes and as a solo artist, Ross has sold more than 100 million records.
65 -
Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holt on May 24, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a hugely revered R&B/soul singer who fronted two moderately successful groups before rising to stardom as a solo artist in the late 1970s, influencing a new generation of female singers.
65 -
Nona Hendryx (born October 9, 1944 in Trenton, New Jersey) is an American vocalist, record producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress. Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio
Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade."
64 - Anna McGarrigle, (born December 4, 1944, Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec) is a Canadian folk music singer/songwriter who writes and performs as a duo
Kate & Anna McGarrigle with her sister Kate McGarrigle.
64 - Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.), better known as
Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music with equal conviction and power; and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis. She is best known for her 1960 hit "I'm Sorry".
64 -
Sally Carr (born Sarah Cecilia Young on 28 March 1945, in Muirhead, Lanarkshire). Lead singer of
Middle of the Road were a Scottish pop group who enjoyed great success across Europe in the early 1970s.
64 -
Carly Simon - Carly Elisabeth Simon (New York City, 25 juni 1945).
64 -
Deborah Harry - Debbie Harry, american singer, born as Deborah Ann Harry (Miami, 1 juli 1945), lead singer of punk band
Blondie .
64 -
Kim Carnes (born July 20, 1945 in Pasadena, California) is an American singer-songwriter. She is noted for her distinctive, raspy voice which she attributes to many hours spent singing in smoky bars and clubs.
63 -
Bette Midler - Bette Davis Midler (born December 1, 1945).
63 -
Dolly Parton - Dolly Rebecca Parton (Sevierville (Tennessee), 19 januari 1946).
63 - Kate McGarrigle, (born February 6, 1946, Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, Quebec, Canada) is a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, who writes and performs as a duo
Kate & Anna McGarrigle with her sister Anna McGarrigle.
63 -
Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian on May 20, 1946, later adopted by Gilbert LaPierre) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, author and entertainer. Among her many career accomplishments in music, television and film, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards among others.
63 -
Linda Ronstadt - Linda Marie Ronstadt (Tucson (Arizona), 15 juli 1946).
62 -
Jane Birkin - Jane Mallory Birkin, née le 14 décembre 1946 à Londres.
62 -
Marianne Faithfull - Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946).
62 -
Patti Smith - Patti Smith, Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946 in Chicago).
+ Sandy Denny, born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978), England.
62 - Melanie Anne Safka-Schekeryk (born February 3, 1947, in Astoria, New York City) is an American singer-songwriter. Usually known professionally as
Melanie, she is best known for her hits "Brand New Key", "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" and "What Have They Done To My Song Ma". Melanie has sold over 25 million records over the course of her career.
62 -
Sandie Shaw (born Sandra Ann Goodrich, 26 February 1947, Dagenham, Essex, England) is a British singer. She was, as described in the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "the barefoot pop princess of the 1960s", owing to her distinctive penchant of performing on stage without shoes.
62 -
Jennifer Warnes - Jennifer Jean Warnes (born March 3, 1947) is a Grammy winning American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her rich soprano/contralto voice, her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.
62 -
Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews, 6 March 1947, Little Horton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) is a singer-songwriter, with a career that has lasted over 40 years.
62 -
Emmylou Harris - Emmylou Harris (Birmingham (Alabama), 2 april 1947).
62 -
Laurie Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, visual artist and musician. Laura Phillips Anderson was born June 5, 1947, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. She attended Mills College in California, and eventually graduated from Barnard College magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, studying art history. In 1972, she obtained an MFA in sculpture from Columbia University. She became more widely known in 1982 with the single “O Superman”.
62 -
Dolores Brooks (born June 20, 1947 in Brooklyn, NY) was a member of the girl group
The Crystals.
62 -
Julie Covington (born 11 September 1947, London) is an English singer and actress, best known for recording the original version of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina".
+ Mariska Veres (1 October 1947 - 2 December 2006) was a Dutch singer who was best known as the lead singer of the rock group
Shocking Blue.
62 -
France Gall - France Gall (born Isabelle Genevieve Marie Anne Gall on October 9, 1947 in Paris).
+ Minnie Riperton (Nov 8, 1947 - July 12, 1979).
61 -
Gigliola Cinquetti - Gigliola Cinquetti (b. 20 December 1947 in Verona, Italy) is an Italian singer.
61 -
Patty Pravo - Patty Pravo (born 9 April 1948 Venice, Italy) is the stage name of Italian pop singer Nicoletta Strambelli.
61 -
Kate Pierson - Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born 27 April 1948 in Weehawken, New Jersey) is an American vocalist and one of the lead singers and founding members of The B-52's. She also plays keyboard, guitar and bass for the band.
61 -
Grace Jones (born Grace Mendoza on May 19, 1948, in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is a model, singer and actress.
61 -
Stevie Nicks - Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born on May 26, 1948, in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and has sold nearly 120 million albums. She has been noted for her ethereal visual style and symbolic lyrics.
61 -
Olivia Newton-John born 26 September 1948 in Cambridge, United Kingdom is a British-born, Australian-raised singer and actress.
60 - Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE, (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire), best known by her stage name
Lulu, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, model and television personality, who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day. She is most famous worldwide for her hit "To Sir, With Love" and in the UK for "Shout".
61 -
Chi Coltrane (born on Nov 16, 1948 in Racine, Wisconsin) was an American singer/songwriter who entered the charts in many countries with her eponymous debut album by November of 1972.
60 -
Mary Weiss, born on December 28, 1948 in Jamaica, Queens, New York, found fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of
The Shangri-Las.
60 -
Donna Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines December 31, 1948, Boston, Massachusetts, US) is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco".
60 -
Véronique Sanson (full name, Veronique Marie Line Sanson, according to the ASCAP Songwriter's Database, born April 24, 1949, in Boulogne, near Paris, France) is a two-time Victoires de la Musique Award-winning French singer-songwriter, musician, and producer with an avid following in her native country.
60 -
Rory Block - Aurora "Rory" Block (born November 6, 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American female blues guitarist and singer, a notable exponent of the country blues style.
60 -
Bonnie Raitt - Bonnie Lynn Raitt (Burbank (Californië), 8 november 1949).
(born between 1950 - 1960)
59 -
Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950, Pontardawe, Wales) is a Welsh folk singer. She is best known as one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label, and for her 1968 single "Those Were The Days".
59 -
Suzi Quatro (born Susan Kay Quatrocchio, June 3, 1950, Detroit, Michigan) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actress.
59 -
Lynsey de Paul (born Lynsey Monckton Rubin, 11 June 1950, Cricklewood, London) is an English singer-songwriter.
59 -
Tina Weymouth (Martina Michèle "Tina" Weymouth) (born on November 22, 1950 in Coronado, California) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the influential New Wave group
Talking Heads and its side project
Tom Tom Club.
58 -
Joan Armatrading - Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, MBE, (born 9 December 1950, Basseterre, Saint Kitts, UK) is a British singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Armatrading is a three-time Grammy Award-nominee.
58 -
Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country singer best known for a series of country-pop crossover hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". She accumulated 18 No. 1 country hits during the 1970s and 1980s. She is also famous for her nearly floor-length hair and was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1983. She is the younger sister of singer Loretta Lynn (16 years younger).
58 -
Ellen Foley (born June 5, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American singer and actress, who has appeared on Broadway and television, where she co-starred in the sitcom Night Court. In music, she has released three solo albums but is best known for her collaborations with the singer
Meat Loaf.
58 -
Bonnie Tyler - Bonnie Tyler (born June 8, 1951 in Skewen, Neath, South Wales, United Kingdom).
58 -
Chrissie Hynde - born Christine Ellen Hynde, 7 September 1951, Akron, Ohio, lead singer of
The Pretenders.
57 -
Juice Newton (born Judith Kay Newton February 18, 1952 in Lakehurst, New Jersey is an American Pop music and Country singer, songwriter and guitarist. To date, Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories (winning once in 1983), as well as a CMA Award for Best New Female Artist and two Billboard Female Album Artist of the Year awards (won consecutively).
+ Nicolette Larson (July 17, 1952 – December 16, 1997, Helena, Montana, USA ) was an American singer best known for her 1978 cover of Neil Young's "Lotta Love".
57 - Máire Ní Bhraonáin, better known as Máire Brennan or incorrectly/phonetically as
Moya Brennan (born August 4, 1952, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland), is a Grammy Award-nominated Celtic Folk singer. She began her singing career when her family formed the band
Clannad in 1970.
56 -
Pat Benatar (born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953) is a four-time Grammy Award-winning American singer best known for her mezzo-soprano vocal range and establishing herself as one of rock's top vocalists and one of music's top-selling female artists with hit songs such as "Love Is a Battlefield"
56 -
Cyndi Lauper - Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953).
56 -
Nanci Griffith - Nanci Caroline Griffith, born July 6, 1953, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas, United States.
?? -
Mary Margaret O'Hara, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, born on ??,??, 1954??.
55 -
Alice - Alice Visconti, born Carla Bissi in Forlì, Italy on September 26, 1954 is an Italian singer-songwriter and pianist, active since 1971.
55 -
Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer from the United States. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.
54 -
Annie Lennox - Annie Lennox is an Oscar, Brit and Grammy award-winning pop musician and vocalist. She was born on December 25, 1954 in Aberdeen, Scotland. After three years as lead singer of
The Tourists, Lennox achieved her most notable fame as the alto, soul-tinged lead singer of the 1980s rock duo
Eurythmics with British musician David A. Stewart.
54 -
Nina Hagen (born Catharina Hagen on 11 March 1955) is a singer from East Berlin, Germany.
54 -
Jane Siberry - Jane Siberry, born October 12, 1955, Canada.
52 -
Julee Cruise - Julee Cruise (born 1 December 1956, in Creston, Iowa).
52 -
Loreena McKennitt - Loreena McKennitt (Morden (Manitoba) Canada, 17 februari 1957).
52 - Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957 in Southwark, Southeast London, England), better known by her stage name,
Siouxsie Sioux is a singer, best known as the vocalist of
Siouxsie & The Banshees between 1976 and 1996.
52 -
Gloria Estefan (born Gloria María Fajardo García; September 1, 1957, Havana, Cuba) is a Grammy Award-winning Cuban-American singer and songwriter. She is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 90 million albums sold worldwide. She has won seven Grammy Awards, placing her among the most successful crossover performers in Latin music to date.
52 -
Toni Childs - Toni Childs (born October 29, 1957, from Orange, California).
51 -
Annabel Lamb (born ??/??/1958, Surrey) is an English singer-songwriter. She has released eight albums to date. Lamb had a British Top 30 hit in 1983 with her cover version of The Doors "Riders on the Storm", her only hit on the UK Singles Chart.
51 -
Meredith Brooks - Meredith Ann Brooks (born June 12, 1958 in Oregon, USA).
51 -
Kate Bush - Kate Bush (born Catherine Bush on 30 July 1958 in Bexleyheath, Kent, now part of Greater London, England, UK).
51 -
Madonna - Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Ritchie (Bay City (Michigan), 16 augustus 1958).
51 -
Siobhan Fahey (born Siobhan Máire Deirdre Fahey, 10 September 1958, Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland) was a founding member of the 1980s British girl group
Bananarama, and later founded the musical outfit
Shakespears Sister.
51 -
Heidi Berry is an American singer-songwriter, born on ??/??/1958, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1991, Ivo Watts-Russell asked Berry to sing on the third album by This Mortal Coil, and over the next five years she recorded three albums for 4AD.
51 -
Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin September 22, 1958) is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress. She is best known for her work with
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock N' Roll".
51 -
Carmel (born Carmel McCourt, 24 November 1958, Wrawby, Lincolnshire, England) is a British female singer, her eponymous band Carmel uniting bassist Jim Parris, and drummer Gerry Darby.
50 -
Sade (pronounced “shah-day”) is a Grammy-winning, world-famous English group, which achieved success in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Sade Adu, (real name Helen Folasade Adu - born 16 January 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria)
50 -
Susanna Hoffs (born Susanna Lee Hoffs, January 17, 1959) is a vocalist and rhythm guitarist for
The Bangles.
50 -
Sheena Easton (born Sheena Shirley Orr, 27 April 1959) is a pop singer originally from Bellshill, Scotland.
50 -
Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Nadine Vega (born July 11, 1959, Santa Monica, California) is an American songwriter and singer known for her highly literate lyrics and eclectic folk-inspired music.
50 -
Eddi Reader - Eddi Reader MBE (born Sadenia Reader, 29 August 1959, Scottland).
+ Kirsty MacColl - Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) (aged 41) was an English singer-songwriter from Croydon, England.
(born between 1960 - 1970)
49 -
Nena (born Gabriele Susanne Kerner, March 24, 1960, Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) is a German singer and actress. She rose to international fame in 1984 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons".
49 -
Anne Clark - Anne Clark (born 14 May 1960, Croydon, London, England).
49 -
Sarah Brightman - Sarah Brightman, (Born: Aug 14, 1960 in Berkhampstead, England).
49 -
Aimee Mann - Aimee Mann (born September 8, 1960).
49 -
Jennifer Rush (born September 28, 1960, Queens, New York, US is an American German-based Pop/Rock singer, best known for the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which went on to be covered by Celine Dion
49 -
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960 in Chiswick, West London) is an English pop singer.
48 -
Cowboy Junkies - Margo Timmins (born January 27, 1961 in Montreal, Quebec).
48 -
Lisa Gerrard (born April 12, 1961) is an Australian musician from Melbourne, singer and composer who gained international renown as part of the music group
Dead Can Dance together with Brendan Perry.
48 -
Enya - Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, born on 17 May 1961, Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal, Ireland.
48 -
Melissa Etheridge - Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961 in Leavenworth, Kansas) is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.
48 -
Kim Deal - Kimberley Ann Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the bassist of the alternative rock band the Pixies.
48 -
Alison Moyet (born Genevieve Alison Jane Moyet, 18 June 1961), is an English pop singer-songwriter noted for her bluesy voice.
48 -
Mylène Farmer - Mylène Jeanne Gautier (born 12 September 1961 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a French singer, songwriter, occasional actress and author.
48 -
k.d. lang - Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC (born November 2, 1961).
47 -
Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her music blends rock, country and pop into one mainstream sound, and she has won nine Grammy Awards. Crow is also a left-wing political activist.
47 -
Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston, February 24, 1962, Dallas, Texas) is a U.S. singer-songwriter whose music and performances are influenced by her Texas roots, her political activism, and a self-assured style.
47 -
All About Eve - Julianne Regan (born 30 June 1962, Coventry, UK).
47 -
Joan Osborne - Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962).
47 -
Tracey Thorn (born 26 September 1962), lead singer of duo
Everything but the Girl, from Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
+ Eva Cassidy (Eva Marie Cassidy, February 2, 1963 in Washington, DC – November 2, 1996 in Bowie, Maryland) was an American vocalist described by the British newspaper The Guardian as "one of the greatest voices of her generation." She had a diverse repertoire of jazz, blues, folk, gospel and pop. Cassidy remained virtually unknown outside of her native Washington, DC, when she died of melanoma (which had spread to her bones) in 1996.
46 -
Harriet Wheeler (born 26 June 1963) is the lead singer of the 1980s/1990s alternative rock band,
The Sundays
46 -
Tori Amos - Myra Ellen Amos, born on August 22, 1963.
46 -
Elizabeth Fraser, born Elizabeth Davidson Fraser, August 29, 1963, Falkirk, Scotland and part of the group
Cocteau Twins.
46 -
Natalie Merchant - Natalie Anne O'Shea Merchant (born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York, U.S.) former lead singer and member of
10,000 Maniacs.
45 - Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964) and known as
Neneh Cherry is a two-time Grammy Award-nominated and MTV Europe Music Award-winning singer-songwriter and rapper.
45 -
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964, origin from Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.) is an American singer–songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason", "The Promise" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.
45 -
Maria McKee - Maria Louise McKee, born on August 17, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, also known as lead singer of the band
Lone Justice.
45 - Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as
Trisha Yearwood (born September 19, 1964, Monticello, Georgia, US) is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."
45 -
Lou Rhodes (born as Louise Robinson, 1. November 1964 in Leeds), is an English singer and songwriter from Manchester, now living in Wiltshire. In addition to providing vocals and lyrics for the band
Lamb.
45 -
Diana Krall, (born Diana Jean Krall, Nanaimo, British Columbia, November 16, 1964) is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian jazz pianist and singer. She is known for her contralto vocals.
44 -
Happy Rhodes - Kimberley Tyler Rhodes, born on August 9, 1965 in Poughkeepsie, New York.
44 -
Björk - Björk Guðmundsdóttir (Reykjavik, 21 november 1965).
43 -
Alison Goldfrapp - Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp (born 13 May 1966) is an English soprano singer-songwriter with the duo
Goldfrapp.
43 -
Tanya Donelly (born July 14, 1966, in Newport, Rhode Island) is an American Grammy-nominated singer songwriter and guitarist based in New England who co-founded
Throwing Muses with her stepsister
Kristin Hersh.
43 -
Martina McBride (born July 29, 1966, in Medicine Lodge, Kansas) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is best-known for her inspirational-style ballads about women and children.
43 -
Kristin Hersh - Kristin Hersh (born August 7, 1966).
43 -
Shirley Manson - Shirley Ann Manson (born August 26, 1966) is a Scottish musician, the lead vocalist of the band
Garbage. Manson is also the former keyboardist and backup singer with Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, as well as the ex lead singer of
Angelfish.
43 -
Sinéad O'Connor - Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor (Glenageary, 8 december 1966, Ireland).
42 -
Eleanor McEvoy (born 22 January 1967) is one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. McEvoy composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart, the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.
42-
Liz Phair - Elizabeth Clark Phair born on April 17, 1967 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
42 -
Heather Nova - Heather Allison Frith, born on July 6, 1967 in Bermuda.
42 -
Faith Hill (born Audrey Faith Perry on September 21, 1967) is an American country singer. Hill's voice (described as both soulful and raspy) and careful song selection have helped her to sell more than 40 million records and accumulate 8 number-one singles and 3 number-one albums on the Country charts.
42 -
Gillian Welch (born October 2, 1967 in New York City) is a singer-songwriter whose musical style combines elements of bluegrass, neotraditional country, Americana, old-time string band music, and folk into a rustic style that she dubs "American Primitive".
42 -
Sophie B. Hawkins - Sophie Ballantine Hawkins is an American singer and songwriter, born 1 November 1967, in Manhattan, New York City, USA.
42 -
Sharleen Spiteri - Sharleen Eugene Spiteri (born 7 November 1967 in Glasgow) lead singer of
Texas.
41 -
Carla Bruni (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi, December 23, 1967 in Turin, Italy) is an Italian-born, naturalized French songwriter, singer, former model and First Lady of France.
41-
Sarah McLachlan - Sarah Ann McLachlan, born January 28, 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
41 -
Axelle Red - Axelle Red was born Fabienne Demal in Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium, on February 15, 1968
41 -
Paula Cole (born April 5, 1968 in Rockport, Massachusetts, USA) is an American singer and songwriter.
41 -
Kylie Minogue, Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (born 28 May 1968, Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress.
41 -
KatieJane Garside (born July 8, 1968) is a vocalist and lyricist who fronted the first incarnation of the band
Daisy Chainsaw and sang guest vocals for the industrial act Test Department. After retiring from the music world temporarily, she now sings with
Queen Adreena, an independent rock band from London.
Ruby Throat’s debut album The Ventriloquist was released on 8th November 2007 in a limited run of only 500 copies.
40 -
Lori McKenna (born in Massachusetts, on December 22, 1968 as Lorraine Giroux) is an American folk singer/songwriter. She lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with her husband and five children.
40 -
Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969, Münster, Germany) is a British pop/folk singer-songwriter, best known for the hits "Twist in My Sobriety" and "Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, Ancient Heart.
40 -
PJ Harvey - Polly Jean Harvey, born October 9, 1969 in Yeovil, United Kingdom.
(born between 1970 - 1980)
39 -
Gabrielle - Louise Gabrielle Bobb (born April 16, 1970, London) is an English singer who records under the name Gabrielle.
39 -
Ani DiFranco (born Angela Maria DiFranco on September 23, 1970 in Buffalo, New York) is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She is a prolific artist, having released over twenty albums and is widely celebrated as a feminist icon.
38 -
Rachel Goswell (born 16 May 1971 in Fareham, England) is a singer-songwriter who was a vocalist with shoegazing pioneers
Slowdive.
38 -
Dolores O'Riordan - Dolores Mary Eileen O'Riordan (Burton) (born September 6, 1971) lead singer of
The Cranberries.
37 -
Dido - Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong, (born 25 December 1971, London).
37 -
Cat Power - Charlyn "Chan" Marshall (born Charlyn Marie Marshall on 21 January 1972).
37 -
Mindy Smith - Mindy Smith (born June 1, 1972 on Long Island, New York) is an American singer-songwriter.
36 -
Chantal Kreviazuk - Chantal Kreviazuk (born May 18, 1973, Winnipeg, Canada).
36 -
Tara MacLean (born October 25, 1973 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada) is a Canadian singer and songwriter.
35 - Imelda Mary Higham (born ??/??/1974), known as
Imelda May and previously as her maiden name Imelda Clabby, is an Irish female vocalist from the Liberties, in Dublin, Ireland. Specialising in Rockabilly music, she has a repertoire of covers and self-penned songs.
35 -
The Corrs - Andrea Jane Corr born May 17, 1974).
35 -
Jewel - Jewel Kilcher (born May 23, 1974).
35 -
Alanis Morissette - Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974).
35 -
Nina Persson (born Nina Elisabet Persson, September 6, 1974 in Örebro, Sweden) is the lead singer and lyricist for the Swedish pop group
The Cardigans.
34 -
Madeleine Peyroux (born 1974, Athens, Georgia, USA) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Peyroux is noted for her vocal style, which has been compared to that of Billie Holiday.
34 -
Natalie Imbruglia - Natalie Jane Imbruglia (born February 4, 1975, Australia).
34 -
Miranda Lee Richards - Miranda Lee Richards (born April 4, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter.
34 - Anouk Teeuwe (born April 8, 1975) is a Dutch singer, professionally known as
Anouk. Since 1997, she has released seven pop-rock albums.
34 -
Nerina Pallot - Nerina Pallot (born Nerina Natasha Georgina Pallot, 26 April 1975, London).
34 -
KT Tunstall - Kate Victoria Tunstall better known as KT Tunstall (born 23 June 1975 in St Andrews, Scotland) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist.
34 -
Keri Noble (born 1975) is an American singer-songwriter born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Detroit. Her father was a Baptist minister, and Noble sang in church as a child.
33 -
Emma Bunton - Emma Lee Bunton (born 21 January 1976) is an English pop singer, songwriter, radio presenter, and occasional actress. Bunton is best known for being a member of the successful '90s girl group, the Spice Girls
33 -
Feist - Leslie Feist, (Amherst (Nova Scotia), 13 februari 1976, Canada).
33 -
Charlotte Martin - Charlotte Ann Martin (born March 29, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, who performs predominantly on the piano.
33 -
Leigh Nash - Leigh Bingham Nash (born 27 June 1976) is a singer, and composer, best known as the lead vocalist for the rock band
Sixpence None the Richer.
33 -
Catherine Feeny (born ??/??/1976) is an American singer/songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania, studied in Washington, D.C., and finally relocated to Los Angeles, where she started seriously writing her own songs.
32 -
Kate Walsh - Kate Walsh es un cantautora inglesa de Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, born 2 february 1977.
32 - Ilse Annoeska de Lange (born May 13, 1977, Almelo, Netherlands) is a Dutch country and pop singer, better known as
Ilse DeLange.
32 -
Sarah Slean - Sarah Hope Slean (born on 21 June 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, painter, and photographer from Pickering, Ontario.
32 -
Lisa Knapp - Lisa Knapp (born July 21, 1977) hailed as one of Brit folk's brightest new young stars when she appeared with Wild and Undaunted in 2007.
32 -
Fiona Apple - Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart, born September 13, 1977, USA).
32 -
Rachael Yamagata - Rachael Yamagata (born on September 23, 1977 in Arlington, Virginia)
32 -
Tina Dico, (born Tina Dickow on October 14, 1977 in Aarhus, Denmark) is a singer and songwriter, inspired by artists such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
31 -
Imogen Heap - Imogen Heap (born 9 December 1977 in the London Borough of Havering) is a Grammy nominated English singer and songwriter from Romford, Havering.
31 -
Kathleen Edwards (born July 11, 1978 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian alternative country singer-songwriter.
31 -
Vienna Teng - Vienna Teng (born Cynthia Yih Shih on October 3, 1978) is a Taiwanese American pianist and singer-songwriter based in New York City.
31 - Karen Lee Orzolek, better known as
Karen O, is the lead vocalist for the New York rock band
Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She was born on November 22, 1978 in South Korea.
30 -
Nelly Furtado - Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2, 1978, Canada).
30 -
Erin McCarley (born January 15, 1979 in Garland, Texas) is an alternative music singer-songwriter.
30 -
Norah Jones - Norah Jones, born on March 30th 1979 in New York City.
30 -
Butterfly Boucher is an Australian singer/songwriter, born June 2, 1979. The name "Butterfly" was a suggestion from a friend of the family. Boucher currently resides in the United States in Nashville, Tennessee.
30 -
Kaki King - Kaki King (born August 24, 1979 as Katherine Elizabeth King) is an American guitar player and singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia.
30 -
Geike Arnaert is the former lead singer of the Belgian pop group
Hooverphonic. Born on 13 September 1979, Westouter, Belgium.
30 -
Bat for Lashes - Bat for Lashes is the pseudonym of British musician Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), a Brighton-based songwriter.
29 -
Sara Bareilles - Sara Beth Bareilles (born December 7, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Bareilles was born and raised in Eureka, California.
29 -
Ingrid Michaelson (born Ingrid Ellen Michaelson, 8 December 1979, NY) is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter best known for her single "The Way I Am."
(born between 1980 - 1990)
29 -
Regina Spektor - Regina Spektor (Moskou, 18 februari 1980)
29 -
Vanessa Carlton - Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American soft rock / pop singer, songwriter, and pianist.
29 -
Lene Marlin - Lene Marlin Peterson (August 17, 1980 in Tromso, Norway).
28 -
Brandi Carlile (b. June 1, 1981, in Ravensdale, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter. Carlile’s music has been categorized in several genres, including pop, rock, alternative country, and folk.
27 - Amy Lynn Hartzler (b. December 13, 1981, Riverside, California, U.S.), better known as
Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band
Evanescence.
27 -
Meiko (pronounced MEE-ko), born on February 25, 1982 is an American singer/songwriter, born and raised in Roberta, Georgia and currently residing in Los Angeles, California.
26 -
Carrie Underwood (Carrie Marie Underwood, born March 10, 1983) is an American country singer and songwriter from Checotah, Oklahoma. She rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol. She has since become a multi-platinum selling recording artist, a multiple Grammy Award winner, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, and is the reigning Academy of Country Music Awards Entertainer of The Year.
26 -
Alela Diane - Alela Diane Menig (b. April 20, 1983, Nevada City, California, USA) is an American singer and songwriter, who is associated with the psych folk.
26 -
Michelle Branch (born July 2, 1983, Sedona, Arizona, USA ) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
26 -
Missy Higgins (born Melissa Morrison Higgins on August 19, 1983, in Melbourne, Australia) is one of Australia’s most popular female singer-songwriters.
26 -
Amy Winehouse - Amy Jade Winehouse (born 14 September 1983 in London) is an English singer-songwriter, known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including soul, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues.
26 -
Miranda Lambert - Miranda Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star.
25 -
Priscilla Ahn (born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft, March 9, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
25 -
Katharine McPhee (Katharine Hope McPhee, born March 25, 1984) is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.
25 -
Anna Nalick - Anna Christine Nalick (born March 30, 1984, in Glendora, California), is an U.S. singer-songwriter.
25 -
Jessie Baylin is a Nashville based singer/songwriter born April 4, 1984, in Gillette, New Jersey.
25 -
Mandy Moore - Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer–songwriter, actress and fashion designer.
25 -
Duffy - Aimée Ann Duffy (born 23 June 1984), better known by her stage name Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter.
25 -
Katie Melua - Ketevan "Katie" Melua (Georgia, born 16 September 1984).
25 -
Avril Lavigne - Avril Ramona Lavigne Whibley (Belleville, Ontario, 27 september 1984).
24 -
A Fine Frenzy - Alison Sudol (born December 23, 1984), known professionally as A Fine Frenzy is an American alternative singer-songwriter and pianist.
24 -
Melody Gardot (born February 2, 1985 in New Jersey) is an American jazz singer, writer and musician in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was disabled at 19 after being struck by a car while riding her bicycle and began writing music after using music to aid her recovery.
24 -
Lily Allen - Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English pop music singer and songwriter.
23 -
Maria Mena (Maria Viktoria Mena, Oslo, Norway, February 19, 1986) is a Norwegian pop-rock singer-songwriter, born into an artistic family, her mother, a playwright and her father, a drummer. Both Maria and her brother Tony are named after characters from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Her mother is Norwegian and her father is Nicaraguan.
23 -
Susanne Sundfør (born 19 March 1986, Haugesund, Norway) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She is the granddaughter of language researcher Kjell Aartun. She currently resides in Oslo.
22 -
Kate Nash - Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter based in London.
22 -
Amy Macdonald - Amy Macdonald (Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, 25 augustus 1987).
22 -
Florence + The Machine - Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28th August 1987), London, England, UK.
21 -
Adele - Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, born 5 May 1988, is an English soul/jazz singer.
20 -
Sonya Kitchell (Sonya D. Kitchell, born March 1, 1989 in Northampton, Massachusetts) is an American jazz singer-songwriter.
19 -
Taylor Swift - Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American country pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress.
(born after 01/01/1990)
19 -
Laura Marling - Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990), is a folk-pop, singer-songwriter from Hampshire, England
(not listed)
(because no favourites of mine).
Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, ...
Anastacia, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton, ...
Britney Spears, Christina Aquilera, Shakira, ...
Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, ...
and girls alike.
Heather Nova
Gone to California plays 
