Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Celebrates Women: Great Escape

When Cyndi Lauper, the pre-Gaga-esque girl rocker, sang, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” she had no idea that she was making her mark on the most beloved music genre in the world – and neither did countless other female artists.  Now, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is showing a special exhibit of these legend-making women rockers and their impact on music history. 

“Women Who Rock:  Vision, Passion, Power,” commemorates 70 female artists who moved rock 'n' roll music and American culture forward from as early as the 1920s through today. 

The interactive exhibit, which runs through Feb. 26, fills two entire floors of the museum and features artifacts, fashions, listening and video stations, and even a recording booth where visitors can film their own short story related to women in rock. 

From trailblazers like Mahalia Jackson and Billie Holiday to early girl groups like the Shangri-las and counterculture revolutionaries like Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell, the exhibit moves through the rock 'n' roll era highlighting the artists while using historical and societal flashpoints in America as a backdrop.  

Take the '70s (please); the feminist movement was at its peak and disco divas like Donna Summer ruled the dance floors showing that women could take control over their own careers.  The '80s and '90s pop rock explosion part of the exhibit would be incomplete without mention of Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears.  Naturally, artists of the current millennium are featured like Lady Gaga along with her infamous meat suit, which is also part of the display. 

Escape to the museum and rock it out with the ladies of rock 'n' roll.  You might even be inspired to belt out a few tunes or bust a move in that recording booth!