This study explores the many ways women have defined themselves as rock musicians in an industry once dominated and controlled entirely by men. Integrating history, feminist analysis and developmental theory, the author's describe how and why women have become rock musicians - what inspires them to play and perform, how they write, what they hope their music means to listeners. As these women musicians tell their stories, topics emerge that illumiate broader trends in rock's history. From Wanda Jackson's revolutionary act of picking up a guitar to the current success of independent artists such as Ani DiFranco, the book examines the shared threads of these performers' lives and the evolution of women's roles in rock music since its beginning in the 1950s. This investigation of women in rock is based on numerous interviews interviews with a broad spectrum of women performers - those who have achieved fame and those just starting bands, those playing at local coffee-houses and those seling out huge arenas. The text celebrates what female musicians have to teach about their experiences as women, artists and rock musicians.