Hit Parade: Building a Herstory Edition Part 1
For decades\u2014literally since Woodstock\u2014female musicians had battled music-industry perceptions that amassing too many of them, on the radio or on the road, was bad for business. And yet, by the \u201990s, women were vital to the rise of alt-rock and hip-hop on the charts: from Suzanne Vega to Queen Latifah, Tracy Chapman to Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant to Missy Elliott.\nSarah McLachlan harnessed this energy into an all-woman tour she dubbed Lilith Fair. Its string of sellouts from 1997 to \u201999 affirmed women\u2019s clout in the decade of grunge-and-gangsta. But the festival was also criticized for its narrow focus and for branding \u201cwomen\u2019s music\u201d as a genre. More than two decades later, Hit Parade assesses the legacy of Lilith on the charts and on the road\u2014how its performers, attendees and musical descendants are helping to ensure the future is female.\nPodcast production by Benjamin Frisch and Kevin Bendis.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices