As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Issue 11 – Spring 2020 – SoCal Inspired

The evening began with a cocktail hour and dinner with a Silent Auction that had many tremendous gifts – autographed items, gift baskets, artwork, and an Epiphone She Rocks acoustic guitar autographed by all of the hosts and honorees.

Held on January 17, 2020, at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif., the She Rocks Awards show featured exceptional performances and emotional, inspiring acceptance speeches by women in the music industry. Hosted annually by the Women’s International Music Network (WiMN), the evening’s host was the Founder of WiMN, Laura B. Whitmore. Whitmore says, “This year’s event was over the top, and I couldn’t be more proud. From legendary honorees and heartfelt speeches to electrifying performances that had the audience on their feet, this was a night to remember.”

Kicking off the evening with the instrumental progressive metal Japanese band D_Drive. Other outstanding performances for the evening included the house band Rock Sugah, Suzi Quatro, Linda Perry, Willia Amai, Lzzy Hale, Beatie Wolfe, Tal Wilkenfeld, Jenna Paone and Laura Davidson, and Mindi Abair, with the final epic performance by Gloria Gaynor

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2020 She Rocks Awards honorees:

• Gloria Gaynor, Legend Award – GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, GRAMMY Hall of Fame inductee, and the legendary voice behind the iconic hit “I Will Survive.”

• Linda Perry, Powerhouse Award – Golden Globe, Critic’s Choice-nominated artist, Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, multi-platinum producer, and former frontwoman for 4 Non-Blondes“Stop focusing on what that person’s doing, and what that person’s doing – we just gotta focus on what we’re doing because that’s what makes true change.”

• Lzzy Hale, Inspire Award – GRAMMY Award-winning artist/songwriter and frontwoman for Halestorm“I would like to thank my foremothers of rock and roll for trailblazing uncharted territories through no man’s land. These ladies are pioneers.”

• Tal Wilkenfeld, Vision Award – chart-topping singer-songwriter and critically acclaimed bassist“When I’m on stage I’ve never thought to myself, ‘I’m really feeling the groove here…for a chick.’ Right now, we may be in a ‘male-dominated industry’ because we’re outnumbered, but I’m pleased to see so many women choosing not to put up with being ‘male-dominated’ in their personal or professional lives.” She continued, “Thank you to She Rocks, you’re a fantastic and necessary organization. I hope you will continue to inspire women, men, and the media at large until the question asked is no longer, ‘What’s it like being a chick in this business,’ but, rather, ‘What’s it like being YOU in this business?’

• Suzi Quatro, Icon Award – pioneering bass player, singer, musician, and actress who played the role of Leather Tuscadero on Happy Days“I want to clear up a little myth about women, we do have balls. We keep them in our head so they don’t get kicked.”

• Beatie Wolfe, Innovator Award – Singer-songwriter, pioneer of immersive music formats, UN Women role model“Art in the wider sense has always been vital to my life, and why I felt I was here in the first place. Over the years, I have explored what art and music can look like today, and how cool they are to our humanity. Sharing these explorations has brought me immense joy.”

• Suzanne D’Addario Brouder, Champion Award – Director of the D’Addario Foundation“We’re entering a new decade and we can say that progress has truly been made, but my true belief is that our greatest contributions lie in our abilities, both man and woman, to work together to make this world a better place.”

• Tara Low, Dreaming Out Loud Award- Music-based entrepreneur and editor and founder of Guitar Girl Magazine“I would like to offer advice to every aspiring female out there … and that is to get up in front of any audience from 5, to 50, to 50,000! Get up there and let them hear you sing and play – or do whatever it is you do – just do it!

• Myrna Sislen, Trailblazer Award – Owner of Middle C Music in D.C., classical guitarist, philanthropist, music educator

• Judy Schaefer, Excellence Award – Marketing Director at PRS Guitars“We all carry with us the ability to help others see their potential, to support each other, to propel each other forward; to be a mentor, a sounding board, or just a cheerleader. … We have the power to make sure that women and girls everywhere know they can be a rock star, a marketer, or a backup reception, and be absolutely proud.”

• Ebonie Smith, Mad Skills Award – Founder and President of Gender Amplified, Inc, and Atlantic Records audio engineer and producer“My prayer is that more women’s lives can be impacted through the exploration of music production and music in general.”

• Jenna Paone, Spirit Award – Singer/songwriter, performer and co-writer of Girl, the album

Co-hosting the event were Yahoo Entertainment music editor Lyndsey Parker and saxophonist-vocalist Mindi Abair.

Find out more about the She Rocks Awards and the Women’s International Music Network at thewimn.com.