Pat Benatar

Petite in stature, Pat Benatar's voice is anything but. Training as an opera singer in New York in the 1970s, Benatar found her roots in an unlikely place, rock 'n' roll, with her '79 debut In the Heat of the Night. The album went platinum, featuring her trademark rock anthem, "Heartbreaker," and Benatar dug her high heels in to the boys club of rock 'n' roll. Her popularity soared in the '80s with follow-up Crimes of Passion, an album that would mark several hit singles. 1981's Precious Time also spawned hits, with "Fire and Ice" winning her a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and the following year's Get Nervous, which went platinum, continued to propel her skyward.

Enter the music video venue, and Benatar's sex-appeal and choreographed dance ability were showcased in '83's "Love is a Battlefield." She was named Favorite Female Vocalist by Rolling Stone magazine more than once, and is the winner of three American Music Awards. With a string of Grammys to her credit and millions of dollars in album sales, Benatar's "godmother of rock" status remains unimpeachable. To date, she continues to perform and record with her husband and lead guitarist, Neil Giraldo.