1. Karen Carpenter
   Anni-Frid Lyngstad
2. Carole King
   Janis Ian

Karen and Richard formed the Carpenters, a sibling duo that had soft pop hits like "We've Only Just Begun" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Sadly, Karen passed away in 1983 after struggling with anorexia.

1. Stevie Nicks
   Barbra Streisand
2. Christine McVie
   Michelle Phillips

With her distinctive husky voice, Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac and sang for their wildly popular album, "Rumors." Some of her best-known songs for the band include "Rhiannon," "Dreams" and "Landslide."

1. Kate Bush
   Joni Mitchell
2. Annie Lennox
   Olivia Newton-John

Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell blended folk, jazz and pop sounds in her music. Her 1971 album "Blue" is considered one of her best, with songs like "A Case of You" and "River."

1. Carly Simon
   Cyndi Lauper
2. Carole King
   Diana Ross

In the 1960s, Carole King started out writing popular songs with her husband, Gerry Goffin. But in the '70s, she started performing songs herself and had a major success with "Tapestry."

1. Linda Ronstadt
   Stevie Nicks
2. Barbra Streisand
   Carly Simon

With her distinctive contralto voice, Carly Simon had several hits in the 1970s, including "You're So Vain" and "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." She sang some songs with then-husband James Taylor, too.

1. The Bangles
   Girlschool
2. Dolly Mixture
   The Runaways

Starting in 1975, the Runaways originally included members Joan Jett, Micki Steele and Sandy West. The band was popular in the hard rock and punk rock genres but broke up in 1979 due to stylistic disagreements.

1. Kiki Dee
   Chrissie Hynde
2. Karla Bonoff
   Bette Midler

Bette Midler became famous for singing pop songs with her powerful vocals. Her debut album, "The Divine Miss M," included "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," a hit swing song from the '40s.

1. The Runaways
   The Slits
2. Heart
   Blondie

Heart became a success in the mid-1970s with hit singles like "Crazy On You" and "Magic Man." After releasing "Barracuda" in 1977, the Wilson sisters appeared on the cover of "Rolling Stone."

1. Cass Elliot
   Ella Fitzgerald
2. Nicolette Larson
   Gladys Knight

Cass Elliot became known as Mama Cass when she sang for the '70s group the Mamas and the Papas. She lent her powerful vocals to their hit songs "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday."

1. Tina Turner
   Diana Ross
2. Patti Smith
   Bonnie Tyler

Tina Turner rose to stardom with her then-husband, Ike Turner, with hits like "Proud Mary" and "I Want to Take You Higher." But following her divorce from Ike, Tina had a successful solo career.

1. Dolly Parton
   Reba McEntire
2. Emmylou Harris
   Dusty Springfield

One of the major legends of country music, Dolly Parton became a successful singer in the 1970s when she wrote songs like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene." The versatile artist has also starred in movies.

1. Debby Boone
   Phoebe Snow
2. Linda Ronstadt
   Melissa Manchester

Linda Ronstadt's fifth album, "Heart Like a Wheel," shot to the top of the charts and solidified her status as a rock legend. Ronstadt went on to win numerous awards for her music, including 10 Grammys.

1. Emmylou Harris
   Roberta Flack
2. Grace Slick
   Tina Turner

In the early 1970s, Roberta Flack won two consecutive Grammy Awards for Record of the Year, first with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and next with "Killing Me Softly with His Song."

1. Carly Simon
   Donna Summer
2. Kate Bush
   Olivia Newton-John

English singer Olivia Newton-John had a string of country and pop hits in the 1970s. But her career really took off after she starred in the 1978 hit film "Grease" with John Travolta.

1. Gloria Gaynor
   Cher
2. Gladys Knight
   Patti LaBelle

With major hits like "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," Gladys Knight and the Pips established themselves as soul legends. They became part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

1. Phoebe Snow
   Yvonne Elliman
2. Joan Sutherland
   Tammy Wynette

The versatile singer-songwriter Phoebe Snow blended jazz, soul, blues, rock, gospel and folk in her calming music. Until her death in 2011, she maintained a music career while also caring for a disabled daughter.

1. The Ronettes
   The Angels
2. The Supremes
   The Crystals

The Supremes formed in 1959, originally with Diana Ross as the lead singer. After Ross left in 1970, the group continued with Jean Terrell, releasing hits like "Stoned Love" and "Floy Joy."

1. Dionne Warwick
   Petula Clark
2. Joan Baez
   Dusty Springfield

Dionne Warwick sang many hit songs written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David throughout the 1960s and '70s, including "Make It Easy on Yourself" and "Let Me Go to Him." She won six Grammy Awards for her long music career.

1. Tammy Wynette
   Emmylou Harris
2. Bonnie Raitt
   Loretta Lynn

Best known for "Stand By Your Man," Tammy Wynette had several number-one country hits in the '60s and '70s. She often collaborated with her third husband, George Jones, but proved she could make it on her own.

1. The Shirelles
   The Chiffons
2. Sister Sledge
   The Pointer Sisters

Originally consisting of sisters June, Bonnie and Anita Pointer, the Pointer Sisters have been performing since 1969. Children of the '70s may recognize them for the "Pinball Number Count" songs on "Sesame Street."

1. Vikki Carr
   Shirley Bassey
2. Helen Reddy
   Donna Summer

Australian singer Helen Reddy moved to the United States in the late 1960s to launch her singing career. Fans adopted her 1972 hit single "I Am Woman" as an anthem of the women's movement.

1. Roberta Flack
   Natalie Cole
2. Diana Ross
   Maria Callas

The daughter of Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole made a name for herself in the 1970s with R&B hits like "Our Love" and "Inseparable." She released her first album in 1975 and earned a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1979.

1. Joan Baez
   Rita Coolidge
2. Janis Joplin
   Cher

With her big, ragged voice, Janis Joplin made a name for herself as a rock, soul and blues singer. She performed solo and with bands like Full Tilt Boogie Band up until her death at age 27 in 1970.

1. Olivia Newton-John
   Annie Lennox
2. Patti Smith
   Joan Armatrading

In 1975, Patti Smith released her first album, "Horses," which mixed punk rock with spoken poetry. Three years later, she and Bruce Springsteen co-wrote the hit song "Because the Night," which came out on her album "Easter."

1. Gladys Knight
   Aretha Franklin
2. Vikki Carr
   Shirley Bassey

As a child, Aretha Franklin sang gospel music at her church, and she carried that passion into her secular music career. In 1972, she recorded the live album "Amazing Grace," in which she sang traditional hymns.

1. Kate Bush
   Anne Murray
2. Debbie Harry
   Connie Francis

The eclectic Kate Bush began writing songs as a young girl and used some of those early songs on her first album, "The Kick Inside." The song "Wuthering Heights" was an instant international hit.

1. Helen Reddy
   Carole King
2. Nicolette Larson
   Barbra Streisand

After singing traditional Broadway tunes in the 1960s, Barbra Streisand branched out into contemporary music. Her 1971 album "Stoney End" included popular hits written by artists like Lauren Nyro and Gordon Lightfoot.

1. Patti LaBelle
   Dusty Springfield
2. Emmylou Harris
   Grace Slick

Dusty Springfield became known in the 1960s for her soulful pop and R&B music. Her career continued in the '70s with the release of albums like "A Brand New Me" and "It Begins Again."

1. Emmylou Harris
   Loretta Lynn
2. Melissa Manchester
   Bonnie Tyler

The winner of 14 Grammys over the course of her career, Emmylou Harris is an artist known for her country, folk and bluegrass music. In 1975, she had her first major hit, "If I Could Only Win Your Love."

1. Helen Reddy
   Yvonne Elliman
2. Barbra Streisand
   Lena Zavaroni

In the early 1970s, Yvonne Elliman toured for four years in the cast of "Jesus Christ Superstar." Later in the '70s, she had popular hits with "Hello Stranger" and "If I Can't Have You."

1. Loretta Lynn
   Bonnie Raitt
2. Dolly Parton
   Aretha Franklin

Bonnie Raitt began recording bluesy rock music in the 1970s. She released a number of critically acclaimed albums in the '70s but had her first commercial success with "Sweet Forgiveness."

1. Diana Ross
   Aretha Franklin
2. Gladys Knight
   Tina Turner

After leaving the Supremes, Diana Ross proved she had the stuff to make it as a solo artist. Her 1970s hits included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," for which she received a Grammy nomination.

1. Carole King
   Michelle Phillips
2. Laura Nyro
   Ann Wilson

Although a singer herself, Laura Nyro wrote a slew of songs that became hits sung by other artists, like Barbra Streisand, the 5th Dimension and Three Dog Night. She was also a passionate animal rights advocate.

1. Stevie Nicks
   Brenda Lee
2. Chrissie Hynde
   Jackie DeShannon

In 1978, Chrissie Hynde was one of the founding members of the Pretenders, a British punk rock band. The band continues to play, with Hynde being the one consistent member of the band.

1. Karla Bonoff
   Linda Ronstadt
2. Bonnie Raitt
   Lynn Anderson

Karla Bonoff wrote many songs, like "Isn't It Always Love" and "Lose Again," that were popularized by other artists. Linda Ronstadt, for instance, recorded three of Bonoff's songs.

1. Ella Fitzgerald
   Tina Turner
2. Aretha Franklin
   Mahalia Jackson

Legendary Ella Fitzgerald was known for singing jazz, blues, pop and swing. Some of her '70s albums included collaborations with jazz legends like Count Basie, Joe Pass and Oscar Peterson.

1. Patti Smith
   Nancy Wilson
2. Annie Lennox
   Lulu

In 1977, Annie Lennox became the lead singer of the Tourists, a British rock band that also included Dave Stewart. Lennox and Stewart would go on to form the Eurythmics in the '80s.

1. The Supremes
   The Pointer Sisters
2. Girlschool
   Bananarama

Known for playing heavy metal and hard rock, Girlschool has the distinction of being the longest-running female rock group. Two current members, Kim McAuliffe and Denise Dufort, were there from the start.

1. Reba McEntire
   Lulu
2. Oleta Adams
   Marie Osmond

A popular pop and soul singer, Lulu sang the James Bond song "The Man with the Golden Gun" in 1974. She also had a hit with the cover of David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World."

1. Dolly Parton
   Loretta Lynn
2. Emmylou Harris
   Olivia Newton-John

Loretta Lynn released the song "Coal Miner's Daughter" in 1970, describing her childhood in Appalachian Kentucky. Lynn used the same title for her autobiography and the film starring Sissy Spacek.