She's pushing rock's boundaries

Kudison Kai hopes ''Women in Rock'' will be an annual event.

Berklee College of Music voice associate professor Kudisan Kai has a pretty good idea what would happen if she asked the average music fan to name five black women who play rock music. "They would go, 'Tina Turner, Tina Turner, um, Tina Turner, and what about Tina Turner?' " Kai says with a laugh.

In addition to working at Berklee on and off for the past 11 years, Kai has logged many hours as a live and session backing vocalist for artists such as Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, and Mary J. Blige. But the Memphis native's true love has always been rock 'n' roll.

Next week she will celebrate other black women who've devoted their energies to kicking out the jams with a three-day "Women in Rock" symposium at Berklee. The participating artists - including former Mother's Finest frontwoman Joyce Kennedy, drummers Cindy Blackman and Terri Lyne Carrington, Labelle vocalist Nona Hendryx, singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett, and virtuoso bassist Meshell Ndegeocello - will conduct panels and workshops with students.

The event culminates in an all-star concert on Wednesday at Berklee Performance Center, which is being filmed for a documentary called "Nice and Rough." Kai hopes the show will become an annual event at the school and this spring is launching a "Women in Rock" course. We chatted with Kai about the dearth of black women in rock.

Q. Do you have any insight as to why there have been so few high-profile African-American female rockers?

A. I think the door has been closed to women for so long, and these women especially - Nona Hendryx and Joyce Kennedy, being the lead singer with Mother's Finest, one of the first black rock groups - will tell you even with the amount of success that they've had doing rock, they always had to go to another genre to continue their career, which is one of the things I'd really love them to speak on. All I know just from my own experience is it's just about marketing.

Q. What was your experience?

A. There was a moment when I was on the road with Elton John when he was trying to help me get a record deal. I wanted to make a rock record, and people wanted me to make a soul record. At that time he was with MCA, and the people he had hooked me up with, literally when I went into their office, said, "We thought you were going to be another Patti LaBelle." And I was like, "No, if you listen to my demo, you would know I don't sound like that." But because I was a black woman with a big voice, it was assumed. And that was at a time when women period were just getting in the marketplace again thanks to Melissa Etheridge, and Lilith Fair and, you know, the angry white girls. They opened the door for women to do rock, but they just weren't letting black women be angry. (Laughs)

Q. Why do you think that is?

A. They wanted us to be the nurturing "mama will take care of you" types. (Laughs)

Q. Who were your inspirations and influences in rock 'n' roll?

A. Joyce Kennedy singing "Baby Love" was the first rock that I ever heard, and that was my inspiration. And, of course, Tina Turner, definitely. (Laughs) She was always stepping outside of the box and doing something different.