TheRunaways.com :: Joan Jett

"Joan Jett is an institution." -- Anonymous email, March 2001

No argument there. Joan Jett was spawned from a band that has become just as much of an institution as she is. When Joan, Sandy West and Kim Fowley set off on the journey to create the penultimate 70s all girl band with a bunch of rowdy teenagers, more than a few critics stood in line to scoff. The Runaways were not your typical girl group. They were teenage chicks with passion, 16 year olds who wouldn’t think twice about flipping you the bird, and, most unbelievably at the time, actually played their own instruments. Teenagers just didn’t do that in the mid 70s…at least, not if they were female. Joan started out as the band’s rhythm guitarist and one of the chief songwriters, alongside drummer Sandy West, guitarist Lita Ford, vocalist Cherie Currie and bassist Jackie Fox. The long and engaging history of The Runaways has been covered elsewhere, so all you need to know here is that after several personnel changes (during which Joan moved to the lead microphone) and arguments over musical direction, The Runaways were no more.

By spring of 1979, Joan was in England trying to put together a new project of her own. She recorded a few songs with Steve Jones and Paul Cook (ex-Sex Pistols) and returned to Los Angeles where she produced an album for The Germs. She acted in a movie no one ever saw called We’re All Crazy Now (based on The Runaways) and continued her trek towards a solo career. She met and teamed up with Kenny Laguna, who would become one of the more stable positive forces in her career and life, and together they set about putting together an album. Simply titled Joan Jett, it was ignored and denied by 23 record labels before Joan and Kenny decided to release it themselves. They put together their savings and set up a personal distribution network until the album was finally picked up by Boardwalk and released as Bad Reputation in 1981. The album was a moderate success and after forming The Blackhearts, the second album, I Love Rock and Roll was released. The title track went to number one and Joan Jett became a solidified solo artist.

Throughout the 80s, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released a string of albums and videos, establishing themselves as one of the top rock acts of the decade. Joan appeared in the Michael J. Fox movie Light of Day, and was praised in the part. During the 90s, when many rock acts were calling it quits, Joan and the Blackhearts kept right on going, branching out into heavier rhythms while keeping a firm grip on her pop sensibilities. Besides Light of Day, Joan’s been seen in the movie Boogie Boy, the television show Highlander and in various other acting incarnations. And, she’s still touring. She is one of few who have toured steadily since 1976 and is still considered one of the best when it comes to the live stage. From The Runaways to today, Joan has become a cult icon and inspiration to a wide variety of artists, male and female, and a regular rock institution to her ever growing legion of fans.

For more information and current news, see joanjett.com

* Bio written by Chrys Stylle