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Lita Ford first came to the attention of the mass media in 1976 when her first band, The Runaways, released it's first major album. Lita was 16 but had been playing guitar for several years, having bought her first ax after seeing Black Sabbath. The Runaways toured through the United States, Europe and Japan, playing a brand of rock mixed with punk that no one had seen girls play before. While the girls had a say in much of the writing and were pioneers for today's female hard rock acts, at the time they were largely known as teenage jailbait on the run. Their outfits combined with their lyrics made them pariahs to much of the media but that didn't stop their cult following from growing. The band went through several personnel changes (Vicki Blue replaced Jackie Fox and was then replaced by Laurie McCallister....Cherie Currie also left the band, leaving Jett to take over as lead vocalist) and at the tail end of 1979, the band called it a day. Lita hooked up with Sandy and kept playing for a time while Joan Jett went on to start her successful solo career.

In 1983, Lita released her first solo album with her three piece band, entitled Out For Blood. Her music was now her music, heavy metal with female attitude. In 1985, she released Dancing On The Edge and received her first Grammy nomination for "Gotta Let Go." Writing began on a third album to be called The Bride Wore Black but the album was never recorded and after a period of argument with the record label, Lita and the label parted company. In 1988, with a new record label and a new manager in Sharon Osbourne, Lita released Lita which included the hits "Kiss Me Deadly" and seminal favorite "Close My Eyes Forever."

While the 90s brought "alternative," Lita relased Stiletto which included a touching tribute to her mother, "Lisa." She followed it up with Dangerous Curves in 1991 but by then, alternative had set itself in stone. Lita waited until 1995 to release Black, then returned home for a much needed period of relaxation. She and husband Jim Gillette (of Nitro fame), welcomed their first son into the world, James. When the Millienum came, Lita had released Greatest Hits Live, which included the new studio track, "Nobody's Child." In 2003, BMG Special Products released the first ever Lita Ford video collection dvd (find it on the merch page). Today, Lita and Jim are the proud parents of two sons and are enjoying their parenthood. Jim has formed a new band called Organ Donor, among other musical projects, and Lita is preparing her boys for the world. In my opinion, she may want the prepare the world for her boys. Never count Lita out....just when you think it's safe, she may just surprise you.

* Bio written by Chrystine Stylle