Joan Jett

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Joan Jett

Background information
Birth name Joan Marie Larkin
Born September 22, 1958 (age 48)
Genre(s) Rock, Punk
Occupation(s) Guitarist, singer, producer
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active 1975 - present
Associated
acts		 The Runaways, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Website Official Site

Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1958) is an American rock guitarist, singer, producer and actress.

She is best known for her hit single "I Love Rock N' Roll," which was #1 on the Billboard charts from March 20 to May 8 of 1982, as well as for her other popular recordings including "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself For Loving You", "Little Liar" and "Love Is All Around". Jett has a Mezzo-Soprano vocal range.[1]

Contents

[edit] Career and biography

Joan Jett moved to Los Angeles at the age of 12.[2]

[edit] The Runaways

At age 15, Jett helped form The Runaways [3] after receiving a call from Kim Fowley and Sandy West. Kari Krome (replaced by Micki Steele and later Jackie Fox), Lita Ford, and Cherie Currie completed the line-up. While Cherie initially fronted the band, Jett also sang lead vocal, played rhythm guitar and wrote or co-wrote much of the band's material. The band recorded five LPs, with one becoming one of the biggest selling imports in U.S. and U.K. history. The band toured around the world and some of their opening acts included Cheap Trick, Van Halen and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. They found massive success abroad, especially in Japan.

While The Runaways were popular in Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and even South America, they could not garner the same success in the U.S. It seemed that the United States, and the music press especially, was not ready to take the music of female teenagers seriously. After Cherie and Jackie left the band (to be replaced by bassist Vicki Blue, who was then replaced by Laurie McAllister), Joan and the others released two more albums, "Waitin' for the Night" and "And Now...The Runaways". Altogether they produced five albums from 1975 until 1979 and disbanded in 1979.[4]

It was around this time that Jett produced The Germs' debut (and only) album G.I. This recording has been critically heralded as the American version of the Sex Pistols' Never Mind The Bollocks.[citation needed]

[edit] Solo

In the spring of 1979, Jett was in England pursuing a solo career. While there, she cut three songs with ex-Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones (one of which was an early version of a cover song called "I Love Rock N' Roll," originally written and performed by The Arrows). Later that year, she moved to Long Beach, NY and ultimately, Los Angeles, where she reluctantly began fulfilling an obligation by the Runaways to complete a film loosely based on The Runaways' career called We're All Crazee Now!, with three actresses standing in for Joan's departed band members. The plug was pulled on the project halfway through shooting, but in 1984, after Jett had become a major star, producers were looking for a way to make use of the footage from the uncompleted film. Bits of the original movie ended up on the cutting room floor, only to be re-edited in a never commercially-released underground movie called "DuBeat-Eo", produced by Alan Sacks (producer and writer for the television shows Welcome Back, Kotter and Chico and the Man). However one good thing came out of the project: Jett met songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna. They became instant friends and decided to work together.

Jett and Laguna entered The Who’s Ramport Studios with the latter at the helm. Jett's self-titled solo debut was released in Europe. In the United States, the album was rejected by 23 major labels.[citation needed] Jett and Laguna released it independently on their own Blackheart Records label. Laguna remembers, "We couldn't think of anything else to do, but print up records ourselves, and that's how Blackheart Records started. It was more or less Joan's idea to do it ourselves."[citation needed] Jett inadvertently became the first female performer to start her own record label.

[edit] The Blackhearts

With Laguna's assistance, she formed The Blackhearts. The pair used their personal savings to press up records and set up their own system of independent distribution, sometimes selling the albums out of the trunk of their car at the end of each concert. Laguna was unable to keep up with demand for her album. Eventually, old friend and founder of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart, made a joint venture with Laguna and signed Jett to his new label, Boardwalk Records. After a year of touring and recording, The Blackhearts recorded a new album for the label. The new single was a re-recording of the title track, "I Love Rock N' Roll", which in the first half of 1982 was number one on the Billboard charts for seven weeks in a row. It is now Billboard’s #28 song of all time.

A string of Top 40 hits followed, as well as sellout tours with The Police, Queen, and Aerosmith, among others. Jett was the first American act of any kind to perform behind the Iron Curtain and the first English-speaking rock band to appear in Panama and the Dominican Republic.[citation needed]

After receiving her own MTV New Years Eve Special, Jett beat out a number of contenders to appear in the movie Light of Day with Michael J. Fox. Bruce Springsteen wrote the title song especially for her and her performance was critically acclaimed. Later that year, Jett released Good Music which featured appearances by The Beach Boys, The Sugarhill Gang and singer Darlene Love.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts became the first rock band to perform a series of shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, breaking the record at the time for the fastest ticket sell-out ever. Her next release, Up Your Alley, went multi-platinum and was followed by The Hit List, which was an international hit.

In 1989 Joan co-wrote the song "House Of Fire" which appeared on Alice Cooper's Trash album.

In the 1990s, Jett and Laguna released Flashback, a compilation of her career so far on their own Blackheart Records. Her next release, Notorious (which featured The Replacements' Paul Westerberg) was the last with Sony/CBS as Jett switched to Warner Brothers. A CD single of "Let's Do It" featuring Jett and Westerberg was also released during this time and appeared in the song credits for the movie Tank Girl.

Jett produced several bands prior to releasing her debut and her label Blackheart Records released recordings from varied artists such as thrash legends Metal Church and smooth operator Big Daddy Kane.

The press touted Jett as the "Godmother of Punk" and the "Original Riot Grrrl". In 1994, the Blackhearts released the well received Pure and Simple, which featured tracks written with Kat Bjelland (Babes In Toyland), Donita Sparks (L7) and Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill).

[edit] Other work

Jett, a huge sports fan, remained actively involved in the sports world. Her cover of “Love is All Around” (the theme song of The Mary Tyler Moore Show) became an anthem in women’s sports and was used by the NCAA to promote the Women’s Final Four, as well as the song "Unfinished Business" which was never commercially released. The "Mary Tyler Moore" song went into heavy radio play and became a number one requested song without an existing support CD. Jett supplied theme songs for the premiere ESPN X-Games and has contributed music to all the games since. She also sang the national anthem, by request of Cal Ripken Jr. (of the Baltimore Orioles) at the game in which he broke Lou Gehrig’s record.

[edit] Film, Broadway and television appearances

Jett's first appearance on film is in the 1981 live concert film Urgh!, subtitled A Music War, performing "Bad Reputation" with The Blackhearts at The Ritz in New York City. She made her acting debut in 1987, co-starring with Gena Rowlands and Michael J. Fox in the Paul Schrader film Light of Day. She has also appeared in some independent films, including Sweet Life and Boogie Boy.

During the 1990s, she appeared on the sitcom Ellen, performing the title song. She also appeared on the television show Highlander. Her song "Bad Reputation" was used as the theme song for the cult TV show Freaks and Geeks, and later for the Sirius Satellite Radio show "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer". A version of "Bad Reputation" also appeared on the soundtrack of the film Shrek.

In 2000, Jett appeared in the Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Show in the role of "Columbia".

Joan Jett live in Sydney Australia - May 1995
Joan Jett live in Sydney Australia - May 1995

[edit] Later music career

Jett returned to producing for the band Circus Lupus in 1992 and again, in 1994, for Bikini Kill. This recording was the New Radio EP for which she also played and sang back-up vocals. It was during the 1990s that the Riot Grrrl movement arose, of which Bikini Kill was a representative band, and many of these women credited Jett as a role model and inspiration. Another Riot Grrrl band, Bratmobile, covered the song "Cherry Bomb" as a tribute to her.

Near the end of the 1990s she worked with members of the punk band The Gits, whose lead singer and lyricist, Mia Zapata, had been raped and murdered. The results of their collaboration together was a live LP, Evil Stig and a single Bob, whose earnings were contributed to the investigation of Zapata's murder. To this end, the band and Jett appeared on the television show America's Most Wanted, appealing to the public for information. The case was finally solved in 2004, when Zapata's murderer was finally brought to trial and convicted.

Jett performed "I Love Rock N' Roll" with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 19, 2005.

Jett is a guest artist on The Ramones drummer Marky Ramone's solo album Start Of The Century on the track "Don't Blame Me."

She is a guest vocalist on Peaches album Impeach My Bush on the track "Boys Wanna Be Her", and a guest on "You Love It".

In 2004, Jett and Laguna produced, "No Apologies" by Warped Tour favorites The Eyeliners. Jett also guested on the track "Destroy" and made a cameo appearance in the music video.

In 2005, Jett discovered Cleveland punk rockers The Vacancies. She and Laguna produced their second album, A Beat Missing or a Silence Added. It went top 20 in the CMJ Music Charts.

In 2005, she was recruited by Steven Van Zandt to join original Rolling Stones manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham, former Runaways manager Kim Fowley, humorist/producer Martin Lewis and others by hosting her own radio show on Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. She hosts a a 4-hour show entitled Joan Jett's Radio Revolution heard every Saturday and Sunday. The program recently moved from Sirius 25 to Sirius 28.

In 2005, Jett and Laguna celebrated the 25th anniversary of Blackheart Records with a sell out show at Manhattan's Webster Hall that featured their groups The Eyeliners and The Vacancies as openers to the headlining Joan Jett and The Blackhearts.

[edit] Current projects

Joan Jett has recently released a new album, Sinner, on Blackheart Records, her own label. To support the album, the band appeared on the 2006 Warped Tour, and embarked on a Fall 2006 tour with Eagles of Death Metal. Various other bands like Valient Thorr, The Vacancies, Throw Rag and Riverboat Gamblers will hook up with the tour for a handful of dates each.

A Joan Jett video with Paul, Paul Jr. and Mikey Teutul of the Learning Channel show American Chopper aired on Sunday Jan 14, 2007. The making of that video was presented in a segment of American Chopper that aired on Learning Channel February 22, 2007.

Joan Jett sang a duet with Chase Noles on "Tearstained Letters," a song on the recently released Heart Attacks album, Hellbound and Heartless.

[edit] Trivia

  • On May 15, 2006, Jett visited the Pentagon for a meet-and-greet, and many photographs were taken with personnel. She has been a consistent supporter of the US Armed Forces, has toured for the USO for over 20 years, and even played West Point.
  • In 2006, actress and model Carmen Electra, who is featured in the music video for Jett's "A.C.D.C." admitted she grew up with a secret crush on Jett.[5][6]
  • Jett is listed as one of Blender Magazine's hottest women of rock 21 years after she started The Runaways.[8]
  • Jett is a vegan (interview in Herbivore magazine).
  • There is an article in the The Sun Online that seems to claim that Joan Jett has been involved in a secret lesbian love affair with ex-Baywatch actor Carmen Electra for four months, this subject also appears in the Rock N Roll Daily on rollingstone.com, it also states they are going to be attending the "Lesbian Prom" together. [9]

[10]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Album U.S. UK Additional information
1980 Joan Jett debut album
1981 Bad Reputation 51 - -
1981 I Love Rock 'N Roll 2 25 #38 Norway, #31 Germany, #14 Austria
1983 Album 20 - #19 Norway
1984 I Need Someone - - Released in Venezuela
1984 Glorious Results Of A Misspent Youth 67 - -
1986 Good Music 105 live album
1988 Up Your Alley 19 - -
1990 The Hit List 36 - #27 Switzerland
1991 Notorious - - -
1992 I Love Rock'N Roll 92 - - Released in Japan
1993 Do You Wanna Touch Me - - Released in France
1993 Flashback - - -
1994 Pure And Simple - - -
1995 Evil Stig - - -
1995 1979 - - -
1996 Great Hits - - Released in Germany
1997 Fit To Be Tied - - -
1999 Fetish - - -
2003 Jett Rock - - Released in Japan
2004 NAKED - - Released in Japan
2006 Sinner 56 -

[edit] Singles

Year Song U.S.
Hot 100		 U.S.
MSR*		 UK
singles		 Notes
1979 (Holland) "You Don't Own Me" - - - -
1980 (UK) "You Don't Own Me" - - - -
1980 (Holland/Germany) "You Don't Know What You've Got" - - - -
1980 (UK) "Jezebel" - - - -
1980 (Germany) "Bad Reputation" - - - -
1981 "Little Drummer Boy" - - - -
1982 "I Love Rock 'N Roll" 1 (7 weeks) 1 (5 weeks) 4 #3 Switzerland, #6 Germany, #1 Australia - 5 weeks, #4 Austria
1982 "Crimson and Clover" 7 8 8 #8 Switzerland, #19 Germany, #12 Austria
1982 "Do You Wanna Touch Me" 20 11 - #12 Switzerland, #31 Germany, #19 Austria
1982 (Canada) "Summertime Blues" - - - -
1982 (Germany) "Nag" - - - -
1982 (France) "Victim Of Circumstance" - - - -
1983 "Fake Friends" 35 15 - -
1983 "Everyday People" 37 9 - -
1983 (Canada) "The French Song" - - - -
1984 "I Need Someone" - - - -
1984 "I Love You Love" 105 - - -
1984 (Australia) "Cherry Bomb" - - - -
1986 "Good Music" 83 18 - -
1986 "Roadrunner" - - - -
1987 "Light of Day" 33 23 - -
1988 "I Hate Myself For Loving You" 8 4 46 -
1988 "Little Liar" 19 6 - -
1990 "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" 36 22 69 -
1990 "Love Hurts" - - 100 -
1990 (Malaysia) "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" - - - -
1991 "Backlash" - - - -
1991 "Don't Surrender" - - - -
1991 (Germany) "Treadin' Water" - - - -
1994 "I Love Rock And Roll" - - 75 #13 Sweden
1994 "Spinster" - - - -
1994 "As I Am" - - - -
1994 "Eye To Eye" - - - -
1995 "Bob (Cousin O.)" - - - -
1996 "Love Is All Around" 108 - - -
1999 "Fetish" - - - -
2002 "The Word" - - - -
2006 "A.C.D.C" - - - -
2006 "Change The World" - - - -

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Martin, Bill (2002). Pro Secrets Of Heavy Rock Singing. Sanctuary Publishing, Page 9. ISBN 1-86074-437-0. 
  2. ^ VH1 Joan Jett bio
  3. ^ joanjett.com Bio page
  4. ^ VH1 Joan Jett bio
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ [2]
  7. ^ Notes of praise for LI musicians at Hall induction
  8. ^ "http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2295&src=blender_ed
  9. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2007130578,00.html. The Sun
  10. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/03/23/lil-jons-bling-makes-history-elton-john-prepares-world-for-his-60th-and-more/ Rolling Stone

[edit] External links

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