Joan Jett fought hard to be taken seriously as a woman in rock ‘n’ roll. As a member of the all-girl band The Runaways and later with her band the Blackhearts, she was often spit on and called names like “slut” and “dyke” by men who felt threatened at the sight of a woman rocking out with a guitar. But Jett made no apologies for being female. She never changed her image to accommodate the mainstream’s idea of what a woman with a guitar should look like and never sacrificed her dream on the altar of the rock gods.
After Jett left The Runaways in the spring of 1979, she headed to England to pursue a solo career where she recorded an early cover version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” at the suggestion of her new manager, Toby Mamis, who thought it could be a huge hit for Jett. Originally written and recorded in 1975 by The Arrows, Joan recorded the song and three others with Paul Cook and Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols before reluctantly heading back to Los Angeles later that year to fulfill an obligation of The Runaways to complete a film that was loosely based on the band’s career.
While working on the film (which was eventually scrapped when Jett suffered a lengthy illness and later turned up in bits and pieces in the underground movie Du-beat-e-o), Jett met songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna, who had been hired by Mamis to assist her with writing some tracks for the film. The two hit it off instantly, prompting Jett to follow Laguna back to Long Beach, New York, where she cut her self-titled solo debut with him at the helm. In addition to the songs she’d recorded with Jones and Cook in Britain, the album also included other tracks that were recorded with guest musicians Clem Burke and Frank Infante of Blondie, The Ramones’ Barbara, Dee Dee and Marky Ramone, and The Tyla Gang’s Sean Tyla, Micky Groome and Paul Simmons.
Joan Jett was released in the UK in May 1980 yet no American record company would touch it. Jett was rejected by no fewer than 23 major labels in the US. "I really dug Joan and I thought she was really talented,” says Laguna. “It got me that no one would sign her to the point that it pissed me off. I thought she deserved it.” Frustrated but undeterred, Jett decided to release the album independently and pooled her personal savings together with Laguna’s daughter’s college savings and the two created their own label, Blackheart Records.
Joan also put together a band by the same name. After placing an ad in the L.A. Weekly, auditions were held and Jett selected bassist and longtime Runaways fan Gary Ryan, guitarist Eric Ambel, and drummer Danny O’Brien to fill the slots. As Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the band played several gigs at the Golden Bear and Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood before embarking on their first European tour. When they returned to the States without O’Brien, who chose to remain in England, Jett brought on Lee Crystal as drummer and the group set off to tour the US, selling copies of Jett’s album out of the trunk of Laguna’s Cadillac after each performance. By this time the record had gathered enough momentum to warrant the attention of Neil Bogart of Boardwalk Records who signed Jett and re-released Joan Jett in January 1981 under the title Bad Reputation. The album proved a moderate success for Jett.
After almost a year of touring, Jett replaced Ambel with local guitarist Ricky Byrd and cut her first album with the Blackhearts. I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll dropped in December 1981 and exploded on the charts. The single of the same name became a rock anthem for Jett when the song hit #1 on the Billboard charts where it remained for seven consecutive weeks. Jett and her band were thrust into the big league, playing sellout tours alongside bands like The Police, Queen, and Aerosmith. A string of Top 40 hits followed including Jett’s cover of Tommy James’ “Crimson and Clover” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You” from the Blackheart’s album Up Your Alley.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released a slew of albums in subsequent years including Album (1983); Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (1984); Good Music (1986); the multi-platinum Up Your Alley (1988); an album of cover songs called The Hit List (1990); Notorious (1991); the compilation album Flashback (1993) which Jett and Laguna released on their own Blackheart Records; Pure and Simple (1994); Evil Stig (1995), a live album Jett recorded with punk band The Gits; the fan club only release 1979 (1995); a re-mastered version of Bad Reputation (1999) on CD that included several bonus tracks; Naked (2004); Sinner (2006); and most recently, a 2-CD Greatest Hits album that was released in March and includes four newly re-recorded songs, three of which are Runaways hits and one track from her I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll album.
Jett also branched out into acting and has appeared on film, television, and on Broadway in the production of The Rocky Horror Show and recently served as executive producer for the biographical film The Runaways starring Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame as Jett. She continues to foster new talent and has produced several bands through her now 30-year-old Blackheart label which she and Laguna keep viable in an effort to release albums by artists who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance.
Joan Jett was named #87 on Rolling Stone’s greatest 100 guitarists of all time. She was one of only two women to make the list, the other being Joni Mitchell at #72. She was listed as one of Blender’s “hottest women of rock” 21 years after she started The Runaways and has been honored by Gibson with a signature model of her Melody Maker.
Through it all, the one constant in Joan Jett's career and personal life has been Kenny Laguna. Their shared love of music has resulted in a mutually satisfying partnership that has lasted longer than most marriages. "We're very good, close friends,” says Laguna. “There's never been a thought of walking away from Joan, although I've heard it before and been advised many times to walk away. It's like this is my friend and regardless of what the business is, I'm going to stay with my friend. Our friendship and respect is what holds it all together.”
When asked about goals, Jett says that ultimately you have to follow your dreams. “I really feel that people beat down other people’s dreams constantly. Make an attempt to fulfill yourself, and if you don’t quite get there, you’ll have great stories to tell along the way.”
For more on Joan Jett, check out the recently published hardcover biography and picture book Joan Jett, which is co-authored by Jett and designer Todd Oldham and spans her career from The Runaways to her current status as a solo artist.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts kick off a run of concert dates in Chicago, Illinois, on August 8th and will join Aerosmith on their Western Canadian tour beginning in September. Visit Jett’s website at www.joanjett.com or www.blackheart.com for further information.
