Biography
Joan Jett has long embodied a straightforward, hard-hitting strain of rock & roll that lands with immediate force. Her raspy, heartfelt vocals propel a lean blend of glam rock drive, bubblegum melodies, and punk force, placing her at ease whether delivering three-chord anthems or vulnerable, emotion-soaked ballads. From the mid-'70s debut of her opening outfit, the heavy metal-meets-punk Runaways, across the commercial peak of the '80s alongside the Blackhearts, highlighted by the enduring single "I Love Rock 'n Roll," through the unanticipated '90s resurgence tied to grunge and riot grrrl that yielded the raw Pure and Simple LP in 1990, her fundamental method held steady. In any context she maintained a rebellious scowl, kept her low-slung guitar pumping out power chords, and preserved her rock & roll core. Between film roles, running Blackheart Records, producing other acts, and near-constant touring, key albums occasionally surfaced, including the stripped-down Unvarnished in 2013 and the acoustic guitar-focused Changeup of 2022.
Born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania in 1958, Jett relocated with her family to the Los Angeles area at age 12. At 15 she assembled her first group and began playing locally. After seeing one of their performances, music industry figure Kim Fowley took on management duties. He soon rebranded the all-female outfit the Runaways and secured a Mercury Records deal. Their late-'70s output bridged hard rock and punk, yielding only modest traction in either scene. They produced one enduring single, 1976's "Cherry Bomb," co-written by Jett, while the four albums issued from 1976 to 1978 proved influential. Stronger recognition arrived in Japan, where their 1977 release Live in Japan attained Gold certification. Jett's reputation as a direct rocker led to her producing the Germs' debut album (GI). Musical differences prompted the Runaways' 1979 split, after which Jett traveled to England to launch a solo path.
There she cut three tracks with Sex Pistols members Paul Cook and Steve Jones. Following work on an uncompleted, contract-bound Runaways film project, she encountered producer Kenny Laguna. His bubblegum and power pop experience complemented hers, resulting in a punk-meets-bubblegum sound built on snarling vocals, loud guitars, and strong hooks. With Ritchie Cordell assisting at the Who's Rampart Studio, they completed an album that Ariola released in Europe while no American label showed interest. Forming Blackheart Records themselves, they issued the self-titled record in 1980. Positive reviews drove sufficient sales for Boardwalk Records to reissue it as Bad Reputation, which climbed to number 51 on the Billboard album chart.
Preferring band leadership over solo status, Jett assembled the Blackhearts shortly after her debut. Following initial personnel changes, the lineup stabilized with guitarist Ricky Byrd, bassist Gary Ryan, and drummer Lee Crystal. This configuration recorded the 1981 single "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." A former B-side by the Arrows, it dominated the charts for seven weeks at number one during spring 1982 and achieved lasting recognition. The accompanying album refined Jett's style into a precise balance of punk edge and pop accessibility that resonated worldwide, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard album chart and topping the lists in Canada and New Zealand. A cover of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" from the set entered the U.S. Top Ten and became an AOR staple. After global touring, the band returned for 1983's Album, which reduced covers in favor of a heavier tone. Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth followed in 1984, again mixing covers and originals, among them a refreshed "Cherry Bomb." Thom Panunzio joined Laguna as producer, a partnership that continued thereafter, while Ryan and Crystal departed and were replaced by Kasim Sulton and Thommy Price. The 1986 album Good Music retained the established approach yet included guest spots from the Beach Boys and the Sugarhill Gang.
Although Good Music did not reach higher chart tiers, Jett's profile secured her the role of Michael J. Fox's sibling in Paul Schrader's 1987 film Light of Day. Its title track returned her to the Top 40, as did "I Hate Myself for Loving You," co-written with Desmond Child and drawn from 1988's Up Your Alley, her second platinum-certified release. She followed with the all-covers The Hit List in 1990 and 1991's Notorious, which adopted a polished, ballad-leaning direction. After focusing on production work, she resurfaced with 1994's Pure and Simple amid a wave of younger female rockers who cited Jett and the Runaways as influences, from L7 to Bikini Kill. She collaborated with members of those bands plus Babes in Toyland on the record, which garnered renewed attention and favorable notices.
Exploring the punk side of her sound further, Jett recorded the live album Evilstig with surviving members of the Gits, whose singer Mia Zapata was raped and murdered in 1993. She reunited with the Blackhearts for 1999's Fetish, which addressed sexuality directly, then toured and appeared on releases by Marky Ramone, the Eyeliners, and Peaches while hosting a program on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Returning to hard rock roots, she issued Naked in 2004, re-released in 2006 as Sinner with minor track adjustments. Subsequent years featured Warped Tour dates and support slots for Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and Green Day. A Barbie doll modeled after her appeared in 2009, and she served as executive producer on the 2010 film The Runaways. Her next album arrived with touring guitarist Dougie Needles, longtime drummer Thommy Price, and longtime associate Kenny Laguna. 2013's Unvarnished delivered a direct return to early Blackhearts form and included a track produced and co-written with Dave Grohl. That link led to Jett performing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with remaining Nirvana members at their 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. She herself entered the Hall of Fame the following year, joined onstage by Grohl, Miley Cyrus, Tommy James, and original Blackheart Lee Crystal. The 2018 documentary Bad Reputation chronicled her enduring impact, and she maintained an active schedule with a refreshed Blackhearts lineup, headline shows, package tours, and ongoing operation of Blackheart Records, the label founded with Laguna in 1980. She contributed a cover of T. Rex's "Jeepster" to the 2020 Marc Bolan tribute Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, appeared on Miley Cyrus' Plastic Hearts, and produced Wanda Jackson's 2021 album Encore. Later that year she and the Blackhearts recorded acoustic renditions of career material for Changeup, issued on Blackheart in March 2022, before touring with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. They returned to electric mode for the hard-charging 2023 EP Mindset.
Born in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania in 1958, Jett relocated with her family to the Los Angeles area at age 12. At 15 she assembled her first group and began playing locally. After seeing one of their performances, music industry figure Kim Fowley took on management duties. He soon rebranded the all-female outfit the Runaways and secured a Mercury Records deal. Their late-'70s output bridged hard rock and punk, yielding only modest traction in either scene. They produced one enduring single, 1976's "Cherry Bomb," co-written by Jett, while the four albums issued from 1976 to 1978 proved influential. Stronger recognition arrived in Japan, where their 1977 release Live in Japan attained Gold certification. Jett's reputation as a direct rocker led to her producing the Germs' debut album (GI). Musical differences prompted the Runaways' 1979 split, after which Jett traveled to England to launch a solo path.
There she cut three tracks with Sex Pistols members Paul Cook and Steve Jones. Following work on an uncompleted, contract-bound Runaways film project, she encountered producer Kenny Laguna. His bubblegum and power pop experience complemented hers, resulting in a punk-meets-bubblegum sound built on snarling vocals, loud guitars, and strong hooks. With Ritchie Cordell assisting at the Who's Rampart Studio, they completed an album that Ariola released in Europe while no American label showed interest. Forming Blackheart Records themselves, they issued the self-titled record in 1980. Positive reviews drove sufficient sales for Boardwalk Records to reissue it as Bad Reputation, which climbed to number 51 on the Billboard album chart.
Preferring band leadership over solo status, Jett assembled the Blackhearts shortly after her debut. Following initial personnel changes, the lineup stabilized with guitarist Ricky Byrd, bassist Gary Ryan, and drummer Lee Crystal. This configuration recorded the 1981 single "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." A former B-side by the Arrows, it dominated the charts for seven weeks at number one during spring 1982 and achieved lasting recognition. The accompanying album refined Jett's style into a precise balance of punk edge and pop accessibility that resonated worldwide, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard album chart and topping the lists in Canada and New Zealand. A cover of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" from the set entered the U.S. Top Ten and became an AOR staple. After global touring, the band returned for 1983's Album, which reduced covers in favor of a heavier tone. Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth followed in 1984, again mixing covers and originals, among them a refreshed "Cherry Bomb." Thom Panunzio joined Laguna as producer, a partnership that continued thereafter, while Ryan and Crystal departed and were replaced by Kasim Sulton and Thommy Price. The 1986 album Good Music retained the established approach yet included guest spots from the Beach Boys and the Sugarhill Gang.
Although Good Music did not reach higher chart tiers, Jett's profile secured her the role of Michael J. Fox's sibling in Paul Schrader's 1987 film Light of Day. Its title track returned her to the Top 40, as did "I Hate Myself for Loving You," co-written with Desmond Child and drawn from 1988's Up Your Alley, her second platinum-certified release. She followed with the all-covers The Hit List in 1990 and 1991's Notorious, which adopted a polished, ballad-leaning direction. After focusing on production work, she resurfaced with 1994's Pure and Simple amid a wave of younger female rockers who cited Jett and the Runaways as influences, from L7 to Bikini Kill. She collaborated with members of those bands plus Babes in Toyland on the record, which garnered renewed attention and favorable notices.
Exploring the punk side of her sound further, Jett recorded the live album Evilstig with surviving members of the Gits, whose singer Mia Zapata was raped and murdered in 1993. She reunited with the Blackhearts for 1999's Fetish, which addressed sexuality directly, then toured and appeared on releases by Marky Ramone, the Eyeliners, and Peaches while hosting a program on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Returning to hard rock roots, she issued Naked in 2004, re-released in 2006 as Sinner with minor track adjustments. Subsequent years featured Warped Tour dates and support slots for Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, and Green Day. A Barbie doll modeled after her appeared in 2009, and she served as executive producer on the 2010 film The Runaways. Her next album arrived with touring guitarist Dougie Needles, longtime drummer Thommy Price, and longtime associate Kenny Laguna. 2013's Unvarnished delivered a direct return to early Blackhearts form and included a track produced and co-written with Dave Grohl. That link led to Jett performing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with remaining Nirvana members at their 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. She herself entered the Hall of Fame the following year, joined onstage by Grohl, Miley Cyrus, Tommy James, and original Blackheart Lee Crystal. The 2018 documentary Bad Reputation chronicled her enduring impact, and she maintained an active schedule with a refreshed Blackhearts lineup, headline shows, package tours, and ongoing operation of Blackheart Records, the label founded with Laguna in 1980. She contributed a cover of T. Rex's "Jeepster" to the 2020 Marc Bolan tribute Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, appeared on Miley Cyrus' Plastic Hearts, and produced Wanda Jackson's 2021 album Encore. Later that year she and the Blackhearts recorded acoustic renditions of career material for Changeup, issued on Blackheart in March 2022, before touring with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. They returned to electric mode for the hard-charging 2023 EP Mindset.
Albums
Singles
