Lita Ford

Born in London on September 19, 1958, Lita Ford relocated to the United States during childhood. Guitar study began at age 11, and five years later she entered the Kim Fowley-produced Runaways, an all-female outfit that fused punky hard-rock aggression with teenage bad-girl allure. After the group disbanded, Ford studied voice and started a solo career, supporting herself through assorted jobs that included gas-station attendant, perfume salesperson, fitness instructor, and hairdresser. Out for Blood appeared in 1983; Dancin' on the Edge followed the next year.

Four years of inactivity followed. Plans for The Bride Wore Black were scrapped when Ford moved from Mercury to RCA. By her return, the lighter pop-metal style she had long preferred had reached mainstream listeners, setting the stage for 1988’s Lita. Slickly produced by Mike Chapman, the album yielded her first hit, the number-12 single “Kiss Me Deadly,” while the duet with Ozzy Osbourne, “Close My Eyes Forever,” gave both artists their first Top Ten single.

Newfound success prompted a marriage to W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, though both the union and the commercial momentum proved short-lived. Stiletto (1990) and Dangerous Curves (1991) did not replicate Lita’s popcraft, and the early-’90s rise of alternative rock left Ford without a label. She married former Nitro vocalist Jim Gillette, had two children, and settled in the Caribbean. The uncharacteristically heavy Wicked Wonderland surfaced in 2009 on her own JLRG Entertainment imprint; Greg Hampton, Ford, and Gillette shared production duties.

After a particularly contentious divorce from Gillette, Ford returned in 2012 with her eighth solo album, Living Like a Runaway. Co-produced by Gary Hoey, the record revisited the tuneful pop-metal approach that had served her best and addressed themes of divorce, betrayal, and estrangement. In February 2016 she published the autobiography Living Like a Runaway; April brought the album Time Capsule, which featured guest appearances by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Gene Simmons, and Dave Navarro.