The Runaways

Initially regarded as little more than a blatant promotional stunt while they were still active, the Runaways later earned greater recognition for being the first all-female ensemble to deliver forceful, guitar-driven rock & roll with real impact. Composed entirely of teenagers—some still mastering their instruments at the time of their first performances—their output often sounded unpolished and rudimentary, yet it fused the weight of heavy metal and the glitter of junkshop glam with the emerging energy of punk. Promoter and manager Kim Fowley’s emphasis on a provocative underage persona invited easy ridicule from critics, who labeled the group a tasteless juvenile fantasy. Ultimately, however, their sound and defiant stance cleared a path for later female musicians to amplify their guitars and match male counterparts in intensity, most visibly through the rebel-girl anthem “Cherry Bomb” and the early releases The Runaways and Queens of Noise.

The band’s origins trace to a 1975 Alice Cooper party, where Fowley encountered young songwriter Kari Krome. Impressed by her street-smart outlook, he began assembling an all-female group. Krome’s acquaintance, guitarist Joan Jett (born Joan Larkin), had already been forming a band with drummer Sandy West (born Sandy Pesavento), giving Fowley an instant trio. When it became clear that Krome lacked strong vocal ability, she was replaced by singer Michael “Micki” Steele (born Sue Thomas), who also started on bass. This lineup cut a late-1975 demo called Born to Be Bad; guitarist Lita Ford soon joined after answering a trade-paper advertisement, prompting Steele’s departure (she would later become a member of the Bangles). Cherie Currie took over lead vocals, and after a short-lived stint by a bassist known only as Peggy, Jackie Fox (born Jacqueline Fuchs) joined, switching from guitar to bass.

Now a fully teenage five-piece, the Runaways quickly secured a contract, aided by Currie’s stage attire of lingerie and Fowley’s industry connections. They signed with Mercury in February 1976 and recorded their self-titled debut, issued months later. The album met with poor reception; Fowley’s reputation for hyping contrived acts and his multiple roles in the band’s direction cast him as an overbearing Svengali figure. Even setting aside debates about exploitation, the very notion of teenage girls performing their own instruments while openly addressing sex, alcohol, and street life proved too unsettling for much of the American public. Journalists and radio programmers readily dismissed the group as a male-orchestrated fabrication, conveniently overlooking the cultural provocations the Runaways embodied.

Despite Fowley’s publicity push, The Runaways only grazed the lower reaches of the charts in early fall 1976, coinciding with the band’s debut at New York’s CBGB. Their follow-up, Queens of Noise, appeared in early 1977 and fared similarly, hampered by continued radio resistance. A June 1977 tour of Japan, however, brought sold-out arena shows and fervent crowds who embraced them without condescension—“Cherry Bomb” had actually reached number one there. A live album, Live in Japan, captured the performances but saw no American release at the time.

Success abroad could not prevent internal strains, fueled by substance issues and management neglect. After returning to Los Angeles in July 1977, Jackie Fox exited; rumors of a suicide attempt during the Japanese dates later proved unfounded. Currie also departed before year’s end amid ongoing clashes with Fowley. Jett assumed lead vocals, Vicki Blue joined on bass, and the third album, Waitin’ for the Night, emerged at the close of 1977 without charting in the U.S. Fowley soon lost interest and stepped down as manager in early 1978. Jett’s growing influence highlighted widening musical divides, as her punk and glam leanings conflicted with West and Ford’s preference for straightforward hard rock and heavy metal. A fourth album, And Now…The Runaways, surfaced late in 1978 but appeared only in Europe and Japan; it later reached America in altered form as Little Lost Girls. Blue left after a New Year’s performance and was succeeded by Laurie McAllister, yet the fractures proved fatal—Jett departed in April 1979, and the Runaways formally disbanded shortly afterward.

Currie issued the solo album Beauty’s Only Skin Deep in 1978 and later collaborated with her twin sister Marie on 1980’s Messin’ with the Boys. Jackie Fox pursued law school and became an attorney. West and Ford briefly formed their own project before Ford launched a solo career that yielded several pop-metal hits throughout the 1980s. Joan Jett’s subsequent trajectory offered the clearest proof that the Runaways’ music possessed lasting substance: she created her own band and label, scored a massive number-one hit with 1982’s “I Love Rock n’ Roll,” and sustained a catalog of tough hard rock well into the twenty-first century. The riot grrrl punk scene, with its feminist ethos, cited Jett as a key influence, prompting fresh appreciation of the Runaways’ work apart from Fowley’s marketing. Periodic reunion speculation never materialized into concerts, though a 2010 biopic starring Kristen Stewart as Jett and Dakota Fanning as Currie renewed public interest. In 2023 the British label Cherry Red released Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin 1976-1978, a five-disc box set encompassing all four studio albums plus Live in Japan, accompanied by an extensively illustrated booklet.