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Joan Marie Larkin (born September 22, 1960) is an American rock and roll guitarist, singer, and actress best known for her hits "I Love Rock 'N Roll," which was #1 on the Billboard charts from March 20 to May 8 of 1982,"Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself For Loving You", "Little Liar" and "Love Is All Around".

Career and biography

Few artists boast a wider appeal than Joan Jett. Beloved by punks, indie rockers, pop lovers, riot girls, classic rockers, radicals and conservatives (Joan herself is a conservative). A genuine icon and an influential, trailblazing musician, going back to when she helped break down rock's gender barriers and helped pioneer punk music with her teenage band, The Runaways; 2) a genuine star, with no fewer than nine Top 40 hit singles and eight Platinum and Gold LPs.

At age 15, Joan formed The Runaways with three other girls, Sandy West, Lita Ford and Cherie Currie. Joan sang lead vocals, played rhythm guitar and wrote or co-wrote much of the band's material. The band recorded five LPs with one -- the live album -- 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 and especially in Japan, where the group was the number three live import act (trailing only behind Led Zeppelin and Kiss, respectively.)

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. that they had attained overseas. It seemed that the United States, and the music press especially, was not ready to take the music of female teenagers seriously. The Runaways disbanded in 1979.

It was around this time that Jett, who was a fixture in the punk rock scene, produced the debut(and only) album "G.I." by the seminal band The Germs. This recording has been heralded as the American version of "Never Mind The Bollocks".

In the spring of 1979, Joan 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 song called "I Love Rock N' Roll"). Back in Los Angeles, Joan began to film a movie loosely based on The Runaways called, “We're All Crazee Now!” The movie was never released, but one good thing came out of the project; Joan met songwriter and producer, Kenny Laguna. The three became instant friends and decided to work together.

Joan and Kenny entered The Who’s Ramport Studios with Kenny at the helm. Joan's solo debut, simply titled, “Joan Jett”, was released in Europe. In the states, no less than 23 major labels rejected the album. Joan and Kenny decided to release it independently on their own Blackheart Records label. Kenny 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." Joan inadvertently became the first female performer to start her own record label.

With Kenny's assistance, Joan formed The Blackhearts. The pair used their personal savings to press up records and set up their own system of independent distribution. Kenny was unable to keep up with demand for Joan's album. Eventually, old friend and founder of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart, made a joint venture with Kenny and signed Joan to Neil’s 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 went number one on the Billboard charts for 8 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 amongst others. Joan 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.

After receiving her own MTV New Years Eve Special. Joan 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 Joan’s performance was critically acclaimed. Later that year Joan released “Good Music” which featured appearances by the Beach Boys, The Sugarhill Gang and Crystals lead singer, Darlene Love.

Joan 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. Joan’s next release, “Up Your Alley” went multi-platinum and was followed by “The Hit List” which was an international hit.

The 1990's saw change in the musical landscape. During this time of transition Jett and Laguna released "Flashback", an odds and sods compilation of her career so far on their own Blackheart Records. Her next release, "Notorious" (which featured the Replacement's Paul Westerberg) was the last with Sony/CBS as Jett switched to Warner Brothers.

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

The press began to tout 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).

Jett, a huge sports fanatic, remained actively involved in the sports world. Her cover of “Love is All Around” (the Mary Tyler Moore theme) became an anthem in women’s sports and was used by the NCAA to promote the Women’s Final Four. The song went into heavy radio play and became a number one requested song without an existing support CD. Joan 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 Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripkin Jr. at the game where he broke Lou Gehrig’s record.

Film and television appearances

Joan Jett's first appearance on film is in the 1981 live concert film Urgh!, subtitled A Music War, performing "Bad Reputation" with her band The Blackhearts at The Roxy in New York. Her first acting role came 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 Ellen show, performing the title song. She also appeared on the television show Highlander and covered the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show of the 1970s. Her song "Bad Reputation" was used as the theme song for the cult TV show Freaks and Geeks, and later for the Sirius radio show "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer".

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

Later music career

Joan 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 Jett 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 Joan as a role model and inspiration. Another Riot Grrrl band, Bratmobile, covered the song "Cherry Bomb" as a tribute to her. At this time Joan co-wrote several songs with Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, foremost among them, "Activity Grrrl".

Near the end of the 1990s she worked with members of The Gits, whose lead singer and lyricist, Mia Zapata had been murdered. The results of their collaboration together was a live LP, Evil Stig, whose earnings were used in an effort to find Mia's murderer and bring him to justice. 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.

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

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

Joan 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 partner Kenny Laguna produced, "No Apologies" by Warped Tour punk darlings, The Eyeliners. Jett also guested on the track "Destroy" and made a cameo appearance in the video.

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

In 2005, Joan 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 heard throughout America on Sirius Satellite Radio. She hosts a a 4-hour show entitled Joan Jett's Radio Revolution - heard every Saturday and Sunday.

In 2005, Jett and Laguna celebrated the 25th anniversary of their label, 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.

Current projects

Joan Jett has just released a new album, Sinner, on Blackheart Records, her own label.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were the headlining act on the 2006 Warped Tour.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are traveling across the United States on a Fall 2006 tour in support of their new album Sinner 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.

Orientation

Jett's sexual orientation has been the subject of much speculation. She often seems to be teasing the curious. "Sinner" features a cover of the Replacements' "Androgynous" and a version of Sweet's ode to bisexuality, "A.C.D.C." (The video features Carmen Electra flirting very happily with Jett.) The stickers covering Jett's guitars have offered what could be hints: One was of Tinky Winky, the "gay" Teletubby; another said simply, "Dykes Rule!" Jett won't publicly discuss her sexuality. "But I do it in my music, and I always have," she said. "If you don't know who I am from listening to my music, then you're not going to figure it out from me talking to you, either."

Trivia

• May 15, 2006 ... Joan 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 and has toured for the USO for over 20 years.

• Jett is left-handed, but plays the guitar right-handed.

• 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.

• Joan Jett was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in October of 2006.

Albums

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

Singles

• "You Don't Own Me (1979 Holland)
• "Make Believe" (1980 UK)
• "You Don't Know What You've Got" (1980 Holland/Germany)
• "Jezebel" (1980 UK)
• "Bad Reputation" (1980 Germany)
• "Little Drummer Boy" (1981)
• "I Love Rock 'N Roll" (1982) #1 US - 7 weeks, #4 UK, #3 Switzerland, #6 Germany, #1 Australia - 5 weeks, #4 Austria
• "Crimson And Clover" (1982) #7 US, #60 UK, #8 Switzerland, #19 Germany, #12 Austria
• "Do You Wanna Touch Me" (1982) #20 US, #12 Switzerland, #31 Germany, #19 Austria
• "Summertime Blues" (1982 Canada)
• "Nag" (1982 Germany)
• "Victim Of Circumstance" (1982 France)
• "Fake Friends" (1983) #35 US
• "Everyday People" (1983) #37 US
• "The French Song" (1983 Canada)
• "I Need Someone" (1984)
• "I Love You Love" (1984) #105 US
• "Cherry Bomb" (1984 Australia)
• "Good Music" (1986) #83 US
• "Roadrunner" (1986)
• "Light Of Day" (1987) #33 US
• "I Hate Myself For Loving You" (1988) #8 US, #46 UK
• "Little Liar" (1988) #19 US
• "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (1990) #36 US, #69 UK
• "Love Hurts" (1990) #100 UK
• "Have You Ever Seen The Rain" (1990 Malaysia)
• "Backlash" (1991)
• "Don't Surrender" (1991)
• "Treadin' Water" (1991 Germany)
• "I Love Rock And Roll" (1994) #75 UK, #13 Sweden
• "Spinster" (1994)
• "As I Am" (1994)
• "Eye To Eye" (1994)
• "Bob (Cousin O.) (1995)
• "Love Is All Around" (1996) #108 US
• "Fetish" (1999)
• "The Word" (2002)
• "A.C.D.C" (2006)
• "Change The World" (2006)

See also

• The Runaways
• (GI)
• Boardwalk Records
• I Love Rock 'N Roll
• Crimson And Clover
• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1982 (USA)
• List of Number 1 singles in Australia during the 1980s
• Songs of the Century
• Urgh! A Music War
• Light of Day
• Highlander: The Series
• Episodes of Highlander (Season 1)
• Wayne's World 2 (soundtrack)
• Boogie Boy
• Freaks and Geeks
• Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love
• Guitar Hero

References

External links

• Joan Jett: NYC Punk, Rock Icon, Babe Written by Taleen Kalenderian
• Joan Jett Official Site
• Joan Jett Bad Reputation Nation Official Site Fan Site
• Blackheart Records Group
• Joan Jett at IMDb
• Interview: Joan Jett on Sinner
• Biography and summary from Ultimate Band List
• Joan Jett Photos and Fan Zone
• Joan Jett fan site

• 1960 births
• Living people
• American female singers
• American rock singers
• American guitarists
• American female guitarists
• People from Philadelphia
• Highlander actors