Who is Joan Jett?

Joan Jett is best known for being the leading vocalist, or frontwoman, for the ‘Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ band. She’s a well-rounded artist, from being a musician to producer and recently an actress. Arguably, many admit that she is the ‘Queen of Rock and Roll’.

Facts About Joan Jett:

• Joan Jett has a mezzo-soprano vocal range.
• Joan and The Runaways became one of the largest-selling imports in the UK and US history, as established with their concert ‘Live in Japan’.
• In 2010, a movie was released based on The Runaways. Joan was the executive producer and playing her was Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning starred as Cherie Currie.
• Joan’s songs have been used extensively as intro and background music in almost all major sports organizations in the US. This includes the NCAA, UFC, ESPN’s X Games, WWE, and NFL.

Joan Jett Biography

Early Life

Joan Jett was born on September 22, 1958, as Joan Marie Larkin to James and Dorothy Larkin. She was born in a Philadelphia suburb and is the eldest of 3 siblings. The family lived a typical life where both parents were working and all of them attended a Protestant church every Sunday.

It was when they moved to Rockville, Maryland that Jett’s interest in music began. At the age of 13, she got her 1st guitar and took some lessons but later gave up due to her instructor’s conflict of interest.

Later on, Jett and her family moved to West Covina, California and this was her cue to pursue a career in music. However, shortly after moving, her parents got divorced. She adopted the name ‘Joan Jett’ because she found a ‘rock star appeal’ from the name.

Rise to Stardom

Joan took part in founding the group ‘The Runaways’ with drummer Sandy West. The rest of the lineup consisted of Micki Steele, Lita Ford, Jackie Fox, and Cherie Currie. Cherie fronted the band initially and Joan served as an all-rounder: co-singer, co-guitarist, and co-writing.

The band enjoyed massive success, from starting as opening acts for Tom Petty, Van Halen, and more, to touring in Japan. When they toured in England in 1976, Joan heard the classic hit ‘I Love Rock 'n' Roll’ for the first time. This made a great contribution to her career.

After many tours and 5 albums altogether, the band called it quits in 1979. Soon, Joan embarked on a solo career and she later met producer Kenny Laguna while working on a film. As Jett’s popularity grew, her friendship with Kenny became stronger, and would later on form the band ‘Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’.

Career Peak

Joan encountered obstacles in her solo career and Kenny did a lot to keep the band going. Later on, auditions were held to form a band that would assist Joan in her career. The band consisted of bass player Gary Ryan, guitarist Eric Ambel, and drummer Danny O'Brien.

The lineup played gigs consistently and did a European tour. After the tour, Kenny fired O'Brien and the rest of the team moved to Long Beach, New York where Joan and Kenny resided. Lee Crystal became the new drummer and the band continued to perform.

It wasn’t the success they were expecting at first and in fact, there are numerous times they had trouble being financially afloat. It was not until when their old friend, Neil Bogart, who was the founder of Casablanca Records, became their beacon of hope.

In the 1981 concert at the Palladium in New York City, Joan’s performance was widely and highly praised by music journalists and that solidified the band’s following even more. After touring for a year, the band recorded the album ‘I Love Rock 'n Roll’. The titular track was the rendition of a song that Jett heard many years ago during her England tour.

The band’s rendition of the song ‘I Love Rock 'n' Roll’ became number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 7 consecutive weeks. Later on, it became Billboard’s No. 56 ‘Song Of All Time’ and be inducted into the Grammy’s 2016 Hall of Fame.

Jett has had a lot of success over the years including her performance on MTV New Year's Eve special, the record-breaking shows in Lunt–Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, and the multi-platinum album ‘Up Your Alley’ with the hit single ‘I Hate Myself for Loving You’. She has also done several TV series soundtrack projects and countless collaboration with musicians of various genres.

As of 2021, Joan and her band, the Blackhearts, will be joining other iconic bands like the Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe on The Stadium Tour as opening acts along with Poison. Although there have been numerous changes in the band’s lineup, Joan has remained steadfast throughout.

Achievements

Here is the list of honors and awards that Joan Jett has received:

• 2006 – Long Island Music Hall of Famer
• 2012 – Nanci Alexander Activist Award (for animal welfare work)
• 2013 – West Hollywood's Rock Legend
• 2014 – Associated Press (AP) Icon Award
• 2014 – Golden God Award
• 2015 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee
• 87 in Rolling Stone’s ‘100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time’
• Gibson, a massive guitar company, made a signature model of her ‘Melody Maker’