Joan Jett is an American Rock Singer, Guitarist, Songwriter, Producer, and Actress best known for a long string of hits during the 1980′s.
Joan was born in Philadelphia, Pa in 1958.
She was a founding member of The Runaways, an all-female punk rock band, that released five albums between 1975-1979. The band had a great deal of success overseas but limited exposure here in the US.
Turning to a solo career, she constructed a backing band called The Blackhearts and they released their first album in 1981.
It was the 1982 release of the album “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts that propelled her to Rock stardom.
In the period from 1981-1990, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts released such classics as:
I Love Rock and Roll
Do Ya Wanna Touch
I Hate Myself for Loving You
Crimson and Clover
Everyday People
Fake Friends
Light of Day
Little Liar
Dirty Deeds
Her top single was “I Love Rock and Roll” which hit #1 on both the Billboard Top-40 and Billboard Rock Charts in 1982.
To date, she has released 15 Studio albums in her career.
She currently heads her own record label, “Blackheart Records“.
As an actress, she has appeared in the movie “Light of Day” with Michael J. Fox and has appeared on TV shows such as “Ellen”, “Walker Texas Ranger”, “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” and others.
A Motion Picture was made about The Runaways in 2010. Actress Kristen Stewart of “Twilight” fame portrayed Joan in the film. Joan was an Executive Producer of the film.
In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine listed Joan Jett as one of the top 100 Guitarists of all-time.
She still actively tours the Country and released a new “Greatest Hits” album in 2010.
She is also known, in a non-musical (though music related) circles as the talent behind the most recent opening-credit song from “American Chopper”, until Paul Teutel Sr. and Paul Jr. called it splits-ville. She is also well known as one of the few female singers over 50 who can still work a black leather halter top. (That’s for the guys who don’t care for her music OR “American Choppers”, those demented souls.)
By: johncerickson on August 14, 2011
at 2:16 pm
Oh yes – welll remembered – still hot.
Even if she has dallied with Walker texas Ranger – much as I love tales of Chuck Norris’s toughness – that was one dire TV show.
By: blackwatertown on August 14, 2011
at 6:06 pm
Joan Jet- “pass” with extreme prejudice
By: Sank on August 16, 2011
at 7:56 am