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When The Runaways exploded onto Los Angeles’ bustling scene in 1975, they were initially touted as “an all-girl answer to Grand Funk.” However, the band went on to carve their own path, achieving considerable success both in the States and especially in Japan – with songs like Cherry Bomb and Queens of Noise starting to at least crack the glass ceiling for women in bands and rock ’n’ roll.
While fraught with controversy, the band managed to launch long-lasting careers for both Joan Jett and Lita Ford, although, as the latter suggests in a new interview with Classic Rock, the beginning was far from easy.
“Back in 1976 people didn’t know what to make of The Runaways,” she asserts. “They labeled us as teenage jailbait or punk rock. I didn’t care about labels. Just give me my guitar. I just wanted to play. I wasn’t trying to copy any other guitarists – not even my favourite, Ritchie Blackmore – I wanted to be Lita.
The Runaways – Cherry Bomb – YouTube
“And now it’s gone full circle. It’s okay to be a good-looking girl and to be able to sing your arse off. It’s acceptable. Back then people just didn’t complete the dots. Well, believe your ears and eyes because this is what you are seeing and hearing.”
Her Runaways bandmate, Joan Jett, also reflected on the norm-shattering band’s legacy in a 2017 interview with Guitar World.
“It felt to me that we were on the cusp of the girls breaking out,” she said. “We were one hit away from opening the door for everybody else. But there was always resistance from radio. Like, only one girl gets to be played at a time.”
In more recent Lita Ford news, the trailblazing guitarist recalled having her prized B.C. Rich Mockingbird stolen, and how she ended up crossing paths with it in the most bizarre circumstances.
