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Joan Jett

About the band: The Runaways were an American rock band who recorded and performed a lot. Formed in 1975 in Los Angeles, the band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", "Hollywood", "Queens of Noise" and a cover version of the Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll". Never a major success in the United States, the Runaways became a sensation overseas, especially in Japan, thanks to the single "Cherry Bomb". In early 1975, the rock producer Kim Fowley had an idea for assembling an all-female band at a time when, according to guitarist Joan Jett, "There were no young girls at all playing guitar or any sort of instruments." Fowley met lyricist Kari Krome at a party held for Alice Cooper, put her on salary, and had her begin looking for female performers. Krome met Joan Jett and brought her to Fowley. Jett successfully auditioned for Fowley by playing ukulele to a Sweet album, and picked up guitar as her instrument. Soon afterward, in the parking lot of the Rainbow Bar and Grill, Fowley met Sandy West, who agreed to play drums. Fowley had Jett rehearse with West at the latter's home in Huntington Beach, and auditioned the pair on the telephone to music journalist Ritchie Yorke. He then turned to two radio stations to advertise for further auditions, which brought lead vocalist/bassist Micki Steele (later of the Bangles). The Runaways were formed in August 1975. Fowley touted the new group the Runaways as "an all-girl answer to Grand Funk," and the band signed to Kim Fowley Productions for management in September 1975. The lineup of Jett, West, and Steele made its live debut playing the Whisky a Go Go September 28–29, opening for Fowley's previous conceptual band the Hollywood Stars (then billed as "The Stars"). On October 30, Steele left due to creative differences. In November, bassist Peggy Foster joined, as well as Lita Ford as lead guitarist, allowing Jett to focus on rhythm guitar. Fowley and Jett discovered Cherie Currie at the teen nightclub The Sugar Shack and brought her in as lead vocalist for the group. In two weeks, Foster left the group too and was replaced by Jackie Fox, whom Fowley's colleague Rodney Bingenheimer found at the parking lot of the West Hollywood nightclub the Starwood. Phonogram/Mercury Records' West Coast director of A&R, Denny Rosencrantz, agreed to sign the Runaways on December 12, 1975. The band recorded their debut album The Runaways in January 1976 and released it in March through Mercury. The album debuted at number 188 on the Cash Box top albums chart, received favorable reviews, and was promoted through numerous radio ads, achieving sales of 70,000 units in 1976. The Runaways were the subject of a writeup in People magazine in September 1976. A week later, Fowley severed his ties with the band and forfeited his rights, titles, claims, and merchandising ownership to Mercury Records. Mercury refused to accept Fowley's stakehold in the band and turned it back to him the following week. Fowley and the band reconciled in November and returned to the studio to record their followup album Queens of Noise. The album was released on January 7, 1977. The Runaways performed a world tour in support of Queens of Noise. The band quickly became lumped in with the growing punk rock movement.[citation needed] The band (already fixtures on the West Coast punk scene) formed alliances with mostly male punk bands such as the Ramones and the Dead Boys (via New York City's CBGB) as well as the British punk scene by hanging out with the likes of the Damned, Generation X and the Sex Pistols.[citation needed] In the summer of 1977, booking agent David Libert secured dates in Japan, where they played a string of sold-out shows. They were unprepared for the onslaught of fans that greeted them at the airport. Jett later described the mass hysteria as "just like Beatlemania". While in Japan, the Runaways had a TV special, made numerous television appearances, and released the album Live in Japan, which went gold. The Runaways' success has had a lasting effect to help pave the way for many other successful female artists and female bands, including the Bangles, the Go-Go's, etc...