The Runaways

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Runaways was an American rock band that existed from 1975 to 1979. The producer Kim Fowley wanted to put together an all-girl band, at a time when, according to Joan Jett, almost no young girls played guitar. He found Jett and the drummer Sandy West in Los Angeles, and later Lita Ford, the singer Cherie Currie and the bassist Jackie Fox joined. The line-up was settled in 1975, in 1976 the group signed with Mercury and the debut The Runaways was released. A year later came Queens of Noise and Waitin' for the Night, followed by And Now... The Runaways.

Music and breakthrough

Their best-known songs are Cherry Bomb, Hollywood, Queens of Noise and a cover of Rock & Roll by The Velvet Underground. The music sat somewhere between hard rock, glam rock and punk, with loud guitars and raw vocals. In the United States the band never really became big, but in Japan the group broke through thanks to Cherry Bomb. According to Jett, their arrival there resembled Beatlemania, and the album Live in Japan went gold. In the meantime the band hung out with the Ramones and the British punk groups.

Influence

Tensions grew within the band. Jett wanted to move towards punk and glam rock, Ford and West stuck to hard rock and heavy metal, and in 1979 the band fell apart. The influence remained great. Joan Jett started her own label Blackheart Records and later scored with I Love Rock 'n' Roll. Lita Ford had solo success, and Micki Steele, the first bassist, went to The Bangles. The group showed that girls could carry a rock band themselves.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1976The Runaways
• 1977Queens of Noise
• 1977Waitin’ for the Night
• 1979The Runaways
• 1985Young and Fast