Joan Jett is one of the most influential women in rock music, a guitarist and singer who helped bring punk and hard rock to a wider audience, first with the Runaways and then with the Blackhearts. Her song “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” became a worldwide hit, but her importance goes beyond one song: she built a career by refusing to accept that rock was a man’s world, and she did it with a guitar, a band and a record label of her own.
Early Life and the Runaways
Joan Jett, born Joan Marie Larkin in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, moved with her family to California as a teenager, where she learned guitar and became involved in the Los Angeles rock scene. In 1975, at the age of seventeen, she co-founded the Runaways, an all-female rock band, with drummer Sandy West and, later, singer Cherie Currie, guitarist Lita Ford and bassist Jackie Fox. The Runaways played hard rock at a time when few all-female bands were given serious attention, and their song “Cherry Bomb” became a cult classic.
The Runaways and Their Impact
The Runaways toured the United States, Europe and Japan, where they were especially popular, but they faced sexism from the music industry and from audiences who did not expect teenage girls to play loud rock music. The band broke up in 1979, after several line-up changes and disagreements, but their influence grew in later years, as punk and riot grrrl bands cited them as an inspiration. A film about the band, The Runaways, was released in 2010, bringing their story to a new generation.
Going Solo and the Blackhearts
After the Runaways, Jett moved to New York and worked with producer and songwriter Kenny Laguna, who became a long-term collaborator. She recorded a solo album, Joan Jett, in 1980, which was initially rejected by many record labels. Undeterred, Jett and Laguna formed Blackheart Records, an independent label, and released the album themselves. Jett then formed Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, with guitarist Ricky Byrd, bassist Gary Ryan and drummer Lee Crystal, a band that gave her a stable, hard-rocking foundation.
I Love Rock ’n’ Roll
In 1981, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released I Love Rock ’n’ Roll, with the title song, originally recorded by the Arrows, becoming a major hit. The song’s simple riff, Jett’s confident vocal and its celebration of rock music itself made it a classic, and it spent weeks at the top of the charts in the United States. The album also included “Bad Reputation”, a song that became a personal anthem for Jett, about refusing to care what others thought of her.
Bad Reputation and Later Hits
“Bad Reputation” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)” helped establish Jett as a solo star, and later hits included “Crimson and Clover”, a version of the Tommy James and the Shondells song, “Light of Day”, written by Bruce Springsteen, and “I Hate Myself for Loving You”, released in 1988. These songs showed Jett’s range, from punk-influenced rock to more polished, radio-friendly material, while keeping her guitar-led sound at the centre.
Blackheart Records and Independence
Blackheart Records was important not only for Jett’s career, but as an example of artist independence. By releasing her own records, Jett kept control of her music and her image, at a time when many artists depended on major labels for distribution and promotion. The label later released work by other artists, and it remains a symbol of Jett’s determination to work on her own terms, a theme that runs through her interviews and her songs.
Acting, Activism and Later Work
Jett also worked as an actress, appearing in films and on stage, and she became involved in animal rights and other causes, using her public profile to support organisations she believed in. She continued to tour with the Blackhearts for decades, playing festivals, clubs and arenas, and she released albums including Unvarnished in 2013. In 2015, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a recognition of their place in rock history.
Why Joan Jett Still Matters
Joan Jett matters because she changed who could be a rock star. She did not soften her sound or her image to fit expectations, and she proved that a woman could lead a hard rock band, write hit songs and run a record label. Her influence can be heard in punk, alternative rock and pop-punk, and her songs are still played at sporting events, in films and on radio, often by listeners who know the choruses before they know her story.
Where to Begin Listening
Begin with I Love Rock ’n’ Roll and Bad Reputation, then listen to the Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” for the roots of her sound. Follow that with “Crimson and Clover”, “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and a live recording with the Blackhearts. Heard together, they show a musician who turned rejection into independence, and whose guitar and voice still sound defiant and joyful.
A Guitar First, a Star Second
Joan Jett’s public image has sometimes overshadowed her musicianship, but her guitar playing is central to her work. She plays with a direct, rhythmic attack, favouring strong riffs over flashy solos, and that approach suits songs that are meant to be played loudly and felt physically. Young guitarists, especially young women, have often cited Jett as proof that a guitar can be a tool for independence, not just for show. Her career shows that persistence, a good riff and a willingness to do the work can matter more than industry approval, and that lesson continues to resonate with new generations of players who discover her records for the first time.
Listening to Jett today, the directness of her work is striking: no wasted notes, no apology for volume, and a voice that sounds as if it belongs at the front of a band, not behind it.