Rock singer, musician, composer, actor, and record producer Joan Jett is from the United States. After being involved with the band “Joan Jett & the Blackhearts,” she achieved the pinnacle of her career. Additionally, she was a member of the all-girl band “The Runaways.” The band rose to fame thanks to the number-one hit “Cherry Bomb” that they released. At the age of 14, she began taking guitar lessons after developing a strong passion for music. However, she quickly stopped taking classes since her instructor encouraged her to pursue a career in country music whereas Joan preferred rock music. She quickly made her way to California, where she started the group “The Runaways.” In the late 1970s, she went solo thanks to its success. She failed to have much success as a solo musician, though. Her main claim to fame was the band “Joan Jett & the Blackhearts,” which she eventually founded. She is also renowned for being an animal rights campaigner and a well-known feminist icon. She was admitted to the “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” because her albums have received “gold” or “platinum” certification.
Early Childhood & Life
James and Dorothy Jett Larkin welcomed Joan Marie Larkin into the world on September 22, 1958, in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. She was the oldest of her family’s three kids. Her mother was a secretary and her father was an insurance agent. The family was not extremely devout, although they regularly went to church.
She dropped her father’s last name after her parents were divorced. She adopted “Jett,” her mother’s middle name, as her legal last name. She looked up to her mother as her biggest inspiration and gave her a lot of credit for inspiring her own rebellious nature and artistic proclivities.
Soon after the family relocated to Maryland, Joan began showing a strong interest in music, particularly rock music. She first registered at Randolph Junior High before transferring to Wheaton High School. When she was 14 years old, she acquired her first guitar. Her parents set up a music teacher for her since she wanted to learn music. She initially obediently carried out her tutor’s instructions. She quickly left though because the instructor preferred folk music. The family’s relocation to California proved to be a turning point in Joan’s career because it gave her her first-ever exposure to a bustling music environment. Joan spent a lot of time at “Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco,” which helped to shape her future musical taste.
The career of Joan Jett
At the age of 15, Joan Jett was determined to start a band. She started her own band, “The Runaways,” that same year with a few of her female pals. In terms of what was in fashion in the mainstream music scene at the time, the band was in some ways new and distinctive. To convey the same amount of aggression that they, young female teenagers of the time, felt, “The Runaways” relied on powerful rock noises.
Rock music had not yet developed a strong voice in the 1970s when disco music started to rock everyone. In the beginning, “The Runaways” also did not find success since most people thought of them as amateur teenagers yelling about sex, drugs, and rebellion. They were further cut off from the others by their attire. Instead of impressing the audience, they irritated them by appearing on stage wearing lingerie and jumpsuits.
A “liberal,” Joan vehemently opposed the Iraq War. She also claims to have been a vegetarian for more than 30 years and has ties to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
Queens of Noise, the group’s sophomore effort, was released in 1977. The US sales of this record were also not particularly strong. But once more, Japan embraced “The Runaways” with open arms. The group was successful in obtaining three “gold” records in Japan.
Through their CD “Live in Japan,” which was partially devoted to their Japanese fans, the band returned Japan’s affection for Joan and her band. Ironically, the record marked the group’s first significant US success. In the late 1970s, Joan moved to England and thought about going solo after their records were a commercial failure in the US.
She met Paul Cook and Steve Jones in England, two ex-members of the influential rock group “Sex Pistols.” Later, she relocated to the US where she worked as the music producer for the American punk rock band “Germs.” She starred in the ‘We’re All Crazee Now!’ movie, which was based on ‘The Runaways,’ in the early 1980s.
She began work on her first solo album but struggled mightily to locate a record company. She allegedly received 23 rejection letters from record labels, which prompted her to launch the “Blackheart Records” label with producer Kenny Laguna. Joan was the first female executive of a record label in the annals of American music. In 1980, she released a solo album under her own name.
After working with Kenny, Joan formed ‘Joan Jett & the Blackhearts,’ and her debut album was reissued as ‘Bad Reputation’ in 1981. “Joanna Jett & the Blackhearts” were able to enter the hearts of Americans thanks to their performance in New York in the spring of that same year.
The group issued another album in early 1982 called “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which went on to become a big success. For weeks to come, the album’s title track remained at the top of numerous music charts. The band, not wanting to take a break, started right away on their second record, “Album,” which was released in early 1983. The record was unable to match the success of their earlier releases. However, a few of the album’s singles became huge hits.
Joanna tried her hand at acting over the years, but she was unsuccessful. She then put out a couple more albums, although they didn’t have much commercial success. After that, she began concentrating on joint projects with other musicians, including “Bikini Kill” and “L7.” She also hung out with a couple of all-girl bands that tried to sound like “The Runaways.”
She put out albums like “Fetish” and “Naked” in the 2000s, and her 2006 album “Sinner” contained a subtly political allegory. 2013 saw the debut of her subsequent album, named “Unvarnished.” Her most recent album is this one.
Many movies and TV shows have used Jett’s music over the years. Some of these well-liked soundtracks include those from “Shrek,” “Baby Mama,” and “The Runaways.” In movies like “By Hook or By Crook” and “Boogie Boy,” she has had roles. She also provided the narrator’s voice for “Godly Boyish.” She did not, however, achieve much success in her acting career.
Individual Life of Joan Jett
For her followers, Joan Jett’s sexual orientation has remained a great mystery. She’s always been ambiguous when asked. She hasn’t dated or married any guys, which has led to more questions regarding her sexual orientation. She is allegedly homosexual, however, there has been no proof of this information.
A “liberal,” Joan vehemently opposed the Iraq War. She also claims to have been a vegetarian for more than 30 years and has ties to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
Joan Jett’s Net Worth
With a net worth of $10 million, Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and occasional actress. The reason Joan Jett is so well-known is that she is the band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ lead singer. I Love Rock ‘n Roll, one of her many successful songs, spent seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The “Queen of Rock and Roll” and the “Godmother of Punk” have been given to Joan thanks to her popularity as a rock and roll artist.