The Runaways

Formed in 1975, the Runaways were initially the product of producer/svengali Kim Fowley and teenage lyricist Kari Krome. Together they pieced together an adolescent girl-group following several auditions in the Los Angeles area. The original line-up consisted of Joan Jett (b. 22 September 1958, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; guitar/vocals), Micki Steele (bass—later of the Bangles) and Sandy West (drums), but was quickly bolstered by the addition of Lita Ford (b. 23 September 1959, London, England; guitar/vocals) and Cherie Currie (vocals). The departure of Steele prompted several replacements, the last of which was Jackie Fox (b. Jacqueline Fuchs) who had failed her original audition. Although originally viewed as a vehicle for compositions by Fowley and associate Mars Bonfire (b. Dennis Edmonton), material by Jett and Krome helped assert the quintet's independence. THE RUNAWAYS showed a group indebted to the ‘glam-rock’ of the Sweet and punchy pop of Suzi Quatro, and included the salutary Cherry Bomb. QUEENS OF NOISE repeated the pattern, but the strain of touring—the quintet were highly popular in Japan—took its toll of Jackie Fox, who left the line-up and abandoned music altogether becoming an attorney practicing in intellectual property law. Personality clashes resulted in the departure of Cherie Currie, whose solo career stalled following the failure of her debut, BEAUTY'S ONLY SKIN DEEP. Guitarist/vocalist Vicki Blue and bassist Laurie McAllister completed a revitalized Runaways, but the latter was quickly dropped. Subsequent releases lacked the appeal of the group's early work which, although tarred by both novelty and sexual implications, nonetheless showed a sense of purpose. The Runaways split in 1980 but both Jett and Ford later enjoyed solo careers, the former engendering considerable commercial success during the '80s. In 1985 the mischievous Fowley resurrected the old group's name with all-new personnel. This opportunistic concoction split up on completing YOUNG AND FAST. 1994 brought reports that Fowley was being sued by Jett, Ford, Currie and West over unpaid royalties. Fox was not involved in the action, presumably because she is now herself a practising lawyer.