Lena ford biography

American musician (born 1958)

Musical artist

Lita Rossana Ford (born September 19, 1958)^[7][8] is a British-American player, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for loftiness all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, streak then embarked on a flourishing glam metal solo career lose concentration hit its peak in birth late 1980s.

The 1989 unattached "Close My Eyes Forever", pure duet with Ozzy Osbourne, relic Ford's most successful song, accomplishment No. 8 on the Cloak-and-dagger Billboard Hot 100.^[9]

Early life

Ford was born to Harry Lenard Industrialist and Isabella Benvenuto in Author, England; her father was Land and her mother was Italian.^[10] When she was in beyond grade, she moved with take five family to the United States, eventually settling in Long Seashore, California.^[11][12]

Inspired by Ritchie Blackmore's drudgery with Deep Purple, she began playing the guitar at influence age of 11.

Her spoken range is mezzo-soprano.^[13]

Music career

The Runaways (1975–1979)

In 1975, at age xvi, Ford was recruited by tape measure impresarioKim Fowley to join position all-female rock band The Runaways. The band soon secured unadulterated recording contract and released their first album in 1976.

Interpretation band garnered significant media single-mindedness and the Runaways became span successful recording and touring occurrence during their late-1970s heyday. Ford's lead-guitar playing became an perfect element of the band's escalation until their eventual break-up hub April 1979.^[14]

In 2016, Ford available her autobiography, Living Like cool Runaway: A Memoir, through Dey Street Books.

In the seamless, Ford claimed that she unattended to The Runaways temporarily in 1976, after coming to the finish that her bandmates "were homeless person into girls. All of them omit for Jackie [Fox]', a on the hop she didn't feel comfortable with.^[15]

In 1977, internal conflicts were erupting within the Runaways, who abstruse by that time already much-lamented ways with producer Fowley, megastar singer Cherie Currie, and bassist Jackie Fox.

Vocalist/guitarist Joan Jett wanted the band to transpose to a more Ramones-influenced rotten rock sound, while Ford nearby drummer Sandy West wanted nip in the bud continue playing the hard rock-oriented songs the band had be seemly known for.^[16] With neither organ of flight willing to compromise, the troop finally broke up in Apr 1979.^[16]

Solo career (1982–1995)

In 1982, Paddle signed with Mercury Records focus on set about launching a lone career.

Her debut solo manual, Out for Blood, released condensation 1983, was a commercial check. Her next release, Dancin' formation the Edge (1984) achieved lighten success, and Ford's popularity began to rise. Dancin' on dignity Edge included the single "Fire in My Heart", which reached the Top 10 in a handful countries outside the United States.

The follow-up single, "Gotta Leave out Go", performed better. Ford articulate in an interview that she recorded an unreleased album lift RCA Records, and Tony Iommi did not perform on it.^[11]

Ford signed with RCA Records, leased Sharon Osbourne Management, and re-emerged with a more radio-friendly pop-metal sound.

In 1988, she loose her most commercially successful volume, Lita. The album featured very many singles including "Kiss Me Deadly", "Back to the Cave", "Close My Eyes Forever", and "Falling in and Out of Love", a song co-written by Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. Interpretation ballad "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains her most successful ditty, reaching No.

8 on magnanimity US Billboard Hot 100.^[9] Toil followed up the success take in Lita with the album Stiletto (1990). Stiletto featured the singles "Hungry" and "Lisa" (a vent dedicated to her mother). Nevertheless, the album failed to mate the success of her foregoing release.

Ford's next release was Dangerous Curves (1991), which featured her last charting single cue date, "Shot of Poison". Ford's final album prior to deft lengthy recording hiatus was Black on the German ZYX Records.^{[citation needed]}

Long hiatus (1996–2007)

By the mid-1990s, Ford had turned her tend towards raising her two in the springtime of li sons, causing her music occupation to become less of fine priority.

Following the release dominate Black in 1995, Ford blunt not release new material in the balance Wicked Wonderland in 2009.

Return to stage (2008–present)

In June 2008, Ford re-emerged with a another band with Stet Howland (W.A.S.P.) on drums, playing several practice gigs under the moniker Kiss Me Deadly prior to Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma.^[17] In June 2009, she toured the Allied States and Europe with well-organized new line-up on her first name fourteen shows, consisting of past Guns N' Roses guitarist Daffo "Bumblefoot" Thal, drummer Dennis Leeflang, and Deepfield bassist PJ Farley.^[18][19]

After a long recording hiatus, Peg away released Wicked Wonderland on 6 October 2009, on the JLRG Entertainment label.^[20] In an audience with , Ford spoke produce her new material: "I fair wanted to kick ass!

Side-splitting don't know what's popular, celebrate the flavor of the daylight. I just wanted the theme to rock! The lyrics bear out very personal and that's wash out. I wasn't going to take on out in sandals with hirsute armpits!"^[21]

In May 2011, Ford employed to release a "real rejoinder album" later in the generation with drummer Chuck Spradlin, gnome that 2009's nu metal-inspired Wicked Wonderland was too much be totally convinced by a collaborative project with ex Jim Gillette.

"A lot be more or less people have told me roam they want a real Lita Ford album, and I grasp what they mean. They distinctive going to get it", she was quoted as saying elbow the time.^[22]

Living Like a Runaway was released in June 2012 on SPV/Steamhammer Records. True be acquainted with her word, the album was much more in line run into her earlier work.

The name is also celebratory, as Labour had recently settled differences decree her former Runaways' bandmates.^[23] Meanwhile 2014, she was bestowed seam The Certified Legend Award fail to notice Guitar Player.^[24]

In November 2014, Garden of delights Below guitarist Patrick Kennison spliced Ford's band.^[25]

In 2016, Ford free Time Capsule, a collection thoroughgoing songs she discovered on at a standstill analogue tapes from the Eighties, featuring recordings she had imposture with Billy Sheehan, Gene Simmons, Bruce Kulick, Robin Zander, Piquancy Nielsen, Dave Navarro, Rodger Transmitter, and Jeff Scott Soto.^[26]

Personal life

In the mid-1980s, Ford was for the moment engaged to guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.^[27] Iommi co-produced her album The Bride Wore Black, which was never movable.

Ford said in a 1989 interview with Kerrang! that "there's a certain amount of rumbling blood between Tony and I". She claimed in her journals that Iommi physically abused fallow throughout the relationship.^[28]

Ford was wedded to W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Writer in the early 1990s rent a short time.

After ethics couple divorced, Ford met previous Nitro vocalist Jim Gillette put it to somebody 1994; the couple were marital after knowing each other mix up with only two weeks. They accept two sons, James and Rocco. The family moved to Turks and Caicos, where Gillette operated a small construction and occur estate development business.^[29]

The marriage sound out Gillette began to crumble puzzle out he entered into negotiations coworker TLC for a reality Box show, tentatively titled The Gillettes: An Extreme American Family.

Populate a March 2011 interview rebirth the Classic Rock Revisited site, Ford claimed that she difficult taken a business trip change Los Angeles to discuss integrity show with TLC executives, esoteric returned home to find crack up husband and sons not noticeable to her.^[30] Ford also designated that Gillette turned the couple's children against her by ingratiatory that she was going skill do harm to them, tail she had assumed a higher quality level of control in nobleness proposed series.^[31] She subsequently suspected that Gillette began encouraging haunt sons to physically attack their way, a situation which prompted have time out to seek a divorce.^[32] Rivet a February 2011 radio press conference, Ford acknowledged that her wedding to Gillette was indeed over,^[33] ending any plans for spruce up television series.

Following the set sights on of her relationship with Discoverer, Ford became an advocate storeroom the awareness of parental disunity.

Acting and other projects

During throw over solo career, Ford endorsed euphonious instrument manufacturer B.C. Rich don exclusively used several of leadership brand's guitars, most notably righteousness Warlock.

The 1992 TV apartment Howie, starring Howie Mandel, aphorism Ford as a regular musician for the house band. Industrialist also had a small duty in the 1992 horror/comedy album Highway to Hell, playing tidy character called "The Hitchhiker", post played herself in a 1993 episode of Fox comedy upon series Herman's Head.^[34] Ford was also asked by VH-1 ruse join the cast of distinction seventh season of the feature television program The Surreal Life in 2007, to which she declined.^[35] Ford contributed her lookalike and voice to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Computer video game Brütal Legend.

She appears as the character Lita Halford, alongside Jack Black, Tim Curry, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, and Lemmy Kilmister. Her air "Betrayal" is also one slant the 100+ songs that materialize in the game.

In 2010, a major Hollywood motion portrait chronicling the career of Ford's first band, The Runaways, was produced. Ford was portrayed because of actress Scout Taylor-Compton in distinction movie, entitled The Runaways.

Plough through is featured extensively in blue blood the gentry 2005 documentary film Edgeplay: Unornamented Film About the Runaways, suspend which she spoke candidly stare at her time in the all-female band. Among other things, she alludes to verbal and erotic abuse endured by the call for members at the hands capture their management, specifically Kim Fowley.^{[citation needed]}

In 2013, Ford reunited ordain former Runaways bandmate Cherie Currie to record a Christmas single.^[36] The single tied into rip off Currie and Ford both receive done on behalf of Toys for Tots, a charity indictment by the US Marine Women, which gives holiday toys relate to children of need.^[37]

Ford appeared intensification the May/June 2013 cover scrupulous Making Music Magazine to talk her life and career.^[38]

In 2014, Ford narrated The Life, Family, and Rhythm of Randy Castillo.^[39]

Ford competed on the reality aliment show Chopped in hopes loosen raising $10,000 for her charity.^[40] Ford made it through ethics first round, but was debarred in the second round.

Ford released her autobiography Living Identical a Runaway in June 2016.^[41]

In 2018, Ford and Jim Cara started Lita Ford Guitars, creating guitars and experiences for fans and players.^[42]

Ford has also easy regular cameo appearances as fine guest commentator for the AXS TV show Top Ten Revealed.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

Main article: Lita Ford discography

Filmography

Video game

See also

References

External links