![]() ![]() Thus constituted as an entirely teenaged quintet, it didn't take long for the Runaways to score a record deal Currie's stage wardrobe (lingerie) and Fowley's well-established contacts made sure of that. Cherie Currie became the new lead vocalist, and after an extremely brief stint with a bass player known only as Peggy (which lasted just a few weeks), the band settled on Jackie Fox (born Jacqueline Fuchs), who switched to bass from guitar in order to join the band. As a trio, this lineup recorded a demo titled Born to Be Bad in late 1975 shortly thereafter, guitarist Lita Ford successfully auditioned through a trade-paper ad, and Steele left the group (she would later join the Bangles). However, it soon became apparent that Krome was not much of a singer, and she was replaced by vocalist Michael "Micki" Steele (born Sue Thomas), who also began learning the bass. Krome's friend, guitarist Joan Jett (born Joan Larkin), had been forming a band of her own with drummer Sandy West (born Sandy Pesavento), and Fowley quickly had a trio on his hands. Fowley was impressed with Krome's streetwise perspective and set about putting together a female band. The genesis of the Runaways can be traced to a 1975 Alice Cooper party, where Fowley met teenage lyricist Kari Krome. But in the end, the Runaways' sound and attitude proved crucially important in paving the way for female artists to crank up the volume on their guitars and rock as hard as the boys plus, they produced one undeniably classic single in the rebel-girl manifesto "Cherry Bomb." Fowley's insistence on a sleazy jailbait image for the group made it easy for the press to dismiss them as nothing but a tasteless adolescent fantasy - an impression bolstered at the time by the admittedly erratic quality of their music. ![]() In the media, the Runaways were victims of their own hype, supplied by maverick promoter/manager Kim Fowley. Since all of the members were teenagers (some of whom were still learning to play their instruments when they passed their auditions), the band's music was frequently raw and amateurish, but it neatly combined American heavy metal with the newly emerging sound of punk rock. Lita’s guitar playing up against any lead guitar player.Often dismissed during their existence as a crass marketing gimmick, the Runaways have grown in stature over the years as the first all-female band to make a substantial impression on the public by playing loud, straight-up, guitar-driven rock & roll. She said: “I’d put our musicianship up against anybody's. It’s the f****** principle.”Īnd the ‘Cherry Bomb’ hitmaker knew she and her bandmates had the musical talent to compete with other top bands. “As a kid, that’s what bugged me the most – the unfairness of it. “Mick Jagger can ride out on an inflatable penis… Not that I need to come out on an inflatable vagina – but I’m just saying I should be able to do it. “So you need to give voice to that because boys have a voice, being able to sing about their puberty, growing up, all that stuff. She told MOJO: “Teenage girls think about sex, teenage girls talk about sex and just because it makes society uncomfortable doesn’t mean they’re going to stop. Joan felt it was important for her group to “give a voice” to unrepresented young women and got frustrated by the double standards that she faced. ![]() I guess that had to be kind of scary for girls to go in there and watch to a degree – I wasn’t in the audience but I can only imagine the guys had quite an… energy about them out there.” ![]()
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