About
Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin on September 22, 1958) is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.
She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock N' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard charts from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular recordings including "Crimson and Clover", "I Hate Myself for Loving You", "Do You Want to Touch Me", "Light of Day", "Love Is All Around", "Bad Reputation" and "Little Liar."
Her musical and song-writing approach is heavily influenced by the hard-edged, hard beat-driven rhythms common to many rock bands of her native Philadelphia, often featuring lyrics surrounding themes of lost love, criticisms of insincerity, the struggles and resolution of the American working class, and the quest for authenticity.
Joan Jett was born at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She moved to Wheaton, Maryland in 1967 and attended high school there. Her family then re-located to Los Angeles, California providing her the opportunity to pursue her musical endeavors. In Los Angeles, Joan interacted with some of her idols, including Suzi Quatro, one of the first female Rock musicians who actually played an instrument. Quatro was instrumental in Joan's career and Joan adopted many of Suzi's qualities including her shag haircut and style. Jett would quietly wait in the lobby of various hotels that Suzi was staying in during her US tours, just to catch a glimpse of her. She wore wooden platform shoes with "Suzi Quatro" carved into the side to her favorite night spot, Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco". Joan was further introduced to the Glam-Rock style she so adored as this genre was explosive in the UK and Europe, but never quite took off in the US. Rodney's was the only place she could hear this style of music and it certainly developed her image.
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