"there was combustion and out of five different versions of that group came the five girls who were the ones that people liked..."

Total Runtime: 1:21:16

The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels (On the Road to Ruin)", "California Paradise" "Dead End Justice", and the cover of The Velvet Underground’s "Rock n Roll". The Runaways, though never a major success in the U.S., became a sensation in 1977 Japan thanks to the hit single "Cherry Bomb."

Early years

The Runaways were formed in late 1975 by drummer Sandy West and rhythm guitarist Joan Jett after they had both introduced themselves to producer Kim Fowley, who gave Jett's phone number to West. The two met on their own at West's home and later called Fowley to let him hear the outcome. Fowley then helped the girls find other members. Two decades later he said, "I didn't put The Runaways together, I had an idea, they had ideas, we all met, there was combustion and out of five different versions of that group came the five girls who were the ones that people liked."^[2]

Starting as a power trio with singer/bassist Micki Steele, The Runaways began the party and club circuit around Los Angeles. They soon added lead guitarist Lita Ford who had originally auditioned for the bass spot. Steele got fired from the group, later resurfacing in The Bangles. Local bassist Peggy Foster took over on bass but left after a month. Lead singer Cherie Currie was found and recruited in a local teen nightclub called the Sugar Shack, followed by Jackie Fox (who had originally auditioned for the lead guitar spot) on bass.^[2]

[edit] Fame

The Runaways were signed to Mercury Records in 1976 and their debut album, The Runaways, was released shortly after. The band toured the U.S. and played numerous sold out shows. They headlined shows with opening acts such as Cheap Trick, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Van Halen. The documentary Edgeplay: A film about The Runaways, directed by former Runaway bassist Vicki Blue (aka Victory Tischler-Blue ) revealed that each girl patterned herself after her idols: Currie patterned her look after David Bowie, Jett after Suzi Quatro and Keith Richards, Ford as a cross between Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Jeff Beck, West after Queen drummer Roger Taylor, and Fox after Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.^[3]

Their second album, Queens of Noise was released in 1977 and the band began a world tour. The Runaways quickly became lumped in with the growing punk rock movement. The band (already fixtures on the West Coast punk scene) formed alliances with mostly-male punk bands such as Blondie, The Ramones and The Dead Boys (via New York City's CBGB) as well as the British punk scene by hanging out with the likes of The Damned, Generation X and The Sex Pistols.

In the summer of 1977 the group arrived in Japan for a string of sold out shows. The Runaways were the number 4 imported music act in Japan at the time, behind only ABBA, Kiss and Led Zeppelin in terms of album sales and popularity. The girls were unprepared for the onslaught of fans that greeted them at the airport. The mass hysteria was later described by guitarist Jett as being "like Beatlemania".^[4] While in Japan, The Runaways had their own TV special, did numerous television appearances and released the live album Live in Japan that went gold. Also in Japan, Fox left the band shortly before the group was scheduled to appear at the 1977 Tokyo Music Festival.^[5] Jett temporarily took over bass duties and when the group returned home they replaced Fox with Vicki Blue.

Currie then left the group and Jett, who previously shared vocals with Currie, took over lead vocals full time. The band released their 4th album, Waiting For The Night and started a world tour with their friends The Ramones. Currie released a solo LP Beauty's Only Skin Deep, produced by Kim Fowley, and began a separate U.S. tour, which included her identical twin sister Marie. Then they made an album titled "Messin With The Boys"

[edit] Dissolution

Due to disagreements over money and the management of the band, The Runaways and Kim Fowley parted ways in 1978. The group quickly hired new management, Toby Mamis, who also worked for Blondie and Suzi Quatro. When the group split with Fowley, they also parted with their record label Mercury/Polygram, to which their deal was tied. In the Edgeplay documentary, members of the group (especially Fox and Currie) as well as the parents of Currie and West, have accused Fowley, and others assigned to look after the band, of broken promises as to schooling and other care, using divide and conquer tactics to keep control of the band, along with the verbal taunting of band members. The band reportedly spent much time enjoying the excesses of the rock n' roll lifestyle during this time. They partnered with Thin Lizzy producer John Alcock, after Jett's future partner Kenny Laguna turned down the job, to record their last album And Now... The Runaways.

Vicki Blue left the group due to her medical illness and was briefly replaced by Laurie McAllister in November 1978. Laurie McAllister was referred to the band by her neighbor, Duane Hitchings, who played keyboards on "And Now... The Runaways". Before joining The Runaways, Laurie played with Baby Roulette and the Rave Ons, who had one song released on a Kim Fowley compilation LP called "Vampires From Outer Space." Laurie appeared onstage with The Runaways at their final shows in California during the last weeks of December 1978 and McAllister quit soon after in January 1979, joining Kim Fowley's newest project at the time, The Orchids.

Disagreement between band members included the musical style; Joan Jett wanted the band to take a musical change, shifting towards punk rock/glam rock while Lita Ford, backed by drummer Sandy West, wanted to continue playing hard rock/heavy metal music. Neither would accept the other's point of view.^[6] Finally, the band played their last concert ^[7] on New Year's Eve 1978 at the Cow Palace near San Francisco and officially broke up in April 1979.

Doc - The Runaways

◀ PREVNEXT ▶ THIS VIDEO: MORE INFO ABOUT THIS SHOW »

Search Tags:

Docs

Our Curators Recommend:

Hip Hop Week

5 days of slammin Hip Hop from every aspect and all eras! Essential!

Collection: Elizabeth Taylor

Clips from the life of Elizabeth Taylor.

The Network Awesome Show

The Network Awesome Show is a music variety show that captures the creativity of the musicians and artists that drive the scene.

Doc - A State of Mind

Mass Sports Are Good For Mind And Body

Network Awesome Originals:

NUKE P0RN WEEKEND

A frightening collection focusing on our collective fears of and fascination with nuclear proliferation and obliteration.

Godzilla Day

All hail the King Of The Monsters: Godzilla!

Fashion Week

Portable.tv presents an entire week of programming about fashion to coincide with London Fashion Week.

A Tribute To Cats!

ALL CATS ALL DAY!

Previously This Week:

Mon, May 20

Live Music Show - The Smiths at Rockpalast, 1984

Riget (The Kingdom) S01E02

Golden Girls S02E05: Isn't It Romantic

Talkshow - Mel Brooks in 1975

Doc - Mel Brooks: I Thought I Was Taller (1981)

Movie - The Twelve Chairs (Mel Brooks, 1970)

Sun, May 19

Sigmund and the Sea Monsters: Dinosaur Show

Joe 90: Operation McClaine

Collection: Jim Henson Experiments

Doc: Sex, Drugs and Soft Toys, Making Meet the Feebles

Movie: The Muppet Movie (1979)

Movie: Meet the Feebles (1989)

Sat, May 18

Collection - Foods on Film

The French Chef - The Lobster Show

Collection - My Drunk Kitchen

Collection - MUNCHIES

Collection - James Deen Loves Food

Movie - My Dinner With Andre (1981)

Fri, May 17

Collection - Vintage Jeans Commercials

Collection - Comic Sans!

Collection - Logos from Hell...

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Artists

Collection - Future Housing and Cities

Doc - Future By Design: The Venus Project

Thu, May 16

Collection - Dieter Rams

Saul Bass Bell System Logo Redesign Pitch Video

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Unusual Museums

Collection - Psychedelic Advertising

Collection: Memphis Design

The Films Of ... Ray & Charles Eames

Wed, May 15

Art - Les Trois Inventeurs (1980) by Michel Ocelot

Collection - Arne Jacobsen

Cool Hunting Video Presents: Designer Beverages

Doc - Le Corbusier

Talk Show - Milton Glaser

Doc - Sketches of Frank Gehry (2005)