Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll or rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s,^[1][2] primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz,^[3] and gospel music.^[4] Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in country records of the 1930s,^[3] and in blues records from the 1920s,^[5] rock and roll did not acquire its name until the 1950s.^[6][7]

The term "rock and roll" now has at least two different meanings, both in common usage. The American Heritage Dictionary^[8] and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary^[9] both define rock and roll as synonymous with rock music. Encyclopædia Britannica, on the other hand, regards it as the music that originated in the mid-1950s and later developed "into the more encompassing international style known as rock music".^[10] For the purpose of differentiation, this article uses the second definition.

In the earliest rock and roll styles of the late 1940s and early 1950s, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar in the middle to late 1950s.^[11] The beat is essentially a blues rhythm with an accentuated backbeat, the latter almost always provided by a snare drum.^[12] Classic rock and roll is usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a string bass or (after the mid-1950s) an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit.^[11]

Rock and roll began achieving wide popularity in the 1960s.^[13] The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a widespread social impact. Bobby Gillespie writes that "When Chuck Berry sang 'Hail, hail, rock and roll, deliver me from the days of old', that's exactly what the music was doing. Chuck Berry started the global psychic jailbreak that is rock'n'roll."^[14]

Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and on television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It went on to spawn various sub-genres, often without the initially characteristic backbeat, that are now more commonly called simply "rock music" or "rock".

Origins[link]

Bill Haley and his Comets performing "Rock Around the Clock" on TV in 1955

The origins of rock and roll have been fiercely debated by commentators and historians of music.^[15] There is general agreement that it arose in the Southern United States – a region which would produce most of the major early rock and roll acts – through the meeting of various influences that embodied a merging of the African musical tradition with European instrumentation.^[16] The migration of many former slaves and their descendants to major urban centers like Memphis and north to New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo meant that black and white residents were living in close proximity in larger numbers than ever before, and as a result heard each other's music and even began to emulate each other's fashions.^[17][18] Radio stations that made white and black forms of music available to both groups, the development and spread of the gramophone record, and African American musical styles such as jazz and swing which were taken up by white musicians, aided this process of "cultural collision".^[19]

The immediate roots of rock and roll lay in the rhythm and blues, then called "race music", and country music of the 1940s and 1950s.^[15] Particularly significant influences were jazz, blues, gospel, country, and folk.^[15] Commentators differ in their views of which of these forms were most important and the degree to which the new music was a re-branding of African American rhythm and blues for a white market, or a new hybrid of black and white forms.^[20][21][22]

In the 1930s jazz, and particularly swing, both in urban based dance bands and blues-influenced country swing, was among the first music to present African American sounds for a predominately white audience.^[21][23] The 1940s saw the increased use of blaring horns (including saxophones), shouted lyrics and boogie woogie beats in jazz based music. During and immediately after World War II, with shortages of fuel and limitations on audiences and available personnel, large jazz bands were less economical and tended to be replaced by smaller combos, using guitars, bass and drums.^[15][24] In the same period, particularly on the West Coast and in the Midwest, the development of jump blues, with its guitar riffs, prominent beats and shouted lyrics, prefigured many later developments.^[15] In the documentary film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, Bruce Springsteen demonstrates a compelling explanation of how Chuck Berry developed his brand of rock and roll, by transposing the familiar two-note lead line of jump blues piano directly to the electric guitar, creating what is instantly recognizable as rock guitar. Similarly, country boogie and Chicago electric blues supplied many of the elements that would be seen as characteristic of rock and roll.^[15]

Sign commemorating the role of Alan Freed and Cleveland, Ohio in the origins of rock and roll

Rock and roll arrived at a time of considerable technological change, soon after the development of the electric guitar, amplifier and microphone, and the 45 rpm record.^[15] There were also changes in the record industry, with the rise of independent labels like Atlantic, Sun and Chess servicing niche audiences and a similar rise of radio stations that played their music.^[15] It was the realization that relatively affluent white teenagers were listening to this music that led to the development of what was to be defined as rock and roll as a distinct genre.^[15]

The phrase "rocking and rolling" originally described the movement of a ship on the ocean, but was used by the early twentieth century, both to describe the spiritual fervor of black church rituals^[25] and as a sexual analogy. Various gospel, blues and swing recordings used the phrase before it became used more frequently – but still intermittently – in the 1940s, on recordings and in reviews of what became known as "rhythm and blues" music aimed at a black audience.^[25] By 1942, Billboard magazine columnist Maurie Orodenker had begun using the term "rock and roll" in descriptions of upbeat recordings such as "Rock Me" by Sister Rosetta Tharpe.^[26] In 1951, Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed began playing this music style while popularizing the phrase to describe it.^[27]

Because the development of rock and roll was an evolutionary process, no single record can be identified as unambiguously "the first" rock and roll record.^[28] One contender for "first rock and roll record" is "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (actually an alias for Ike Turner and his band The Kings of Rhythm), recorded by Sam Phillips for Sun Records in March 1951.^[29] Other early contenders include Wynonie Harris' "Good Rockin' Tonight" (1947)^[30] and Jimmy Preston's "Rock the Joint" (1949), which was later covered by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1952.^[31] In terms of its wide cultural impact across society in the US and elsewhere, Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock", recorded in April 1954 but not a commercial success until the following year, is generally recognized as an important milestone, but it was preceded by many recordings from earlier decades in which elements of rock and roll can be clearly discerned.^[28][32][33] Other artists with early rock and roll hits included Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Gene Vincent.^[29] Bo Diddley in particular introduced a new beat and unique guitar style that inspired many artists.^[34] His more insistent, driving rhythms, hard-edged electric guitar sound, African rhythms, and signature beat (a simple, five-accent rhythm), have remained cornerstones of rock and pop.^[35][36][37]

Early rock and roll[link]

Rockabilly[link]

Elvis Presley in a promotion shot for Jailhouse Rock in 1957

"Rockabilly" usually (but not exclusively) refers to the type of rock and roll music which was played and recorded in the mid 1950s by white singers such as Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, who drew mainly on the country roots of the music.^[38] Many other popular rock and roll singers of the time, such as Fats Domino and Little Richard, came out of the black rhythm and blues tradition, making the music attractive to white audiences, and are not usually classed as "rockabilly".

In July 1954, Elvis Presley recorded the regional hit "That's All Right (Mama)" at Sam Phillips' Sun Studio in Memphis.^[39] Three months earlier, on April 12, 1954, Bill Haley & His Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock". Although only a minor hit when first released, when used in the opening sequence of the movie Blackboard Jungle, a year later, it really set the rock and roll boom in motion. The song became one of the biggest hits in history, and frenzied teens flocked to see Haley and the Comets perform it, causing riots in some cities. "Rock Around the Clock" was a breakthrough for both the group and for all of rock and roll music. If everything that came before laid the groundwork, "Rock Around the Clock" introduced the music to a global audience.^[40]

In 1956 the arrival of rockabilly was underlined by the success of songs like "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Perkins and "Heartbreak Hotel" by Presley.^[38] For a few years it became the most commercially successful form of rock and roll. Later rockabilly acts, particularly performing songwriters like Buddy Holly, would be a major influence on British Invasion acts and particularly on the song writing of The Beatles and through them on the nature of later rock music.^[41]

Doo wop[link]

Doo wop was one of the most popular forms of 1950s rock and roll, with an emphasis on multi-part vocal harmonies and meaningless backing lyrics (from which the genre later gained its name), which were usually supported with light instrumentation.^[42] Its origins were in African American vocal groups of the 1930s and 40s, like the Ink Spots and the Mills Brothers, who had enjoyed considerable commercial success with arrangements based on close harmonies.^[43] They were followed by 1940s R&B vocal acts like The Orioles, The Ravens and The Clovers, who injected a strong element of traditional gospel and, increasingly, the energy of jump blues.^[43] By 1954, as rock and roll was beginning to emerge, a number of similar acts began to cross over from the R&B charts to mainstream success, often with added honking brass and saxophone, with The Crows, The Penguins, The El Dorados and The Turbans all scoring major hits.^[43] Despite the subsequent explosion in records from doo wop acts in the later 50s, many failed to chart or were one-hit wonders. Exceptions included The Platters, with songs including "The Great Pretender" (1955) and The Coasters with humorous songs like "Yakety Yak" (1958), both of which ranked among the most successful rock and roll acts of the era.^[43] Towards the end of the decade there were increasing numbers of white, particularly Italian American, singers taking up Doo Wop, creating all-white groups like The Mystics and Dion and the Belmonts and racially integrated groups like The Dell Vikings and The Impalas.^[43] Doo wop would be a major influence on vocal surf music, soul and early Merseybeat, including The Beatles.^[43]

Cover versions[link]

Many of the earliest white rock and roll hits were covers or partial re-writes of earlier black rhythm and blues or blues songs. Through the late 1940s and early 1950s, R&B music had been gaining a stronger beat and a wilder style, with artists such as Fats Domino and Johnny Otis speeding up the tempos and increasing the backbeat to great popularity on the juke joint circuit.^[44] Before the efforts of Freed and others, black music was taboo on many white-owned radio outlets, but artists and producers quickly recognized the potential of rock and roll.^[45] Most of Presley's early hits were covers of black rhythm and blues or blues songs, like "That's All Right" (a countrified arrangement of a blues number), its flip side "Blue Moon of Kentucky", "Baby Let's Play House", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "Hound Dog".^[46]

Rock'n'roller Little Richard performing in 2007

Covers were customary in the music industry at the time; it was made particularly easy by the compulsory license provision of United States copyright law (still in effect).^[47] One of the first relevant successful covers was Wynonie Harris's transformation of Roy Brown's 1947 original jump blues hit "Good Rocking Tonight" into a more showy rocker^[48] and the Louis Prima rocker "Oh Babe" in 1950, as well as Amos Milburn's cover of what may have been the first white rock and roll record, Hardrock Gunter's "Birmingham Bounce" in 1949.^[49] The most notable trend, however, was white pop covers of black R&B numbers. The more familiar sound of these covers may have been more palatable to white audiences, there may have been an element of prejudice, but labels aimed at the white market also had much better distribution networks and were generally much more profitable.^[50] Famously, Pat Boone recorded sanitized versions of Little Richard songs. Later, as those songs became popular, the original artists' recordings received radio play as well.^[51]

The cover versions were not necessarily straightforward imitations. For example, Bill Haley's incompletely bowdlerized cover of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" transformed Big Joe Turner's humorous and racy tale of adult love into an energetic teen dance number,^[52] while Georgia Gibbs replaced Etta James's tough, sarcastic vocal in "Roll With Me, Henry" (covered as "Dance With Me, Henry") with a perkier vocal more appropriate for an audience unfamiliar with the song to which James's song was an answer, Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie".^[53] Elvis' rock and roll version of "Hound Dog" was very different from the blues shouter that Big Mama Thornton had recorded.^[54]

Decline[link]

Commentators have traditionally perceived a decline of rock and roll in the late 1950s and early 1960s.^[55][56] By 1959, the death of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash, the departure of Elvis for the army, the retirement of Little Richard to become a preacher, prosecutions of Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, and the breaking of the payola scandal (which implicated major figures, including Alan Freed, in bribery and corruption in promoting individual acts or songs), gave a sense that the initial rock and roll era had come to an end.^[29] There was also a process that has been described as the "feminisation" of rock and roll, with the charts beginning to be dominated by love ballads, often aimed at a female audience, and the rise of girl groups like The Shirelles and The Crystals.^[57] Some historians of music have pointed to important and innovative developments that built on rock and roll in this period, including multitrack recording, developed by Les Paul, the electronic treatment of sound by such innovators as Joe Meek, and the Wall of Sound productions of Phil Spector, continued desegregation of the charts, the rise of surf music, garage rock and the Twist dance craze.^[21]

British rock and roll[link]

Tommy Steele, one of the first British rock and rollers, performing in Stockholm in 1957

In the 1950s, Britain was well placed to receive American rock and roll music and culture.^[58] It shared a common language, had been exposed to American culture through the stationing of troops in the country, and shared many social developments, including the emergence of distinct youth sub-cultures, which in Britain included the Teddy Boys.^[59] Trad Jazz became popular, and many of its musicians were influenced by related American styles, including boogie woogie and the blues.^[60] The skiffle craze, led by Lonnie Donegan, utilised amateurish versions of American folk songs and encouraged many of the subsequent generation of rock and roll, folk, R&B and beat musicians to start performing.^[61] At the same time British audiences were beginning to encounter American rock and roll, initially through films including Blackboard Jungle (1955) and Rock Around the Clock (1955).^[62] Both movies contained the Bill Haley & His Comets hit "Rock Around the Clock", which first entered the British charts in early 1955 – four months before it reached the US pop charts – topped the British charts later that year and again in 1956, and helped identify rock and roll with teenage delinquency.^[63] American rock and roll acts such as Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Buddy Holly thereafter became major forces in the British charts.

The initial response of the British music industry was to attempt to produce copies of American records, recorded with session musicians and often fronted by teen idols.^[58] More grassroots British rock and rollers soon began to appear, including Wee Willie Harris and Tommy Steele.^[58] During this period American Rock and Roll remained dominant; however, in 1958 Britain produced its first "authentic" rock and roll song and star, when Cliff Richard reached number 2 in the charts with "Move It".^[64] At the same time, TV shows such as Six-Five Special and Oh Boy! promoted the careers of British rock and rollers like Marty Wilde and Adam Faith.^[58] Cliff Richard and his backing band, The Shadows, were the most successful home grown rock and roll based acts of the era.^[65] Other leading acts included Billy Fury, Joe Brown, and Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, whose 1960 hit song "Shakin' All Over" became a rock and roll standard.^[58]

As interest in rock and roll was beginning to subside in America in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it was taken up by groups in major British urban centres like Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.^[66] About the same time, a British blues scene developed, initially led by purist blues followers such as Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies who were directly inspired by American musicians such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.^[67] Many groups moved towards the beat music of rock and roll and rhythm and blues from skiffle, like the Quarrymen who became The Beatles, producing a form of rock and roll revivalism that carried them and many other groups to national success from about 1963 and to international success from 1964, known in America as the British Invasion.^[68] Groups that followed The Beatles included the beat-influenced Freddie and the Dreamers, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Herman's Hermits and the Dave Clark Five, and the more blues-influenced The Animals, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Yardbirds.^[69] As the blues became an increasingly significant influence, leading to the creation of the blues-rock of groups like The Moody Blues, Small Faces, The Move, Traffic and Cream, and developing into rock music, the influence of early rock and roll began to subside.^[68]

Cultural impact[link]

Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language.^[70] In addition, rock and roll may have helped the cause of the civil rights movement because both African American teens and white American teens enjoyed the music.^[71]

Many early rock and roll songs dealt with issues of cars, school, dating, and clothing. The rock and roll songs described events and conflicts that most listeners could relate to from some point in their lives. Topics that were generally considered taboo, such as sex, began to be introduced in rock and roll music. This new music tried to break boundaries and express the real emotions that people were feeling, but didn't talk about. An awakening in the young American culture began to take place.^[13]

Race[link]

In the cross-over of African American "race music" to a growing white youth audience, the popularization of rock and roll involved both black performers reaching a white audience and white performers appropriating African American music.^[72] Rock and roll appeared at a time when racial tensions in the United States were entering a new phase, with the beginnings of the civil rights movement for desegregation, leading to the Supreme Court ruling that abolished the policy of "separate but equal" in 1954, but leaving a policy which would be extremely difficult to enforce in parts of the United States.^[73] The coming together of white youth audiences and black music in rock and roll, inevitably provoked strong white racist reactions within the US, with many whites condemning its breaking down of barriers based on color.^[71] Many observers saw rock and roll as heralding the way for desegregation, in creating a new form of music that encouraged racial cooperation and shared experience.^[74] Many authors have argued that early rock and roll was instrumental in the way both white and black teenagers identified themselves.^[75]

Teen culture[link]

"There's No Love in Rock and Roll" made the cover of True Life Romance in 1956

Several rock historians have claimed that rock and roll was one of the first music genres to define an age group.^[76] It gave teenagers a sense of belonging, even when they were alone.^[76] Rock and roll is often identified with the emergence of teen culture among the first baby boomer generation, who had both greater relative affluence, leisure and who adopted rock and roll as part of a distinct sub-culture.^[77] This involved not just music, absorbed via radio, record buying, jukeboxes and T.V. programs like American Bandstand, but it also extended to film, clothes, hair, cars and motorbikes, and distinctive language. The contrast between parental and youth culture exemplified by rock and roll was a recurring source of concern for older generations, who worried about juvenile delinquency and social rebellion, particularly as to a large extent rock and roll culture was shared by different racial and social groups.^[77] In America, that concern was conveyed even in youth cultural artifacts like comic books. In "There's No Love in Rock and Roll" from True Life Romance (1956), a defiant teen dates a rock and roll-loving boy but drops him for one who likes traditional adult music—to her parents' relief.^[78] In Britain, where post-war prosperity was more limited, rock and roll culture became attached pre-existing to the Teddy Boy movement, largely working class in origins, and eventually to the longer lasting rockers.^[59] Rock and roll has been seen as reorienting popular music towards a teen market, often celebrating teen fashions, as in Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" (1956), or Dion and the Belmonts "A Teenager in Love" (1960).^[79]

Dance styles[link]

From its early-1950s beginning through the early 1960s, rock and roll music spawned new dance crazes.^[80] Teenagers found the irregular rhythm of the backbeat especially suited to reviving the jitterbug dancing of the big-band era. "Sock hops", gym dances, and home basement dance parties became the rage, and American teens watched Dick Clark's American Bandstand to keep up on the latest dance and fashion styles.^[81] From the mid-1960s on, as "rock and roll" yielded gradually to "rock", later dance genres followed, starting with the twist, and leading up to funk, disco, house, techno, and hip hop.^[82]

See also[link]

Rock and Roll portal

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Rock music

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rock music

• The Camp Meeting Jubilee 1910 recording
• The Smithsonian's history of the electric guitar
• History of Rock
• Youngtown Rock and Roll Museum – Omemee, Ontario

Eric Hutchinson
Hutchinson performing at World Cafe, Philadelphia, May 6, 2012
Background information
Born	(1980-09-08) September 8, 1980 (age 31) Washington, D.C., United States
Origin	Takoma Park, Maryland, United States
Genres	Pop, rock, folk, power pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Singing, guitar, piano
Years active	2003-Present
Labels	Let's Break, Warner Bros.
Website	www.erichutchinson.com/

Eric Hutchinson (born September 8, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter. He signed with Madonna's Maverick Records, but the label shut down before his album was released. Hutchinson recorded and released the album Sounds Like This on his own. The album won praise from gossip blogger Perez Hilton, which sent it to the top ten on the iTunes Store, where it peaked at number five in September 2007 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. The album was picked up by Warner Bros. Records, who released it in May 2008.

Biography[link]

Born in Washington, D.C., Hutchinson grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, attended the Communication Arts Program at Montgomery Blair High School, and went to Emerson College in Boston, where he lived for about four years before moving to Los Angeles. During his youth he personally babysat Robbie "Baggobby" Ginsberg. Hutchinson began playing guitar around 1995, and later added piano to his repertoire. When on acoustic guitar, he plays with exuberance, often laying down percussive hand slaps on the strings. He says he "should've taken more guitar lessons," but was always "more interested in playing and singing songs I knew and liked better than Hot Cross Buns out of a workbook."^[1][2] As of February 2007, he resides in New York City.

On September 15, 2008, Hutchinson performed "Rock and Roll" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His follow-up single, "Ok, It's Alright With Me", was also performed on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on July 24, 2009. "Rock and Roll" was also appeared in the series finale episode of the Australian-produced Packed to the Rafters. The single reached #1 in Australia in April 2009. In addition, "Rock and Roll" reached #9 on the ARIA Australian Singles Chart and has been certified Platinum in Australia. "Rock and Roll" has also reached Gold in New Zealand, the U. S. and Norway.

Before his opening date in New York on the Kelly Clarkson tour, Hutchinson was interviewed by Broken Records Magazine (BRM). Eric told BRM that "he just wants to write stuff he will enjoy playing. It's all about songwriting". He goes on to mention that Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and the Beatles were all primary influences on his style of music writing.^{[citation needed]}

Hutchinson was named an AOL "About To Pop" artist, Yahoo! Who's Next Artist, MSN "One To Watch" Artist and a "VH1 You Oughta Know" Artist.^[3] Hutchinson also the theme song for ESPN's Fantasy Focus podcast.^[4]

Moving Up, Living Down, Hutchinson's second album, was released on April 17, 2012. The first single, "Watching You Watch Him" debuted on the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy. Hutchinson also returned to The Late Show with David Letterman on February 21, 2012 to perform "Watching You Watch Him".

Touring[link]

Hutchinson plays venues across the U.S. and Canada, and has toured with such artists as Joe Jackson, Jason Mraz and One Republic.^[5][6] Throughout 2009 and 2010, Hutchinson appeared in support Kelly Clarkson.

Hutchinson's latest tour in support of Moving Up Living Down commenced on April 17, 2012.

Reception[link]

Hutchinson has been acclaimed for his prowess as a pianist, songwriter, and performer.^[1] He has been called "one of the most talented singer-songwriters that Boston has to offer," with comparisons to Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, Cat Stevens, Billy Joel and The Beatles.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} Journalist James Campion calls Hutchinson "a major talent with nary a trace of pretension" and "a sure thing."^[12]

Hutchinson's music is a combination of rock, folk pop, and powerpop. It has been called "intelligent pop" with "painstakingly placed lyrics, brimming with sarcasm and wit",^[13] and "sunshine pop" with "feel-good playfulness" and a "plucky demeanor".^[14]

Hutchinson placed second at the 2002 Los Angeles Songwriter's Grand Slam.^[15]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Eric Hutchinson on Myspace
• Eric Hutchinson lyrics
• Eric Hutchinson at Allmusic

Bob Segarini (born August 28, 1945 in Stockton, California) is a recording artist, singer, songwriter, composer and radio host. During a professional music career primarily developed between 1968 and the early 1980s, Segarani was particularly popular in Canada. He is also notable as one of the founding members of The Wackers.

History[link]

Segarini's earliest band,'The Ratz, was a local Los Angeles group with Gary Duncan, who later formed Quicksilver Messenger Service. Segarini next started Family Tree with guitarist and keyboardist Jimmy De Cocq, singer Michael Dure, drummer Vann Slatter and bassist Bill "Kootch" Trochim.^[1] They only released one album, Miss Butters. Next Segarini formed Roxy with De Cocq and Randy Bishop playing bass and vocals. The group signed with Elektra Records in 1969, but after one album, producer Gary Usher reorganised the band adding drummer Spencer Earnshaw and former guitarist from Family Tree, Mike Stull and bassist Bill 'Kootch' Trochim. The new group released three albums as The Wackers, Wackering Heights, Hot Wacks and Shredder.

Segarini, together with Randy Bishop, co-wrote and recorded two songs for the film Vanishing Point (1971), Dear Jesus God and Over Me. He has also worked with UK songstress Elkie Brooks.

In 1974, Segarini founded The Dudes, with Trochim and Wayne Cullen from the final Wackers aggregate, Ritchie and David Henman - previously with April Wine, and Brian Greenway, future April Wine guitarist. They recorded one album for Columbia records, We're No Angels, and almost completed a second album before Columbia dropped them from their roster leading to the band break-up. Parts of the second album made their way onto CD in 1997 along with a collection of unreleased recordings,"All The Young Dudes - All The Old Demos."

Segarini went on to a solo career, recording four albums: Gotta Have Pop, On The Radio, Goodbye L.A., and Vox Populi. The first three have recently been remastered and re-issued with bonus tracks by Bullseye Records.

During the mid 1980s, Segarini began his career in the radio industry, first with chumfm.com, followed by several stints at Classic Rock radio station CILQ - known to Toronto locals as Q107. It was there that he adopted the moniker "The Iceman" - a name he still uses on the air to this day. In 2009, after a successful stint on Sirius Satellite Radio's channel 85, Segarini began writing weekly columns for FYI Music - an online magazine devoted to the music industry. His thrice-weekly column is titled "Don't Believe a Word I Say", named after his 1979 single from Gotta Have Pop.

Bob is currently living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Solo discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Releases (1966-81)[link]

1968 Family Tree – Miss Butters (RCA LPM-3955 & LSP-3955)

Birthday/Dirgeday, Melancholy Vaudeville Man, Any Other Baby, Sideshow, Mrs. McPheeny, Butters Lament, Simple Life, Slippin' Thru My Fingers, Nine to Three, Lesson Book Life, Nickelodeon Music, Miss Butters, Underture, Keepin’ a Secret,* Do You Have the Time?,* She Had To Fly,* He Spins Around*

Family Tree – Singles

Prince of Dreams/Live Your Own Life (Mira 228, 1966) Keepin’ a Secret/Do You Have the Time? (RCA 47-9184, 1967) She Had To Fly/He Spins Around (RCA 47-9671, 1968)

1969 Roxy (Elektra EKS 74063)

Love, Love, Love, Sing a Song, New York City, Somebody Told You, Love for a Long Time, Windy Day, You Got a Lot of Style, I Got My Friends, Yesterday's Song, Rock & Roll Circus

Roxy – Singles

Love Love Love/New York City (Elektra EK45682, 1969) Rock and Roll Circus/Somebody Told You (Elektra EK45683, 1969) Listen To The Music/Tickets (Elektra EK45717, 1970)

1971 Segarini and Bishop – Vanishing Point Soundtrack (Amos AAS 8002 - USA Soundtrack STCS1410 - UK)

Dear Jesus God, Over Me

1971 The Wackers – Wackering Heights (Elektra EKS 74089)

Travelin' Time, Body Go Round, Don't Be Cruel, Country Queen, Strangers, Don't Put Down the Singer, I Don't Want My Love Refused, White House, I Like, On the Way Up, Such a Good Thing, No Place for the Children

1972 The Wackers – Hot Wacks (Elektra EKS 75025)

I Hardly Know Her Name, We Can Be, Oh My Love, Wait And See, Do You Know The Reason, Breathe Easy, Time Will Carry On, Maybe Tomorrow, Hot Wacks, Anytime / Anyday, Find Your Own Way, Time Will Carry On (Won't It? )

1972 The Wackers – Shredder (Elektra EKS 75046)

Day And Night, Hey Lawdy Lawdy, I'll Believe In You, Puttin Myself To Sleep, Eventually - Even You, Even Me, Coming Apart, It's My Life, Beach Song, Buck Duckdog Memorial Jam, Last Dance

The Wackers – Singles I Don’t Want My Love Refused/I Like (Elektra EK45743, 1971) Body Go Round/White House (Elektra EK45758, 1971) Oh My Love (Promo)/Same (Elektra EK45772, 1972) I Hardly Know Her Name/Do You Know the Reason (Elektra EK45783, 1972) Day and Night/Last Dance (Elektra EK45816, 1972) Hey Lawdy Lawdy/I’m In Love (Elektra EK45841, 1973) All I Wanna Do Is Love You/I Got A Feelin’ (Polydor2065226, 1974) Captain Nemo/Tonite (Bomp102, 1975)

1975 The Dudes – We’re No Angels (Columbia PC33577)

Saturday Night, Fuel Injection, I Just Wanna Dance, Lylee Lady, Deeper and Deeper, Dancin' Shoes, Got Me Where You Want Me, My Mind's on You, Rock & Roll Debutante, We're No Angels

(1996 CD Release/2009 Mp3 Download) The Dudes – All The Young Dudes - All The Old Demos (Pacemaker Records/Bullseyesongs Mp3 Download)

Please Mr Postman, Rock and Roll Debutante, Little Queenie, Time On My Hands, Fuel Injection, Right Down To It, City Bred, Too Young, Wimmin R Strange, Marlene, Sugar, Meet You After School, Linda, Gotta Have Pop, Dancin' Shoes, Sweet Love, Laurel Ann, Silk N Lace

The Dudes - Singles

Dancin’ Shoes (Promo)/Same (Columbia10259, 1975) Saturday Night/Rock & Roll Debutante (Columbia10212, 1976)

1977 Segarini – EP (A&M AM452)

Wanna Get To Know You Better, Starlight, I Want You To Stay, I'm Not Your Fool

1978 Segarini – Gotta Have Pop (Bomb/Epic BOMB7027 - CAN, EPC 83806 - UK)

Gotta Have Pop, Hide Away, Afraid Of The Ocean, I Don't Want To Lose You, Don't Believe A Word I Say, Livin' In The Movies Steady Eddie, Dressed In The Dark, When The Lights Are Out, Love Story, Starlight,* Body Go Round,* Laurel Ann,* Ces’t Tout,* Livin’ In The Movies (Remix),* Groucho Marx,* Goodbye*

1978 Segarini – On The Radio (Bomb/Epic BOMB7030 - CAN)

Gotta Have Pop,* Teenage Love, I Don't Want To Lose You, People Are Strange, Afraid Of The Ocean, Hideaway, All I Want To Do Is Love You, Steady Eddie, Dressed In The Dark, When The Lights Are Out, Love Story, Don't Believe A Word I Say, Zoom,* Juvenile Delinquent

1979 Segarini – Goodbye LA (Bomb/Epic BOMB/EPIC90576 - USA, BOMB7032 - CAN, EPC 84086 - UK)

I Like the Beatles, I Hardly Know Her Name, Odd Couples, Day and Night, Nervous Breakdown, Teenage Love, Please, Please, Please, Rock & Roll Moment, Who's Lovin' You, Demographics, Goodbye L.A., My Baby Is an Airhead, It’s Christmas,* It’s Christmas (Jingleoke),* In My Life (Live)*

1981 Segarini – Vox Populi (Anthem ANR11028 - CAN)

Voice of the People, Waitin' In Line, City Bred, Have Love Will Travel, Money In The Pocket, Danger Guy, Get It Back, City Night, Too Late, My Baby Is An Airhead Part 2

Segarini - Singles

When The Lights Are Out/Dressed In The Dark (BOMB5015 - CAN, 1978) Gotta Have Pop/People Are Strange (EPIC SEPC7474 - UK, 1979) Don't Believe A Word I Say/People Are Strange (BOMB5018 - CAN, 1979) Livin' In The Movies/Dressed In The Dark (EPIC SEPC78029 - UK, 1979) Goodbye L.A/Living In The Movies (EPIC E48369 - CAN, 1979) It's Christmas Time/Instrumental (EPIC E48381 - CAN, 1979) Please, Please, Please/Demographics (BOMB5033 - US, EPIC E48384 - CAN, SEPC8223 - UK, 1979) City Bred/Danger Guy (Anthem ANS029 - CAN, 1981) Voice Of The People/Money In The Pocket (Anthem ANS033 - CAN, 1981)

• Bonus tracks from the CD releases of the albums.

References[link]

1. ^ An early lineup also featured the future Lee Michaels, then known as Mike Olsen, on keyboards. See Richie Unterberger, Liner Notes for Roxy's Roxy; www.richieunterberger.com.

External links[link]

• Bob Segarini at the Internet Movie Database
• Canadian Rock Bands
• Segarini MySpace Page
• Bullseye Records
• FYI Music

Joan Jett
Joan Jett, with The Blackhearts, performing at the "Tribute to Our Heroes" celebration at Fort Hood, Texas in May 2005
Background information
Birth name	Joan Marie Larkin
Also known as	Joan Jett
Born	(1958-09-22) September 22, 1958 (age 53)
Origin	Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, United States
Genres	Rock, hard rock, punk rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Blackheart, Epic, Boardwalk, MCA, CBS/Sony, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	The Runaways, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Website	www.joanjett.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Melody Maker[1]

Joan Jett (born September 22, 1958) is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and occasional actress., best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982,^[2] 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".

Her musical and songwriting approach is heavily influenced by the hard-edged, hard beat-driven rhythms common to many rock bands of her native Philadelphia,^{[citation needed]} often featuring lyrics surrounding themes of lost love, criticisms of insincerity, the quest for authenticity, as well as the struggles and resolutions of the American middle class. She has three albums that have been certified Platinum or Gold, and she has been referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" many times during her career.^[3]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Joan Marie Larkin was born September 22, 1958^[4][5] at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She moved to Rockville, Maryland, in 1967 where she attended Randolph Junior High and Wheaton High School.^{[citation needed]} Jett got her first guitar at the age of 13. Joan took some guitar lessons, but quit soon after when the instructor kept trying to teach her folk songs.^{[citation needed]} She also became involved with a bartender at a club from the town,^{[citation needed]} at which point her family then relocated to the city of West Covina, California, in Los Angeles County, providing Jett 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 played an instrument on stage.^{[citation needed]} Quatro was vital to Joan's career,^{[citation needed]} 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.^[6] She wore wooden platform shoes with "Suzi Quatro" carved into the side. Her favorite night spot was Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco.^[7] Joan was introduced to the glam-rock style she so adored^[2] as this genre was explosive in the UK and Europe, but never quite took off in the US. Rodney's was the only place Jett could hear this style of music, and it certainly helped develop her image.^{[citation needed]}

The Runaways[link]

Jett became a founding member of The Runaways, alongside drummer Sandy West. Micki Steele, Jackie Fox, Lita Ford, and Cherie Currie completed the line-up. While Currie initially fronted the band, Jett shared some lead vocals, played rhythm guitar and wrote or co-wrote a lot of the band's material along with Ford, West and Currie. The band recorded five LPs, with Live In Japan becoming one of the biggest-selling imports in U.S. and U.K. history. The band toured around the world and some of their opening acts included Cheap Trick, Van Halen and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They found success abroad, especially in Japan. In 2010, The Runaways, a movie about Joan Jett's band, was made, starring Kristen Stewart as Jett and Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie.^[2][8]

While The Runaways were popular in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada and South America, they could not garner the same level of success in the U.S.^[2][9] After Currie, the lead singer, left the band, the band released two more albums with Jett handling the lead vocals: Waitin' for the Night and And Now... The Runaways. Altogether they produced five albums from 1975 until they disbanded in spring of 1979.^[10]

Soon after, Jett produced The Germs' first and only album (GI).^[2]

Solo[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

In the spring of 1979, Jett was in England pursuing a solo career. She recorded three songs there with Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and Steve Jones, one of which was an early version of The Arrows' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll".^{[citation needed]}

Later that year, she returned to Los Angeles, where she began fulfilling an obligation of the Runaways' to complete a film—loosely based on the band's career—called We're All Crazee Now! Three actresses required to stand in for her departed band members included Rainbeaux Smith, who was also a rock drummer. While working on the project, Jett met songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna, who was hired by Toby Mamis to help Jett with writing some tracks for the film.^{[citation needed]} They became friends and decided to work together and she relocated to Long Beach, New York where Kenny Laguna was based. The plug was pulled on the project halfway through shooting with Jett being ill, but in 1984, after Jett had become a star, producers looked for a way to make use of the footage from the incomplete film.^{[citation needed]} Bits of the original footage of Jett were used in a completely different project, an underground movie called DuBeat-Eo, never commercially released, produced by Alan Sacks.^{[citation needed]}

Jett and Laguna entered The Who's Ramport Studios with the latter at the helm. Jett's self-titled solo debut was released in Europe on May 17, 1980. In the US, after the album was rejected by 23 major labels,^[11] Jett and Laguna released it independently on their new Blackheart Records label, which they started with Laguna's daughter's college savings. Laguna remembers, "We couldn't think of anything else to do, but print up records ourselves", and that's how Blackheart Records started.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts[link]

Joan Jett, performing in Norway, 1980s.

With Laguna's assistance, Jett formed the Blackhearts. She placed an ad in the L.A. Weekly "looking for three good men."^[12] John Doe of X sat in on bass for the auditions held at S.I.R. studios in Los Angeles. He mentioned a local bass player, Gary Ryan, who had recently been crashing on his couch. Ryan was part of the L.A. punk scene and had played bass with local artists Top Jimmy and Rik L. Rik. He had been a fan of the Runaways and Jett for years. Jett recognized him at the audition and he was in. Ryan in turn recommended guitarist Eric Ambel, who was also at the time part of Rik L. Rik. The final addition to the original Blackhearts was drummer Danny "Furious" O'Brien, formerly of the infamous San Francisco band The Avengers. This line-up played several gigs at the Golden Bear and Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood before embarking on their first European tour which consisted of an extensive tour of the Netherlands, and a few key shows in England including the Marquee in London.^[13]

Upon returning to the States, Jett, Ryan, and Ambel moved to Long Beach, New York. O'Brien stayed behind in England to pursue other interests. Auditions were set up and Lee Crystal, formerly of The Boyfriends and Sylvain Sylvain, became the new drummer.^[13] Joan Jett and the Blackhearts then toured throughout the US and built quite a following in New York. Jett and Laguna used their personal savings to press copies of the Joan Jett album and set up their own system of distribution, sometimes selling the albums out of the trunk of Laguna's Cadillac at the end of each concert.^[14] Laguna was unable to keep up with demand for her album. Eventually, old friend and founder of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart, made a joint venture with Laguna and signed Jett to his new label, Boardwalk Records and re-released the Joan Jett album as Bad Reputation. After a year of touring and recording, The Blackhearts recorded a new album entitled I Love Rock 'n' Roll for the label. Ambel was replaced by local guitarist Ricky Byrd during the recording.^[13]

With Byrd on guitar, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts recorded their hit album. The new single was a re-recording of the title track, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which in the first half of 1982 was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in a row.^[15] It is Billboard’s No. 56 song of all time.^[16]

A string of Top 40 hits followed, as well as sellout tours with The Police, Queen, and Aerosmith, among others. She was among the first English-speaking rock acts to appear in Panama and the Dominican Republic.^[17]

After receiving her own MTV New Year's Eve special, Jett beat out a number of contenders to appear in the movie Light of Day with Michael J. Fox. Bruce Springsteen wrote the song "Light of Day" especially for the movie,^[18] and her performance was critically acclaimed.^[19] It was about this time that Ryan and Crystal left the Blackhearts. They were soon replaced by the powerful rhythm section of Thommy Price and Kasim Sulton. Later that year, Jett released Good Music, which featured appearances by The Beach Boys, The Sugarhill Gang and singer Darlene Love.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts became the first rock band to perform a series of shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, breaking the record at the time for the fastest ticket sell-out.^[17] Her next release, Up Your Alley, went multi-platinum and was followed by The Hit List, which was an album consisting of cover songs. During this time, Jett co-wrote the song "House of Fire", which appeared on Alice Cooper's 1989 album Trash.

Her 1991 release Notorious, which featured The Replacements' Paul Westerberg and former Billy Idol bassist Phil Feit, was the last with Sony/CBS as Jett switched to Warner Brothers. A CD single of "Let's Do It" featuring Jett and Westerberg was also released during this time and appeared in the song credits for the movie Tank Girl. In 1993, Jett and Laguna released Flashback, a compilation of various songs on their own Blackheart Records.

Jett produced several bands prior to releasing her debut and her label Blackheart Records released recordings from varied artists such as thrash metal band Metal Church and rapper Big Daddy Kane.

The press touted Jett as the "Godmother of Punk"^[20] and the "Original Riot Grrrl." In 1994, the Blackhearts released the well-received Pure and Simple, which featured tracks written with Babes in Toyland's Kat Bjelland, L7's Donita Sparks and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna.

Later years[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2012)

Joan Jett performing on May 2, 2008.

Jett returned to producing for the band Circus Lupus in 1992 and again, in 1994, for Bikini Kill. This recording was the New Radio EP for which she also played and sang back-up vocals. The Riot Grrrl movement started in the 1990s, with Bikini Kill as a representative band, and many of these women credited Jett as a role model and inspiration.

In 1997 Joan Jett was featured on the We Will Fall: The Iggy Pop Tribute record. She performed a cover of the Johnny O'Keefe song "Wild One" (or "Real Wild Child"). Jett worked with members of the punk band The Gits, whose lead singer and lyricist, Mia Zapata, had been raped and murdered in 1993.^[2] The results of their collaboration was a live LP, Evil Stig and a single, "Bob", whose earnings were contributed to the investigation of Zapata's murder. To this end, the band and Jett appeared on the TV show America's Most Wanted, appealing to the public for information. The case was solved in 2004, when Zapata's murderer, Jesus Mezquia, was brought to trial and convicted.

Jett is a guest artist on Marky Ramone's solo album Start of the Century on the track "Don't Blame Me". She is a guest vocalist on Peaches' album Impeach My Bush on the tracks "Boys Want to Be Her" and "You Love It".

At an October 2001 9/11 benefit in Red Bank, New Jersey,^[21] Jett and Springsteen appeared together on stage for the first time and played "Light Of Day".

In 2004, Jett and Laguna produced "No Apologies" by Warped Tour favorite The Eyeliners, after signing them. Jett also guested on the track "Destroy" and made a cameo appearance in the music video.

In 2005, Jett and Laguna signed punk rockers The Vacancies and produced their second album, A Beat Missing or a Silence Added (reaching the top 20 in CMJ Music Charts) and their third album in 2007, Tantrum. That same year she was recruited by Steven Van Zandt to host her own radio show on Van Zandt's Underground Garage radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. She hosted a four-hour show titled Joan Jett's Radio Revolution, broadcast every Saturday and Sunday. The program moved from Sirius 25 to Sirius 28 shortly before being canceled in June 2008.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, Jett and Laguna celebrated the 25th anniversary of Blackheart Records with a sellout show at Manhattan's Webster Hall.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2006, Joan Jett released her album, Sinner, on her own label, Blackheart Records. To support the album, the band appeared on the 2006 Warped Tour and on a fall 2006 tour with Eagles of Death Metal. Various other bands like Antigone Rising, Valient Thorr, The Vacancies, Throw Rag and Riverboat Gamblers were to have joined the tour for a handful of dates each.

Jett sang a duet with Chase Noles on "Tearstained Letters", a song on the Heart Attacks' 2006 album, Hellbound and Heartless.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts headlined the Albuquerque, New Mexico Freedom Fourth celebration on July 4, 2007, with an estimated crowd of 65,000 in attendance at the annual outdoor event.

In November 2007, Jett and the Blackhearts appeared with Motörhead and Alice Cooper in a UK arena tour; Jett opened eight American shows on Aerosmith's 2007 World Tour.

Following The Dave Clark Five's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, on March 10, 2008, Jett, as part of the ceremony, closed the program with a performance of the DC5's 1964 hit "Bits and Pieces." She was introduced by actor Tom Hanks, who said, "Ladies and gentlemen – at one time, if I had been lucky, one of the most beautiful 'Mrs. Tom Hanks' you can imagine, but I'm not complainin' — Joan Jett!"

Jett and the Blackhearts appeared on several dates of the True Colors Tour 2008.^[22] in the summer of 2008. She opened for Def Leppard in August.

In June 2010, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts opened for Green Day on their UK tour alongside acts such as Frank Turner and Paramore.

The group was the opening act for Aerosmith's September 2010 Canadian tour.^{[citation needed]}

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were part of the lineup for Australia's The Falls Music & Arts Festival, December 29 through January 1, 2010, in Australia.^[23]

Jett was an executive producer for the film The Runaways, which chronicled the Runaways' career. Floria Sigismondi, who directed videos for Marilyn Manson, the White Stripes and David Bowie, wrote and directed. Production of the movie began filming around Twilight's Kristen Stewart's filming schedule, (i.e. of the sequels New Moon and Eclipse). Stewart played Joan Jett in the film. In order to prepare for the role, Stewart met Jett around the 08/09 New Year. In an interview, Stewart revealed that she hoped to be able to sing some of the songs in the film.^[24] The film explores the friendship between Jett and Runaways' lead singer, Cherie Currie, played by Dakota Fanning, and premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival on Jan 24, 2010. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts appeared at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, at Harry-O's, for The Runaways promotion, which was also attended by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.

March 2010 saw the release of a 2-CD Greatest Hits album with four newly re-recorded songs. March 2010 also saw the release of a hardcover biography and picture book, spanning her career from the Runaways to the present day.

Other work[link]

Jett, a sports fan, has remained actively involved in the sports world. Her cover of "Love is All Around" (the theme song of The Mary Tyler Moore Show) was used by the NCAA to promote the Women's Final Four, as well as the song "Unfinished Business" which was never commercially released. "Love Is All Around" went into radio play and became the number one requested song without an existing (support) CD. Jett supplied theme songs for the ESPN X-Games premiere and has contributed music to all their games since. At Cal Ripken Jr.'s request, she sang the national anthem, at the Baltimore Orioles game in which he tied^[25] Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played. The melody for her song "I Hate Myself For Loving You" is used as the theme music for NBC Sunday Night Football with re-worked lyrics and retitled "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night". Jett has also been a consistent supporter of the US Armed Forces, has toured for the USO^[26] for over 20 years, and even played West Point.

Satire and tributes[link]

In 1983, musical satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic released a parody of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" entitled "I Love Rocky Road," changing the singer's passion for rock music with that for ice cream.

The comic strip Bloom County included a character named Tess Turbo; her band was The Blackheads.^{[citation needed]}

Film, stage and television appearances[link]

Jett's first appearance on film is in the 1981 live concert film Urgh! A Music War, performing "Bad Reputation" with the Blackhearts at The Ritz in New York City. She made her acting debut in 1987, co-starring with Gena Rowlands and Michael J. Fox in the Paul Schrader film Light of Day.^[2] She appeared in independent films, including The Sweet Life and Boogie Boy.

In 1997 she appeared on the sitcom Ellen^[27], in the episode Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, performing the title song. In 1992, she was a guest star in "Free Fall", a first season episode of TV's Highlander: The Series.^{[citation needed]}

The 1999 show Freaks and Geeks used the song "Bad Reputation" as the opening theme.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, Jett appeared in the Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Show in the role of Columbia. That same year, Jett appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger as an ex-CIA agent turned assassin hired to kill Walker and Alex.

In 2002, Jett appeared in the film By Hook or by Crook in the role of News Interviewee.

From 2000 to 2003, Jett hosted a showcase of new film and video shorts, Independent Eye,^[28] for Maryland Public Television.

In 2008, Jett made a cameo appearance in Darren Lynn Bousman's rock opera/file Repo! The Genetic Opera as the guitarist in Shilo's room during the piece "Seventeen".^[29] In 2008, she appeared in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Reunion" as a rock and roll talk show host who is murdered.

Politics[link]

Joan Jett promoting PETA in 2010.

Jett supported Howard Dean in the 2004 election because of his position on the War in Iraq.^[30] She has also been a vegetarian for over 20 years^[31] and supports the farm animal welfare group Farm Sanctuary.^[32]

Accolades and awards[link]

• Jett was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in October 2006.^[33]
• In 2003, Jett was named in the Rolling Stone greatest 100 guitarists of all time at number 87.^[34] She was one of only two women in this list, the other being Joni Mitchell at number 72.
• Jett is listed as one of Blender's "hottest women of rock" 21 years after she started The Runaways".^[35]
• Gibson manufactured a signature model of her Melody Maker, a white double cutaway with a zebra humbucker and "kill" toggle switch.^[1] Jett bought her guitar from Eric Carmen, following the breakup of the Raspberries.^[36]
• On September 27, 2011, it was announced that Jett was a nominee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2012; she was ultimately passed over.^[37]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (April 2012)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joan Jett

• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Bad Reputation Nation
• Blackheart Records
• Joan Jett at the Notable Names Database
• Joan Jett at the Internet Movie Database
• Joan Jett at Allmusic

Interviews

• Interview: Joan Jett on Sinner
• Joan Jett Interview on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos
• Joan Jett interview from PETA2
• Joan Jett interview with SPIN
• Joan Jett interview with The Beachcomber
• Crimson and Clover – Joan Jett interview BEAT

This article is in the category American mezzo-sopranos, but no reliable sources are cited to verify its inclusion. Please help by adding references that support its inclusion, or remove the category link if none exist.

This article is in the category American vegans, but no reliable sources are cited to verify its inclusion. Please help by adding references that support its inclusion, or remove the category link if none exist.

This article is in the category Third-wave feminism, but no reliable sources are cited to verify its inclusion. Please help by adding references that support its inclusion, or remove the category link if none exist.