Lita Ford Biography

Lita Ford (born Carmelita Rossana Ford on September 19, 1958) is an American rock musician and vocalist who rose to prominence as the lead guitarist for The Runaways and as a successful solo artist. She joined the all-female rock band The Runaways in 1975, when she was 16 years old, and played lead guitar for them. In 1976, they signed a record contract and released their debut album. It didn't take long for the all-girl formation to get the attention of the media. Ford's guitar abilities made her a driving force in the band and a constant member from the time she joined until the band's disbandment. Disagreements erupted inside the band in 1979, after producer Kim Fowley, lead vocalist Cherie Currie, and bassist Jackie Fox had left. Joan Jett, the rhythm guitarist, wanted the band to play more Ramones-influenced punk music, but Ford and drummer Sandy West wanted to keep playing hard rock tunes. The band eventually disbanded that year when neither side was able to reach an agreement. Ford embarked on a solo career when the trio disbanded in 1979. Her debut solo album, "Out for Blood," was released in 1983, and the title track single failed to chart. Her second album, "Dancin' on the Edge," had a minor hit in 1984. It featured the track "Fire In My Heart," which charted in numerous countries but not in the United States. "Gotta Let Go," Ford's second single, became one of his biggest hits, hitting #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs list. For the following four years, Ford traveled extensively and made many guest appearances on television shows, but no albums were released. Ford's follow-up to "Dancin' On The Edge," titled "The Bride Wore Black," was shelved and never released due to her dissatisfaction with the album's production, which irritated the head of her record label, prompting Ford to transfer from Mercury Records to RCA Records. When Ford returned, the lighter pop-metal she had always favored had broken through to mainstream audiences, paving the way for her most commercially successful album, "Lita," released in 1988. The album contained four commercial singles, including "Kiss Me Deadly," "Back To The Cave," "Close My Eyes Forever," and "Falling In And Out Of Love," which were all produced by Sharon Osbourne. Sharon's lone Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart hit was the ballad "Close My Eyes Forever," a duet with Sharon's husband Ozzy Osbourne, which peaked at #8. "Stiletto," her next album, was released in 1990. The singles "Hungry" and "Lisa" were included. This album, however, did not have the same level of popularity as “Dancin' On The Edge” and “Lita.” Ford's next album, "Dangerous Curves," was released in 1991 and contained her last charting song, "Shot Of Poison." Ford's next album, "Black," was released by ZYX Records in 1995. It didn't have the same success as "Dangerous Curves." Ford and her new solo band, Kiss Me Deadly, did numerous warm-up shows in the New York City region in June 2008. With a new line-up of Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal on guitar, Dennis Leeflang on drums, PJ Farley on bass, and Michael T. Ross on keyboards, she resumed touring the United States and Europe in June 2009. JLRG Entertainment published Ford's latest album "Wicked Wonderland" in 2009.

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