The year was 1980; I was but a sophomore in high school, and we were just getting to hear new music that was part of the MTV generation. Bands like DEVO, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, and Oingo Boingo were featured on the airwaves at the World Famous KROQ.
We would tune in most afternoons and listen to Jed the Fish to tell us who the next big band would be. It didn’t take long for us to all discover former Runaways bandmember, Joan Jett!
The album being featured was her studio debut, “Bad Reputation.” That album was life changing for so many teens in 1980.
Songs that made us all want to hear more of Ms. Jett were “Do You Wanna (Touch),” “Make Believe,” “Wooly Bully,” “Shout,” “Summertime Blues,” and the title song, “Bad Reputation.” That album jump started her already notable persona, but more was to come.
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The very next year, Jett solidified her sound with The Blackhearts as her band, and out came the album that put a stamp on her coolness – the era-defining album, “I Love Rock and Roll.” It was home to two legit mega-hits.
First off was a number one on Billboard, another Jett cover, “I Love Rock and Roll.” The next massive hit was a Tommy James and the Shondells cover, which did extremely well with teens who had no idea who Tommy James was. The song that educated us all was “Crimson and Clover.”
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Since then, Jett and her Blackhearts have gone on to put out hit after hit after hit.
The band had become such a lightning rod and radio and video stream favorite they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Their Hall of Fame worthy catalog includes classics, “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” “Everyday People,” “Long Live the Night,” “Dirty Deeds,” Creedence’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” “Fake Friends” and their latest, “I’m Gonna (Run Away).”
With all these great songs in tow, the incomparable Joan Jett and her Blackhearts will be touring North America this summer.
The tour kicks off April 18th in Utica, and zigzags across the continent. Other stops are the places you would expect: Miami, Nashville, Alpharetta, Austin, Fort Worth, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Seattle, and in SoCal, you can catch Jett in San Diego at North Island Credit Union Amp on September 23rd, then five dates at the Kia Forum on June 13th, 14th, 18th, 20th and 21st!
Tickets are now on sale. Seriously, get out and see a living legend and see why we all love rock and roll with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
