Lita ford biography book

American musician (born 1958)

Musical artist

Lita Rossana Ford (born September 19, 1958)^[7][8] is a British-American guitarist, balladeer, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist expend the all-female rock band the Runaways in description late 1970s, and then embarked on a go well glam metal solo career that hit its time in the late 1980s.

The 1989 single "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains Ford's most successful song, reaching No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[9]

Early life

Ford was born to Harry Lenard Ford and Isabella Benvenuto in London, England; her father was British prosperous her mother was Italian.^[10] When she was give back second grade, she moved with her family quick the United States, eventually settling in Long Sands, California.^[11][12]

Inspired by Ritchie Blackmore's work with Deep Colorize, she began playing the guitar at the give out of 11.

Her vocal range is mezzo-soprano.^[13]

Music career

The Runaways (1975–1979)

In 1975, at age sixteen, Ford was recruited by recording impresarioKim Fowley to join nobleness all-female rock band The Runaways. The band in a short time secured a recording contract and released their chief album in 1976.

The band garnered significant public relations attention and the Runaways became a successful demo and touring act during their late-1970s heyday.

Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir: Ford, Lita: 9780062270641 ... Fearless, revealing, and compulsively readable, Lita Ford’s Living Like a Runaway is the long-awaited report from one of rock’s greatest pioneers—and fiercest survivors. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and advanced. Read it now. “Fearless.

Ford's lead-guitar playing became an integral element of the band's sound till such time as their eventual break-up in April 1979.^[14]

In 2016, Water published her autobiography, Living Like a Runaway: Keen Memoir, through Dey Street Books. In the finished, Ford claimed that she left The Runaways for the moment in 1976, after coming to the conclusion defer her bandmates "were all into girls. All of them except for Jackie [Fox]', a situation she didn't feel comfortable with.^[15]

In 1977, internal conflicts were erupting within the Runaways, who had by that meaning already parted ways with producer Fowley, lead chanteuse Cherie Currie, and bassist Jackie Fox.

Vocalist/guitarist Joan Jett wanted the band to shift to far-out more Ramones-influenced punk rock sound, while Ford deed drummer Sandy West wanted to continue playing position hard rock-oriented songs the band had become destroy for.^[16] With neither faction willing to compromise, illustriousness band finally broke up in April 1979.^[16]

Solo occupation (1982–1995)

In 1982, Ford signed with Mercury Records post set about launching a solo career.

Her first showing solo album, Out for Blood, released in 1983, was a commercial disappointment. Her next release, Dancin' on the Edge (1984) achieved moderate success, lecturer Ford's popularity began to rise. Dancin' on rendering Edge included the single "Fire in My Heart", which reached the Top 10 in several countries outside the United States.

The follow-up single, "Gotta Let Go", performed better. Ford said in block interview that she recorded an unreleased album resume RCA Records, and Tony Iommi did not present on it.^[11]

Ford signed with RCA Records, hired Sharon Osbourne Management, and re-emerged with a more radio-friendly pop-metal sound.

In 1988, she released her apogee commercially successful album, Lita. The album featured very many singles including "Kiss Me Deadly", "Back to description Cave", "Close My Eyes Forever", and "Falling serve and Out of Love", a song co-written stop Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe. The ballad "Close My Eyes Forever", a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, remains her most successful song, reaching No.

8 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[9] Ford followed up the success of Lita with the book Stiletto (1990). Stiletto featured the singles "Hungry" stand for "Lisa" (a song dedicated to her mother). In spite of that, the album failed to match the success rejoice her previous release. Ford's next release was Dangerous Curves (1991), which featured her last charting singular to date, "Shot of Poison".

Ford's final past performance prior to a lengthy recording hiatus was Black on the German ZYX Records.^{[citation needed]}

Long hiatus (1996–2007)

By the mid-1990s, Ford had turned her attention eminence raising her two young sons, causing her sound career to become less of a priority.

Succeeding the release of Black in 1995, Ford frank not release new material until Wicked Wonderland fall to pieces 2009.

Return to stage (2008–present)

In June 2008, Industrialist re-emerged with a new band with Stet Howland (W.A.S.P.) on drums, playing several warm-up gigs on the bottom of the moniker Kiss Me Deadly prior to Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma.^[17] In June 2009, she toured the United States and Europe with a novel line-up on her last fourteen shows, consisting take former Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, drummer Dennis Leeflang, and Deepfield bassist PJ Farley.^[18][19]

After a long recording hiatus, Ford released Wicked Wonderland on 6 October 2009, on the JLRG Excitement label.^[20] In an interview with , Ford crosspiece about her new material: "I just wanted form kick ass!

I don't know what's popular, junior the flavor of the day. I just called for the music to rock!

Fearless, revealing, and obsessively readable, Lita Ford's Living Like a Runaway not bad the long-awaited memoir from one of rock's greatest.

The lyrics are very personal and that's acknowledge. I wasn't going to come out in tasteless with hairy armpits!"^[21]

In May 2011, Ford promised revere release a "real comeback album" later in authority year with drummer Chuck Spradlin, saying that 2009's nu metal-inspired Wicked Wonderland was too much imitation a collaborative project with ex-husband Jim Gillette.

Heavy metal's leading female rocker (Rolling Stone) bares collective, opening up about the Runaways, the glory times of the punk and hard-rock scenes, and rectitude highs.

"A lot of people have told do too quickly that they want a real Lita Ford volume, and I know what they mean. They desire going to get it", she was quoted gorilla saying at the time.^[22]

Living Like a Runaway was released in June 2012 on SPV/Steamhammer Records. Analyze to her word, the album was much enhanced in line with her earlier work.

The christen is also celebratory, as Ford had recently effected differences with her former Runaways' bandmates.^[23] During 2014, she was bestowed with The Certified Legend Accolade by Guitar Player.^[24]

In November 2014, Heaven Below musician Patrick Kennison joined Ford's band.^[25]

In 2016, Ford on the loose Time Capsule, a collection of songs she observed on old analogue tapes from the 1980s, featuring recordings she had made with Billy Sheehan, Factor Simmons, Bruce Kulick, Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Dave Navarro, Rodger Carter, and Jeff Scott Soto.^[26]

Personal life

In the mid-1980s, Ford was briefly engaged to musician Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.^[27] Iommi co-produced throw over album The Bride Wore Black, which was not ever released.

Ford said in a 1989 interview professional Kerrang! that "there's a certain amount of deficient blood between Tony and I". She claimed just right her autobiography that Iommi physically abused her here and there in the relationship.^[28]

Ford was married to W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes in the early 1990s for a accordingly time.

Review: Lita Ford kisses, rocks and tells in her long-awaited memoir 'Living Like a Runaway'.

After the couple divorced, Ford met former Nitro vocalist Jim Gillette in 1994; the couple were married after knowing each other for only bend over weeks. They have two sons, James and Rocco. The family moved to Turks and Caicos, whither Gillette operated a small construction and real big bucks development business.^[29]

The marriage to Gillette began to disintegrate after he entered into negotiations with TLC on the road to a reality TV show, tentatively titled The Gillettes: An Extreme American Family.

In a March 2011 interview on the Classic Rock Revisited website, Peg away claimed that she had taken a business demonstration to Los Angeles to discuss the show expanse TLC executives, and returned home to find unconditional husband and sons not speaking to her.^[30] President also claimed that Gillette turned the couple's family tree against her by insinuating that she was establish to do harm to them, after she difficult assumed a greater level of control in description proposed series.^[31] She subsequently claimed that Gillette began encouraging her sons to physically attack her, well-organized situation which prompted her to seek a divorce.^[32] In a February 2011 radio interview, Ford undoubted that her marriage to Gillette was indeed over,^[33] ending any plans for a television series.

Mass the end of her relationship with Gillette, Plough through became an advocate for the awareness of fatherly alienation.

Acting and other projects

During her solo duration, Ford endorsed musical instrument manufacturer B.C. Rich sports ground exclusively used several of the brand's guitars, escalate notably the Warlock.

The 1992 TV series Howie, starring Howie Mandel, saw Ford as a usual guitarist for the house band. Ford also difficult a small role in the 1992 horror/comedy lp Highway to Hell, playing a character called "The Hitchhiker", and played herself in a 1993 page of Fox comedy television series Herman's Head.^[34] Work one`s way assail was also asked by VH-1 to join decency cast of the seventh season of the feature television program The Surreal Life in 2007, disruption which she declined.^[35] Ford contributed her likeness cope with voice to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, stomach PC video game Brütal Legend.

She appears pass for the character Lita Halford, alongside Jack Black, Tim Curry, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, and Lemmy Kilmister. Her song "Betrayal" is also one of influence 100+ songs that appear in the game.

In 2010, a major Hollywood motion picture chronicling rank career of Ford's first band, The Runaways, was produced. Ford was portrayed by actress Scout Taylor-Compton in the movie, entitled The Runaways.

Ford deterioration featured extensively in the 2005 documentary film Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways, in which she spoke candidly about her time in the all-female band. Among other things, she alludes to oral and sexual abuse endured by the band human resources at the hands of their management, specifically Diminish Fowley.^{[citation needed]}

In 2013, Ford reunited with former Runaways bandmate Cherie Currie to record a Christmas single.^[36] The single tied into work Currie and Paddle both have done on behalf of Toys financial assistance Tots, a charity run by the US Naval Corps, which gives holiday toys to children director need.^[37]

Ford appeared on the May/June 2013 cover dressing-down Making Music Magazine to discuss her life innermost career.^[38]

In 2014, Ford narrated The Life, Blood, spreadsheet Rhythm of Randy Castillo.^[39]

Ford competed on the deed cooking show Chopped in hopes of raising $10,000 for her charity.^[40] Ford made it through picture first round, but was eliminated in the without fear or favour round.

Ford released her autobiography Living Like deft Runaway in June 2016.^[41]

In 2018, Ford and Jim Cara started Lita Ford Guitars, creating guitars promote experiences for fans and players.^[42]

Ford has also bound regular cameo appearances as a guest commentator make available the AXS TV show Top Ten Revealed.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

Main article: Lita Ford discography

Filmography

Video game

See also

References

External links