Joan Jett - Wonderful Woman No. 84

Joan Jett - Born 1958
American Musician, Singer, Songwriter and Actress

Added to the album by Julie, A Wonderful Woman

I have written a lot about singers and songwriters that have meant a lot to me, that have been like old friends through their music. If I am honest, Joan Jett is not one of those women. It is not that I don't believe her to be wonderful... rock just isn't my thing. This is why I love that so many people have contributed the names of women they have been influenced by to the album. It makes writing it really interesting and I hope the broad range of women included makes viewing the album more interesting too.

I feel that this is a good time again to say thank you to Julie and to everyone who has shared women they have been in wonder of. I am really happy that you have.

Having read about Joan Jett since her name was suggested I am clear that she is indeed a very wonderful woman.

Joan was a founding member of the American Rock band The Runaways, with whom she recorded five albums and toured internationally. Joan played lead guitar and shared vocals until the final two albums, on which she was the lead.

From 1979, Joan began a solo career and released two albums. She went on to form Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, the band with whom she has enjoyed most success. In 1982, their single I Love Rock 'N' Roll reached Number 1 in the American billboard charts and remained at the top of the chart for seven weeks. The band continued to have chart success and released eight studio albums. Last year, it was announced that Joan would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Joan has been for many years the icon of the female rocker. Her image never overtly feminine, she stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her male counterparts, refusing to let her gender be an issue or even discussed. She is the ballsy lead singer of a rock band, just like Axl Rose, Brett Michaels or Steve Tyler, her femininity has never got in the way of that.

She adheres both to rock tradition and breaks with it -- she plays classic three-chord rock & roll, yet she also loves the trashy elements of it as well, and she plays with a defiant sneer.
MTV

In addition to her career as a musician, Joan has also worked as an actress on stage in productions such as The Rocky Horror Show, on television on shows like Law and Order and she appeared in the feature film By Hook or By Crook.

I feel under-qualified to write about a rock goddess but what I know of rock is that it seems to be a world dominated by men, the fact that this women threw the doors open on that world, held her own and stood as an equal makes her pretty darn wonderful in my eyes. Better way to say it? - She Rocks!

When people said to me, "Girls can't play rock 'n' roll," I'm like, What are you saying? Girls can't master the instrument? I'm in class with girls playing cello, violin, piano, Beethoven, Bach. You're telling me they can't play guitar?
Joan Jett