Joan Jett

Joan Jett’s sexuality has remained a big question mark to her fans. Upon asking, she has always given mixed signals. Furthermore, she has not married or dated any men, which has further given rise to speculations about her sexual orientation. Some reports claim she is homosexual, but there has been no confirmation of any such news.

Joan is a “liberal” and strongly opposed the Iraq War. She has also been associated with ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) and has claimed to be a vegetarian for more than 30 years.

Joan Jett was born Joan Marie Larkin in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, on September 22, 1958, to James and Dorothy Jett Larkin. She was the eldest of the three children in her family. Her father worked as an insurance agent, and her mother worked as a secretary. The family attended church regularly, but they were not particularly religious.

Her parents’ divorce had her eliminating her father’s last name from hers. She took her mother’s middle name, “Jett,” to be her official last name. She considered her mother to be her role model and gave her a lot of credit for her own rebellious attitude and artistic inclinations.

Soon, the family moved to Maryland, where Joan started developing a keen interest in music, especially in rock music. She enrolled at ‘Randolph Junior High’ and then at ‘Wheaton High School.’ She got her very first guitar at the age of 14. She wanted to learn music, which had her parents arranging for a music teacher for her. Initially, she followed the instructions of her tutor religiously. However, she quit soon, as the instructor was more inclined toward folk music. * The family’s move to California turned out to be a major career breakthrough for Joan, as that exposed her to a thriving music scene for the first time in her life. Joan hung out a lot at ‘Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco,’ which defined her style of music in the future.

Joan Jett was determined to form a band at the age of 15. The same year, she founded her own band, ‘The Runaways,’ with a few of her female friends. The band was somehow fresh and unique in terms of what was popular in the mainstream music scene at that time. ‘The Runaways’ relied on heavy rock sounds to make listeners feel the same level of aggression that they, young female teenagers of that era, experienced.

In the 70s, disco music had begun rocking everybody, while rock music had not yet found a solid voice. ‘The Runaways’ too did not taste success initially, as most people considered them to be amateur teenagers, screaming about sex, drugs, and rebellion. Their costumes further alienated them from the rest. They wore lingerie and jump suits on stage, which annoyed the audiences, rather than impressing them.

Joan is a “liberal” and strongly opposed the Iraq War. She has also been associated with ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) and has claimed to be a vegetarian for more than 30 years.

In 1977, the band released their sophomore effort, the album ‘Queens of Noise.’ This album too was not very successful in the US. However, Japan welcomed ‘The Runaways’ with open arms once again. The band managed to score three “gold” records in Japan.

The love Japan showered on Joan and her band was reciprocated by the band through their album ‘Live in Japan,’ which was partly dedicated to their Japanese fans. Ironically, the album was the band’s first major success in the US. Dejected by the failure of their albums in the US, Joan moved to England toward the late 70s and also contemplated the possibility of going solo.