Lita Ford

Lita Rossana Ford was born on September 19, 1958, in London, England, to a British father and an Italian mother. Her family relocated to the United States, eventually settling in Long Beach, California, during her second grade. Inspired by Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Ford began playing the guitar at the age of 11. Her musical journey officially began in 1975 when, at 16, she was recruited by impresario Kim Fowley to join the all-female rock band, The Runaways. The band quickly secured a recording contract and released their debut album in 1976. Ford’s lead-guitar work became a defining characteristic of the band’s sound throughout their active years.

The Runaways experienced significant media attention and achieved success as a touring and recording act in the late 1970s. Internal conflicts, stemming from differing musical directions—Joan Jett favoring a punk rock sound while Ford and Sandy West preferred the band’s established hard rock style—led to the band’s dissolution in April 1979. Following the breakup of The Runaways, Ford pursued a solo career, signing with Mercury Records in 1982. Her debut solo album, “Out for Blood,” released in 1983, did not achieve commercial success. However, her subsequent album, “Dancin’ on the Edge” (1984), saw moderate success, leading to an increase in her public profile. The single “Fire in My Heart” from this album reached the Top 10 in several international markets.

Ford’s career reached its commercial peak in the late 1980s after she signed with RCA Records and adopted a more pop-metal sound under Sharon Osbourne Management. Her 1988 album, “Lita,” became her most commercially successful, featuring singles such as “Kiss Me Deadly” and “Close My Eyes Forever.” The duet “Close My Eyes Forever” with Ozzy Osbourne was particularly successful, reaching No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100. She followed this with “Stiletto” (1990) and “Dangerous Curves” (1991), which included the charting single “Shot of Poison.” After a lengthy hiatus focused on family, Ford returned to music in 2008, releasing “Wicked Wonderland” in 2009 and “Living Like a Runaway” in 2012, the latter receiving critical acclaim for回归到 her earlier style.