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JOAN JETT
AND THE BLACKHEARTS
Sat.,
July 20th
Joan Jett
is an originator, an innovator, and a
visionary. As the leader of the
hard-rocking Blackhearts, she's had
eight platinum and gold albums and nine
Top 40 singles, including the classics
"Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock "n" Roll"
"I Hate Myself For Loving You", and
""Crimson and Clover". She sits at the
head of her own independent label,
Blackheart Records. Jett has acted in
movies and television, including 1987's
Light of Day and in a Tony-nominated
Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Show.
She has appeared on such acclaimed
television shows as Oprah (the last
season) and Law and Order.
As a
producer, she has overseen albums by
Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, as well as
Germs' LA punk masterpiece, GI.
Her
music has become a permanent force in
mainstream culture. Faith Hill sings "I
Hate Myself for Loving You" as the theme
for NBC's Sunday Night Football, and her
music is heard in countless films and TV
shows including Easy A, Kick Ass, The
Runaways, Shrek, Baby Mama, and many
more.
Since
co-founding the Runaways, the pioneering
all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett's
determination and drive have kept her in
the public eye. Jett was able to see her
story told in The Runaways, the film
based on (lead singer of The Runaways)
Cherie Currie's book Neon Angel starring
Kristen Stewart as Jett, and her fellow
A-lister Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett
was close to the project: She served as
an executive producer.
The
two discs of the Greatest Hits set,
meanwhile, present twenty blazing tracks
from Jett's three-decade-plus career.
It's a comprehensive look at one of
rock's most iconic figures. Of course,
the hits collection was released through
Jett's own Blackheart Records, a label
she founded with long time songwriting
partner and producer Kenny Laguna, in
1980 - which made her the first femaile
artist to own and operate an independent
record company.
Blackheart Records is currently home to
such up-and-coming groups as San
Antonio-based female threesome Girl in A
Coma (Both Before I'm Gone, Trio B.C.,
Adventures in Coverland) and Los
Angeles' pop-punk trio the Dollyrots
(Because I'm Awesome, A Little Messed
Up). The label continues to add new
artists to its roster.
Jett
and the Blackhearts continuously tour
across the globe to throngs of adoring
fans. Joan Jett has spent her lifetime
breaking barriers and challenging
expectations - this is, after all, a
woman who is both a spokesperson for
PETA and a devloted supporter of the US
Military. She's fought hard for all of
her historic accomplishments, yet she
remains humble and appreciative.
"I've
had a blessed career," she says. "I
consider myself so lucky to have been
able to do things my own way."
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