Ticket Insider

The Insider Version of “Whatever Happened To?”

April 10th, 2008 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello all you music fans!

The Ticket Guy and I were talking about bands from the past with members that went on to successful careers, either solo or in other groups. We could have a lot of fun with that one, so for our first installment, how about a little gem from the seventies by the name of The Runaways?

The Runaways were an all female rock band with a heavy punk influence that was formed in 1975 by drummer Sandy West and rhythm guitarist Joan Jett. Bassist Micki Steele was added next and the original incarnation of the band was complete.

The Runaways played in the Los Angeles club scene for a short time until some critical additions were made to the line-up in lead guitarist Lita Ford and lead singer Cherie Currie. Micki Steele decided to leave the band shortly thereafter and was eventually replaced by Jackie Fox.

In 1976 the band signed its first record deal and wasted no time in releasing their debut, The Runaways, the same year. The lead track on the disc was “Cherry Bomb”, which became a moderate hit for the band and is an often covered tune today. The Runaways developed a fierce reputation for their live shows. A year later Queens of Noise was released and the band became an essential component of the punk movement that was beginning to grow in New York.

Bassist Jackie Fox left the band while they were touring in Japan and was replaced by Vicki Blue upon their return to the U.S. The ever-shifting line-up continued when Cherie Curie left the band and Joan Jett, who was sharing vocal duties at the time with Curie, took over lead duties. A fourth album was released at this time, but the rigors of the road and success were taking their toll on the band.

Bassist Vicki Blue left the band next and was replaced by Laurie McAllister, the last change for the group. This version of the band would release their last disc, And Now … The Runaways. The band disbanded in 1979.

So where are members of The Runaways today? Let us look first at the many bass players The Runaways had in their short career.

Laurie McAllister joined another all-girl band, The Orchids, who released a disc in 1980. She no longer performs.

Vicki Blue, now known as Victory Tischler Blue, was in a band with singer Cherie Currie called the Currie-Blue Band, who later appeared in the rock mockumentary This is Spinal Tap. Today she is a film and movie producer, even putting together a documentary on The Runaways entitled Edgeway: A Film About The Runaways.

Jackie Fox went to school at Harvard and became a lawyer. She no longer performs.

Micki Steele enjoyed tremendous post-Runaways music success, joining The Bangles and was a part of the band in their prime.

Vocalist Cherie Currie went into acting for a short period before releasing a solo record in 1978. Today she owns an art gallery in California and occasionally still performs.

Drummer Sandy West got together with Lita Ford to record music, but the project never made its way onto disc. She formed the Sandy West Band afterwards and toured throughout the eighties and nineties. Tragically she developed cancer in 2005, succumbing to the disease in 2006.

Lita Ford enjoyed solo success with the massive Kiss Me Deadly and her duet with Ozzy Osbourne Close My Eyes Forever.

In terms of post-Runaways musical success, Joan Jett has probably enjoyed the most. She has released some fabulous discs in her post-Runaways career, her defining moment being the second disc released by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and the Number One title track hit single. She continues to play today and will be part of the True Colors Tour hosted by fellow eighties female icon Cyndi Lauper.

Who do you think deserves attention next in what could become a great series here on Ticket Insider? Let me know!

The Dust Devil

True Colors Tickets at Ticketmaster http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1204228
True Colors Tickets at TickCo http://www.tickco.com/Concerts/true-colors-tickets.htm
Joan Jett Tour Schedule http://www.pollstar.com/tour/searchall.pl?By=Artist&Content=JOAJET&Key=Y

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