Lita Ford

Lita Ford

Lita Ford is a hard rock singer and guitarist from London, United States. Born in 1958, she moves with her family to the United States while still very young and has Italian heritage. She begins playing guitar at the age of 11 and later becomes known for her lead guitar work and vocals.

Early career

In 1976, at 17, she is one of the founding members of The Runaways, the teenage all-female hard rock band. She plays lead guitar in the group, which folds in 1979. After that, she starts a solo career.

Solo work

Ford’s early solo albums, Out for Blood and Dancin' on the Edge, are relatively successful. Her guitar playing is widely respected, both in The Runaways and as a solo artist. Her style combines hard rock with glam, glam metal, metal, punk rock and rock.

During the second half of the 1980s, her commercial peak comes with Lita, her most successful album. It is produced by Mike Chapman and managed by Sharon Osbourne. The album includes her first commercial hit, “Kiss Me Deadly”, which reaches number 12, and the duet with Ozzy Osbourne, “Close My Eyes Forever”, which becomes a Top Ten single for both artists.

Recognition and later work

In 1985, Ford is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance for “Gotta Let Go”, alongside Wendy O. Williams and Pia Zadora. Her planned follow-up to Dancin' on the Edge, The Bride Wore Black, is abandoned and not released when she moves from Mercury Records to RCA Records.

She is associated with The Runaways and The Lita Ford Band, and her releases also appear on Lisabella Music.