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DARK SECRETS: Lita ford - The Real Truth

Joan Jett on the end of The Runaways – and why she nearly gave up on a solo career: “I was devastated. My dream was over. I felt we had failed”

When the trailblazing band called it quits in April 1979, it felt like a huge blow to Jett – so much so that she even considered quitting music altogether and joining the military

Guitar World

“Eddie Van Halen came over and yelled at me for not doing anything”: Lita Ford on how Eddie Van Halen encouraged her to kickstart her solo career after The Runaways

The guitarist had taken a break from the rockstar life and started working at a department store when Van Halen came knocking

Guitar World

“I was auditioning guitar players. One guy comes in with that turquoise guitar. I looked at it and I thought, ‘That’s my guitar’”: Lita Ford had her prized B.C. Rich Mockingbird stolen – but crossed paths with it in the most bizarre circumstances

Ford was briefly reacquainted with her beloved Mockingbird when an auditionee rocked up to her studio with her stolen guitar

Guitar World

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“I never segued from that SG. It just doesn’t happen. It’s like an old pair of jeans”: Why Lita Ford is still partial to her Runaways-era Gibson SG – despite wielding B.C. Rich guitars for decades

Ford may now be associated with the B.C. Rich brand, but she still looks back fondly on the SG that kickstarted her career

Guitar World

Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon played disgusting pranks after rows

The Runaways star Lita Ford has remembered her late pal Ozzy Osbourne and the pranks he would play with his wife Sharon - revealing the couple would often poop in each other's shoes after they had a falling out.

BANG Premier

“They labeled us as teenage jailbait or punk rock. Just give me my guitar. I just wanted to play”: Lita Ford reflects on The Runaways and why people didn't know what to make of the pioneering band

Ford recalls how, back then, she was working hard to carve her own playing style and path, without “trying to copy any other guitarists – not even my favourite, Ritchie Blackmore”

Guitar World

"It's okay to be a good-looking girl and to be able to sing your arse off": Lita Ford's upcoming shows might be a girl's night out, but boys are welcome too

Former Runaways guitarist Lita Ford gears up for shows with Vixen and at the top of a Welsh mountain

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“Idon’t even think he had a pick. He just heard the tracks once and was ready to go”: Ricky Warwick on welcoming Lita Ford, Charlie Starr and Billy Diffy to vintage guitar nirvana for his new solo album – and the magic of seventh chords

The Thin Lizzy and former Almighty man's Blood Ties is packed with signature chord voicings and guest spots from his friends – and even though Ford only sings on it, she brought her Hamer to the party

Guitar World

“He says, ‘Isn’t this a great guitar? I bought it off some guy on the street for 350 bucks’”: How Lita Ford reacted when she came face-to-face with her stolen B.C. Rich Mockingbird – and the only amp she ever returned

The rock icon talks all things gear, like that time she lied about her age so she could earn money for an SG, Neal Moser's badass B.C. Rich custom jobs, and why she returned a Kerry King Marshall

Guitar World

10 songs we need to hear at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's farewell gig

Back To The Beginning is set to be the world's biggest celebration of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. We're hoping these songs will be part of it

Metal Hammer

Ford was briefly reacquainted with her beloved Mockingbird when an auditionee rocked up to her studio with her stolen guitar

Guitar World

“The one core thing about metal is that rebellious nature. You’re allowed to be yourself no matter what side of the spectrum you are”: How Halestorm went from teenage rockers to globe-conquering metal stars

Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale has been addicted to rock’n’roll since she was a kid

Metal Hammer

From Beyoncé to Black Sabbath: the hottest concert tickets to snap up right now

With blockbuster tours, iconic reunions, and indie darlings hitting the stage, here are 10 must-see shows to book now before they sell out

Evening Standard

"A dream turned reality": Those Damn Crows confirmed for headline slot at Steelhouse Festival

Welsh rockers Those Damn Crows will join W.A.S.P, The Wildhearts, Lita Ford and more at the 'festival up a mountain'

Louder

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The best new rock songs you need to hear right now

Including Starcrawler, Myles Kennedy, Beth Hart and five other possible headliners of Woodstock 2029

Metal Hammer

Nancy Wilson, Lita Ford, Nita Strauss and more to head up women-only Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp

Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp announce their third annual female-only camp

Guitar World

Nancy Wilson, Nita Strauss, Lita Ford and more to head up women-only Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp

Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp announce the details of their third annual women-only camp

Louder

"I could have been paralyzed. I'm not exaggerating": Cherie Currie reveals how Rush almost ended her musical career

Former Runaways star Cherie Currie warms up for her upcoming European tour by dishing the dirt on her least favourite Canadians

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Guitar World

“I was watching my best friend get eaten alive by heroin. It was amazing how far gone he was, physically, but he was still able to play the shows”: Failure’s Ken Andrews looks back on the fraught creation of 1996 cosmic epic, Fantastic Planet

Fantastic Planet was recorded at a time when substance abuse was tearing them apart and their record label folded. Now Andrews can look back with a bit of perspective on an artistic triumph that's given them a second life

Guitar World

“Our first show with Van Halen, he was playing a red ES-335. I thought he was a very good player, but not unique. He evolved leaps and bounds”: Rusty Anderson on his session journey – from supporting Van Halen to joining Paul McCartney’s band

The Gibson signature artist on why a rack makes most sense on tour, his approach to session work from Elton John to the Bangles, and how to keep feeling challenged with solo work

Louder

"It was more of a struggle to stay alive than it was to continue to the band": How Failure found themselves at odds with everyone

Influential alt.rock trio Failure were tipped for stardom, but imploded in a haze of drugs and exasperation

Guitar World

“Going to see an all-girl rock group, one has to bring a mixture of condescension and paranoia. What if they are good?” New study reveals how female guitarists have been denied credibility in the music press for over 60 years

A new research study examines the marginalization of female players in the music press

Guitar World

“B.C. Rich guitars were God back then. They weren’t like a Strat or a Les Paul – they were something different. They had so much power”: Lita Ford on her trailblazing guitar journey – and that time she nearly joined Led Zeppelin

Ever since she lied about her age to save for her first electric guitar, Lita Ford has been all about lead and leading. She looks back at life-changing encounters with Tony Iommi and Ritchie Blackmore, and explains why Kemper profiling is like “putting a Rolls Royce into a Volkswagen body”

Metal Hammer

New vocalists lasted five minutes and founder members quit amid the chaos: 1984 was an awful year for Black Sabbath, and by its end they were almost obliterated

Molotov cocktails and member mayhem: The chaotic story of Black Sabbabth's worst year

Guitar World

“I thought, ‘He’s got to be joking,’ because John Paul Jones is God on bass, as far as I’m concerned”: How Lita Ford almost ended up joining Led Zeppelin – on bass

In the early '70s, Jones was poised to take a step back from his role as the band's bassist – and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant eyed up The Runaways lead guitarist as a potential successor

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