Pop Culture | Music | 70s
Almost 40 Years Later, The Runaways Are Still Our Wild Girls
One of the biggest and most prolific all-female rock bands of all time, The Runaways were a massive influence on rock music in general, back in the 70s. Formed in late 1975, the group would release four studio albums in the span of four years, before ultimately splitting up in 1979.
Despite this short-lived career, the band released songs that would stay popular for decades, including hits like "Cherry Bomb," "Queens of Noise" and "Hollywood." We still love their music, but have you ever wondered where the girls ended up? Find out right here!
Laurie McAllister - Bass (1978 - 1979)
The last member to join the band before their breakup, McAllister went on to play with The Orchids, before retiring from music entirely and beginning a career as a veterinary technician. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2011 due to complications from an asthma attack at the age of 54.
Vicki Blue - Bass (1977 - 1978)
After leaving The Runaways, Blue shifted her focus to working as a producer and director for several films and TV shows, including Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. She even worked on a documentary about The Runaways in 2004, Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways, which won several awards!
Jackie Fox - Guitar/Bass (1975 - 1977)
Fox (real last name Fuchs) went on to become an entertainment lawyer and celebrity photographer. She also regularly contributes to several cat care blogs, and appeared as a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2013.
On a darker note, she made headlines 2015 for going public with the fact that during the band's heyday, she was sexually assaulted by their manager, Kim Fowley, on New Year's Eve in 1975. These allegations were backed by Runaways singer Cherie Currie.
Micki Steele - Bass/Vocals (1975)
Steele joined fellow all-girl rock group The Bangles in 1980, and went on to have several hit songs with them, like "Manic Monday," "Walk Like An Egpytian," and "Eternal Flame." She continues to perform live to this day!
Up next is the info on all of the band's most iconic members...
Lita Ford - Guitar (1975 - 1979)
Ford continued as a solo artist throughout the 80s, releasing several albums and even performing with Ozzy Osbourne, whose wife Sharon was Ford's manager. She began writing and performing new material in the late 2000s, but lately is best known for her very tumultuous divorce from Nitro singer Jim Gillette, who (along with their two sons) claims that Ford was physically and emotionally abusive towards her entire family.
Sandy West - Drums (1975 - 1979)
West continued to work as a musician throughout the 80s and 90s, working alongside people like The Who bassist John Entwistle and even former bandmates Lita Ford and Cherie Currie. She later became a drum teacher, but unfortunately passed away in 2006 after battling lung cancer for a full year.
Cherie Currie - Vocals (1975 - 1979)
The signature "Wild Girl" of the group thanks to her intense performances and equally intense outfits, Currie continued her music career into the 1980s with a solo album and a duet album with her sister Marie. She also appeared in several movies, including Foxes alongside Jodie Foster.
Currie still performs, but currently focuses on her new main passion; chainsaw carving. That's right, you read that correctly. She even has her own gallery in California where she shows off her creations!
Joan Jett - Vocals/Guitar (1975 - 1979)
By far the most iconic performer to come from The Runaways, Jett found immense success through the 80s both as a solo artist, and with her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. She's performed some pretty iconic songs, including "Bad Reputation' and her cover of The Arrows's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," and sold millions of albums worldwide, three of which either went Gold or Platinum.
She continues to perform live to this day, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.