Bad Girls Throughout History: 100 Remarkable Women Who Changed the World - Ann Shen (2016)

Joan Jett

Joan Jett (1958-) broke onto the music scene at the age of fifteen with the all-girl pop-punk band the Runaways. They recorded five albums, including one that became one of the biggest-selling imports in U.S. and U.K. history. After they broke up, Jett pursued a solo career but was rejected by twenty-three different labels before becoming one of the first female artists to start and have direct control over her own company, Blackheart Records, in 1980. Jett also formed her own band, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, with which she recorded her most famous cover hit, “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.” Their shows set records at the time for the fastest ticket sellouts. Meanwhile, Jett continued to produce other young punk and riot grrrl bands’ records, like the Germs, Bikini Kill, and L7, earning her the nicknames “the Godmother of Punk” and “the Original Riot Grrrl.”