Joan Jett

Joan Jett started playing guitar in Philadelphia when she was 14. She formed The Runaways in 1975, but that band broke up a few years later. In 1980, she put together Joan Jett & the Blackhearts with Kenny Laguna on guitar, Gary Ryan on bass, and Lee Crystal on drums.

Their cover of The Arrows' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" became a massive hit in 1981. That song, along with tracks like "Cherry Bomb" and "Real Wild Child," helped define their sound, straightforward rock with a raw edge. They kept releasing albums through the 1980s, including "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and "Up Your Alley."

Jett's music often had an unpolished, direct quality that appealed to listeners who wanted something less polished than mainstream rock radio. She worked within a genre that was mostly male at the time, but her approach was more about getting the song across than making a statement.