The bright and daring singer Lita Ford is not in vain called the explosive blonde of the rock scene, not afraid to show her age. She is young at heart, not going to subside over the years. The diva has firmly taken its place on the rock and roll Olympus. A significant role is played by the fact that she is a woman, recognized in this genre by male colleagues.
The childhood of the future fatal star Lita Ford
Lita (Carmelita Rosanna Ford) was born in the UK on September 19, 1958. The hometown of the future artist is London. Her genealogical roots are an explosive mixture - her mother is half British and Italian, her father is of Mexican and American blood.
The parents met during World War II. When the girl was 4 years old, the family decided to move to the United States, settling in Long Beach (California).
At the age of 11, Lita received her first guitar from her parents. It was a simple instrument with nylon strings. The girl has long been interested in "strong" music. She began to learn to play the instrument on her own.
Parents encouraged this activity, sometimes they forced her to continue training when her daughter was lazy. Thanks to the guitar, the girl was brought up with perseverance and the desire for success.
A major turnaround for Lita Ford's career
At the age of 13, Lita got to a real concert. The choice was the performance of the Black Sabbath group, which impressed the young lady so much that she wanted to seriously take up music. Lita earned her first money by helping the workers at St. Mary's Hospital. For $450, the girl bought the first real chocolate-colored Gibson SG guitar.
Lita began to study with a teacher, but quickly abandoned the courses. She did not stop training, but continued to learn her favorite rock parts on her own, trying to imitate her favorite performers. In her school years, the girl played the bass guitar in a group created together with classmates. The guys performed at parties.
Lita Ford: First success with The Runways
The success of the young artist was obvious. She has achieved amazing finger work on the strings, which is not always noticeable in adult male guitarists. Once Lita replaced a friend from another group at a performance at a club. It was at this moment that Kim Fowley noticed the girl. He was just thinking about the creation of a female group of a fatal direction. So Lita ended up in the group The Runways.
The girl's parents approved the choice of profession. She quickly settled into the team, but soon left the group. The reason was the strange attitude of the producer towards the participants. He humiliated the merits of the girls, stimulating them to move forward. Lita had a hard time withstanding such antics.
She could not be out of the team for a long time, Kim Foley, subdued by the girl's talent, pacified his character, asked her to return. The team released five albums, but did not gain the expected popularity in the United States. After the world tour, the group became very popular in Japan. In 1979, the team broke up. Lita found herself in "free swimming".
The beginning of the solo career of singer Lita Ford
Lita did not despair of being successful. She did not look for a place for herself in another group, but decided to perform solo. For this, the artist needed to tighten her vocals. She studied hard, soon began to perfectly combine playing the guitar and singing. Lita recorded her debut solo album Out For Blood in 1983 at Mercury Studios.
The label was not imbued with the work of the singing guitarist, did not invest in the "promotion" of the disc. Ford didn't give up. A year later, the artist returned to the studio to record a new album. Dancin' on the Edge appealed to audiences in the UK. Thanks to this, Lita decided on a world tour. The next solo album, Bride Wore Black, was rejected by Mercury, refusing to release it.
The artist immediately signed a contract with RCA Records. In 1988, under their wing, Ford released the record Lita. For the first time, her song Kiss Me Deadly hit the American charts. This opened the way for her to further develop her career.
Achieving Success Lita Ford
The turning point in the career path of the rising star was the acquaintance with Sharon Osbourne. She became the artist's manager. It was Sharon who helped secure a contract with a new recording studio. Soon Lita Ford recorded a duet with Ozzy Osbourne. The song Close My Eyes Forever was a real "breakthrough". After that, the artist, along with the groups Poison, Bon Jovi went on tour. She performed at the best venues in the world with recognized stars.
In 1990, Lita recorded her fourth solo album, Stiletto. The album was not successful, but made it into the top 20 best albums in the US. In the next three years, the artist released three more albums with RCA Records. After that, there was a grandiose tour of America and New Zealand. In 1995, Black was released on a small German studio ZYX Music. On this active creative activity of the star ended.
In parallel with music, Lita starred in an episode of the film Highway to Hell. She participated in the recording of the soundtrack for the television versions of the film "Robot Cop". The rock star has often appeared on the Howie show and also participated in the Howard Stern programs.
Lita's personal life
Rotating in certain circles, the artist led a far from righteous lifestyle. In her life there were many novels. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee are bright celebrity partners. In 1990, Lita Ford married Chris Holmes, the famous guitarist of the band WASP.
She tried to limit the dissolute lifestyle of her husband, but this did not work. The man continued to abuse alcoholic beverages, actively attend parties, start random intrigues.
In 1991, the marriage broke up. The woman decided to conclude the next union with a man only after 5 years. The ex-vocalist of the Nitro group became the chosen one. Married to James Gillett, two sons were born. With the advent of children, the woman completely changed her behavior. She became an exemplary mother and wife.
Activity in the present
Despite a significant break in his creative life, the rock star did not leave music. In 2000, she recorded a live album. For a short time, together with her husband, Lita created the group Rumble Culture. In 2009, the album Wicked Wonderland was released. Lita Ford has released an autobiographical book. She often appeared on television shows.
