The Runaways

Often dismissed during their existence as a crass marketing gimmick, the Runaways have grown in stature over the years as the first all-female band to make an impression playing loud, straight-up, guitar-driven rock & roll. Since all of the members were teenagers (some were still learning to play when they debuted), the band's music was frequently raw and amateurish, but it neatly combined heavy metal and junkshop glam with the newly emerging sound of punk rock. Promoter and manager Kim Fowley's insistence on a sleazy jailbait image for the group made it easy for the press to ...