On April 6, Ford will be performing at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. “The tour has been brutal,” she acknowledged. “The blizzard came in, and we got snowed in and we had to fly through it. So much for Easter. The shows were amazing,” she exclaimed.
She continued, “I love Penn’s Peak. Thank God for that show. We don’t have to go back into the cold, which is going to be nice. We have a great show, so please come down and see us. We’ve got just a few tickets left. Check out the band and myself, and you won’t be sorry. It will be a great Friday night.”
Her signature song, “Kiss Me Deadly” has been a “ride.” “The song has gone through so much. It was originally banned since I said ‘didn’t get laid,’ during PMRC days. Dee Snider and Frank Zappa fought for the right to say these words, since parents were complaining. We had to put sensory stickers on everything,” she said. “The song ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ is fun to play. It is an explosive song live.”
On her plans for the future, she said, “We have a single that is a surprise for the fans, which is really cool. It will be out on 4th of July and it is bad to the bone, and I am really proud of it. It’s a cover tune. It is going to hit home with a lot of people.”
Each day, Lita Ford is motivated by “rock and roll” and “work.” “I love it,” she said. The hardest part of her job as a musician involves the travel, especially driving and flying through blizzards. “That sucks,” she admitted.
The rock queen is excited about her own guitars, Lita Ford Guitars. “I have a company that we just started, and they are amazing. They are hand-made guitars from real wood, and it’s a copy of the original Runaways guitars from the ’70s. These guitars are the real deal,” she said.
For aspiring rocks, Ford said, “Do it. Make it happen. Listen to your favorite guitar players and try and learn their parts. Then, make it your own solo, or instrumental part. Learn from your idols, that way, you end up playing what you want.”
Guitar Player Magazine honored Ford as “The First Lady of Rock Guitar” in 2017, and the same year, Ford accepted the “Icon Award” at the 2017 She Rocks Awards. “It was really an honor. I am officially rock royalty,” she said, with a sweet laugh.
She revealed that her dreams have been fulfilled, her only goal is to get her kids back from her ex-husband. “My life would be complete after that,” she said. “Success gives you something to go to your grave with. It gives you a reason to keep going, and to keep doing what you are doing.”
Digital transformation of music
On the impact of technology on the music business, Ford said, “I don’t like social media for selling music. It’s nice to be able to grab a song, but some people are not set up to hear the song properly. You would put a record on a record player, which was made to play music. Some people listen to music on their laptop or iPhone or computer, but if you don’t have proper speakers or headphones, it doesn’t sound that good. Spotify takes the materialistic part away from buying a record or buying a CD. You can’t hold it in your hand, open it and look at it and have it, but you can hear it.”
For her dedicated fans, she concluded, “My fans are absolutely the best.”
To learn more about veteran rock star Lita Ford, check out her official Facebook page, and her website.
