Six-String Queen Lita Ford is a guitarist who is often heralded as one of the founding females recognised for their axe-wielding talent. She’s one of the youngest living legends in Rock ‘n’ Roll and is celebrating four decades of music. The great passion for guitar, talent, and charisma led Lita Ford through the competitive road of show business, from the early 1970s, when she was the lead guitarist of The Runaway, through the years of her significant solo career in the 1980s, and finally to the proven title ‘Queen Of Rock’!

One of her biggest successes was scored in 1988 with the spicy, riff-heavy album ‘Lita’, featuring hits like ‘Kiss Me Deadly’, ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ and ‘Falling In and Out of Love’, a song co-written by Nikki Sixx of Motley Criie. In April 2016, she released an album of songs recorded in the 1980s, the heyday of her career. The same year, she released a new autobiography as well, “Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir”. The book is on the market and grabs readers with its candid confessions and spicy scenes from the wildlife of famous rock musicians during the 1980s.

Lita Ford is one of the Top 10 female guitar players of all time who received the award ‘Best Female Guitarist’ of 1989 and also a Grammy Award Nomination – ‘Best Rock Vocal Performance-Female’! SLASH says: “Lita Ford is the coolest and most Rock n Roll female guitarist I ever heard. No guitarist – male or female – ever looked better with a Gibson Explorer than Lita!” Today we’d like to bring to your attention this interview with the legendary Rock Queen LITA FORD! The following interview is taken exclusively for Rock Arena. Enjoy it!

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– Hello, Lita and welcome to Rock Arena! We are happy to have such an amazing musician and a beautiful rock lady like you by our side! You started to play guitar at 11 but with the singing coming later, who are some of your musical influences?

♦Lita Ford: Hi guys, thank you! I am not a singer as much as I am a guitarist. The guitar came naturally to me. My heroes are people like Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix. Singing was a challenge for me. I had to study and take lessons. But my favourite singer is Mick Jagger for his attitude. He could sing the newspaper and it would sound cool.

– Your first real guitar?

♦Lita Ford: My first real guitar was a Chocolate Gibson SG. I used it in The Runaways. Then switched to a Hamer Standard.

– Would you ever consider reuniting with The Runaways?

♦Lita Ford: It would be a dream come true, now would be good timing in the music industry, too.

– Your last solo album, “Time Capsule” (2016) is a great selection of quality songs and a unique sound from the glorious era of the late 80s. What’s your message there?

♦Lita Ford: These are from what some may have called “the glory days”‘! This record is a dedication to all the brilliant musicians who came from the 80’s and those who were too young to live through the 80’s. A celebration of the brilliant musicians that were in their prime.

– This album was released, among the most gifted musicians as Billy Sheehan, Rodger Carter, Dave Navarro, Jeff Scott Soto, Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander and Gene Simmons. And bout the songs – were they recorded in the 80s?

♦Lita Ford: Yes, the songs were recorded in the 80’s. They were shelved back then until recently uncovered and rediscovered. These musicians just so happen to fall into place on this record. We weren’t looking for any celebrities at the time of recording. It wasn’t meant to be an all-star record. They just so happen to be in the right place at the right time for the recordings. They were happy to play on the record and I am truly blessed to have them on it.

– ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ is one of the best rock ballads ever, can you share some memories about the creation process of this song?

♦Lita Ford: ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ was a song Ozzy and I wrote while Ozzy and Sharon were visiting me at the recording studio during the ‘Lita’ album. Ozzy and I had some drinks and we started to play pool. Sharon got bored and she left. We ended up writing riffs in a little room off to the side of the studio. When the sun came up the next morning, Sharon called to see if Ozzy was coming home. But I was too drunk to drive, so he had to take a taxi. I remember that Sharon wasn’t too pleased with either of us.

– What was the first record you ever bought and the first concert you ever went to?

♦Lita Ford: Black Sabbath in 1972! The first album was ‘Who’s Next’ by The Who.

– Your autobiography, “Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir”, is a simply amazing read, where can everyone get your book?

♦Lita Ford: The book is called ‘Living Like a Runaway’ just like the album released in 2012. Harper Collins put it out, so any good bookstore will have it. Amazon has it as well.

– ‘The Bitch Is Back’ (2013), what meaning have you coded between the lines?

♦Lita Ford: We released an album in 2013 called ‘The Bitch Is Back’. A song written by Sir Elton John. It seemed so suitable for me after being gone for 15 years. It was released as the title track of a live album.

– Thank you for taking the time out for this interview, Lita! Are we gonna see you in the UK soon?

♦Lita Ford: We are all so very excited to come to the UK and melt some faces. Plus, it’s my home. My birthplace in which I am still a British citizen. Thank you so much for the interview.

More information at:
http://litafordonline.com
www.facebook.com/litaofficial/

Editor: Toni Rock
Reporter: Jorgen Rasmusson