1980s

Jan Kuehnemund

Was there anything more glam-metal in the 1980s than Vixen? At the helm, wielding the neck of her guitar to conduct the band like a baton conducts an orchestra, was the remarkable – the raw and ruinous – Jan Kuehnemund.

To say Kuehnemund had a gift would be an understatement. Her relentless command of the electric guitar made her thrilling performances seem effortless. Onstage, she cherishes her guitar – she makes love to it, clutching it in her hands like it’s the most precious thing in the world to her. It’s that passion – that unabashed devotion to the thing you might call her soulmate – that got so many people hooked on the vibrant, vicarious nature of Vixen.

Kuehnemund’s solos told a story. Her guitar sang of the loves and losses, ambitions and disappointments that Vixen’s music set out to say. Vixen paved the way for women in a largely male-dominated ‘80s rock scene; they made musicians out of girls when many were considered groupies, and they blazed the way for some hellish attitudes in years to come. Vixen signed with EMI and generated over half a million sales from their self-titled debut, featuring the seminal “Edge Of A Broken Heart”.

Sadly, Kuehnemund passed away in 2013 from cancer, aged just 59. But her legacy remains in her astounding discography under the Vixen moniker – always wild, always free.

Lita Ford

Referred to by RollingStone as “heavy metal’s leading female rocker”, Lita Ford earned that ascription in the 1980s for her palatable pop-metal distinctions and glam-tinged heavy metal melodies. Making her mark as lead guitarist for the first all-girl rock outfit Runaways in the 1970s, it was Ford’s solo career that marked her success and perpetuity.

A pioneer of girls on guitars, Ford favoured B.C. Rich guitars back in the day. She frequently put to rest the doubts of naysayers who weren’t encouraged by her ambitious attitude. With her crank on the gain and a powerfully developed style, Ford’s impression on music over the years has been undeniably feminist, kicking the door down for modern contemporaries like Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale. For a real juicy hit of Ford’s talent, have a listen to “Back To The Cave”. Simply wild.

Of course, you’ll know Ford for that accidental hit song, “Close My Eyes Forever” – a duet with none other than Ozzy Osbourne. But it’s the calibre of releases like 1984’s Dancin’ On The Edge and her self-titled release in 1988 – featuring very particular howls and raspy rhythmic foundations in her guitar work – that made Ford a hair-metal staple.

Playing as hard as her male contemporaries in her heyday, Ford eventually took an extended hiatus to raise a family – however, these days she’s back and as dynamic as ever. It’s not unusual to see Ford still at it, still touring and still rocking her heart out.