Little Kids Rock will honor Joan Jett at the 6th annual Little Kids Rock Benefit on October 23 in New York.
Joining Joan at the event will be Steve Van Zandt, founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and an original principal cast member of The Sopranos, as well as Guitar Center CEO Mike Pratt.
The annual Little Kids Rock Benefit is the nation’s premier annual benefit event supporting music education in public schools, and has been Little Kids Rock’s largest fundraising event each year since 2009. That year, Clarence Clemons was honored for his devotion to helping Little Kids Rock build a world, via music, where children can lead rich, purposeful lives. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised, dozens of musical luminaries have come out to support, and hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren have received the transformational gift of music education.
Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, she’s had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics “Bad Reputation,” “I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” and “Crimson and Clover.” She sits at the head of her own independent label, Blackheart Records. Jett has acted in movies and television, including 1987’s Light Of Day, and in a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Show. She has appeared on such acclaimed television shows as Oprah (the last season) and Law and Order.
As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, as well as the Germs’ LA punk masterpiece, GI.
Her music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. A version of “I Hate Myself for Loving You” has been NBC’s Sunday Night Football, performed this past season by Carrie Underwood, and her music is heard in countless films and TV shows including Easy – A, The Runaways, Shrek, Baby Mama, and many more.
Since co-founding the Runaways, the pioneering all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett’s determination and drive have kept her in the public eye. Jett was able to see her story told in The Runaways, the film based on (lead singer of The Runaways) Cherie Currie’s book Neon Angel starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and her fellow A-lister Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project: She served as an executive producer.
Jett and the Blackhearts released their latest record, ‘Unvarnished,’ last year and continue touring the globe to throngs of adoring fans.
Joan Jett has spent her lifetime breaking barriers and challenging expectations – this is, after all, a woman who is both a spokesperson for PETA and a devoted supporter of the US Military. She’s fought hard for all of her historic accomplishments, yet she remains humble and appreciative.
“I’ve had a blessed career,” she says. “I consider myself so lucky to have been able to do things my own way.”
The event will feature an auction that includes the chance to join Setve and Maureen Van Zandt for dinner, as well as a Fender Strat signed by John Mayer.
The Gala takes place on October 23 at the Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center, 311 W 34th St, NYC. More info can be found [“here”:
