Roni Lee

Roni Lee (born Rhonda Lee Ryckman, November 15, 1956 in Los Angeles,California) is an American guitarist, and singer-songwriter. She is most associated with her affiliation with Kim Fowley's first mixed gender punk rock band Venus and the Razorblades as the female lead guitarist and vocalist. Her relationship with producer and creator Kim Fowley led to co-writing The Runaways hit "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are"^[1] released on the Live In Japan^[2] album in 1977 winning the Recording Industry Association of Japan Gold Record. Roni Lee, Kim Fowley, and the members of the Runaways Joan Jett,^[3] Lita Ford are all part of a movement that led the way in the music industry for women in rock. The Woman's International Music Network founded by Laura B. Whitmore gives credit to these pioneers, a genre that was once dominated mostly by men.^[4]

After Venus and The Razorblades disbanded, Lee collaborated and performed with Randy California and Ed Cassidy (Spirit) as well as Mars Bonfire and Jerry Edmonton (Steppenwolf) from 1977 to 1978.^[5] After spending time recording and performing on the East Coast, Midwest and Montreal, Canada, Lee formed her first power trio and moved to Seattle, Washington and signed a recording contract with Mushroom Records (Canada) but the company went bankrupt when vice president and creative director Shelly Siegel died in 1979.

Later career[edit]

The Runaways was released in 2009 and starred Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett. The Runaways film depicts the formation of the band in 1975 and focuses on the relationship between Currie and Jett until Currie's departure from the band. The film grossed about $4.7 million worldwide and received generally favorable reviews from critics. The Fowley/Lee song, "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are", is a running theme during the film.

In 2013, Lee was granted an endorsement with Paul Reed Smith guitars for her distinctive style of playing as well as her place in punk rock's early history during the 1970s ^[6] She also holds an endorsement with Soldano Custom Amplification.

She has played on numerous gospel, funk and rock albums as well as her own recordings. Her current original rock album "Heroes" was self-produced and co-produced by Warren Huart. It was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders Studios in Hollywood with Lynn Sorensen on bass and drummer Kenny Aronoff.

Discography[edit]

LP[edit]

1978 Songs from the Sunshine Jungle Visa / US
1978 Songs from the Sunshine Jungle Ariola / Benelux
1978 Songs from the Sunshine Jungle Spark / UK
1978 Songs from the Sunshine Jungle Mercury / Scandinavia
1978 Songs from the Sunshine Jungle Orange / Italy
1996 Songs from the Sunshine Jungle Plus See For Miles / UK

12"[edit]

Introducing Roni Lee EP / Canada

Singles[edit]

1977 I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are Spark / Italy
1977 I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are Spark / UK
1977 Punk A Rama Bomp/ US
1977 Punk A Rama Spark / UK
1978 Finer Things / Big City Visa /US
1978 Workin Girl / Midnight Spark /UK

Albums[edit]

2015 Heroes

With bands

2011 - Queen Divas of The Universe - All Wrapped Up In Christmas - feat - Laurie Beebe Lewis Shaaron Schuemaker - (Remnant Records 91262-5)

Compilations[edit]

1978 Best of Bomp Volume 1 Bomp / US Punk A Rama
1979 Best of Bomp Volume 1 Line / Germany Punk A Rama
1979 Vampires from Outer Space Bomp / US Outside World
1979 Vampires from Outer Space Line / Germany Outside World
1980 Kim Fowley’s Hollywood Confidential GNP Crescendo / US Beach is Burning
1981 Kim Fowley’s Hollywood Confidential Music Box / Greece Beach is Burning

Television and On Screen[edit]

2009 The Runaways Movie "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are" (Roni Lee/Kim Fowley)
2015 Defiance TV Series Season 3 Episode 12 "Mama's Got Her Groove Back"

Books about Roni Lee[edit]

Band Together by Bradley Zink ^[7]
Band Together:The Legends by bradley Zink ^[8]

References[edit]

↑ "The Runaways - Live In Japan". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
↑ Greg Renoff. "How Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go Was Saved by Punk Rock and New Wave". Medium.
↑ Varga, George. "Sounds Like San Diego to salute songs". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
↑ "Roni Lee Archives - the WiMN - The Women's International Music Network". thewimn.com Front And Center September 9, 2013.
↑ "Roni Lee". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
↑ "Roni Lee". prsguitars.com.
↑ Zink, Bradley. "Band Together". Barnes and Noble.
↑ Zink, Bradley. "Band Together: The Legends". Barnes and Noble.

External links[edit]

This article "Roni Lee" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Roni Lee. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

[1] "The Runaways - Live In Japan". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-03-22.

[2] Greg Renoff. "How Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go Was Saved by Punk Rock and New Wave". Medium.

[3] Varga, George. "Sounds Like San Diego to salute songs". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.

[4] "Roni Lee Archives - the WiMN - The Women's International Music Network". thewimn.com Front And Center September 9, 2013.

[5] "Roni Lee". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.

[6] "Roni Lee". prsguitars.com.

[7] Zink, Bradley. "Band Together". Barnes and Noble.

[8] Zink, Bradley. "Band Together: The Legends". Barnes and Noble.

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