Legendary rock guitarist Lita Ford reveals on The Leona Graham Podcast that Ozzy Osbourne ruined her parents’ Easter dinner when he was invited round to their house:
‘my father asked him if he wanted to cut the lamb. He had an electric knife and Ozzy had just had a bunch of wine before he cut the lamb, and the lamb ended up on the floor underneath the table and my father laughed his ass off.’
She also shared stories of her time in The Runaways with Joan Jett and tells us where it all started for her, as well as her positive experience being a part of the male-dominated music scene in the eighties.
‘You know, I like being with the boys. I really enjoyed working with a lot of male musicians. They really seemed to have my back, you know, whereas a lot of the press and media and record companies and just a lot of other people, they really didn't know what to do with me as a musician. That kind of came last on their checklist for Lita. You know, Lita was sexy. She was beautiful. And then last, she could play guitar.’
A Side.
How old were you when you started playing guitar and what made you start playing?
Oh, it's crazy, you know, I just wanted to play. Nothing really made me wanna start playing. I just wanted to play guitar. I was 11 years old when I first started playing and I asked my mother and father if they would buy me a guitar for Christmas and they brought me back this, you know, cheap, plastic guitar and, you know, I learned everything I could on it. I figured, hey, it's got six strings, you know?
And that was the start for you off and running?
It was the start, yeah.
And who inspired you back then? Which artists inspired you to make music and to strum on the guitar?
Well, I loved, and I still love, Riff Rock. Anything with a really great riff in it. Definitely AC/DC, and of course, you know, Led Zeppelin was huge when I started - this was like 1969 when I first started to play, it wasn't even in the seventies yet. And so, you know, I listened to all my favourite records. And my mother and father had this great big stereo and I would listen to all my favourite guitar solos. I remember learning a lot of Jimmy Page and Deep Purple.
Yeah, I love riffs. In fact, I've got a feature on my radio show called Riff of the Week. So let me ask you, what is your favourite riff?
You know, they change on a regular basis. I listen to a lot of Michael Schenker and he's got some great riffs. Into The Arena is probably one of my favourite riffs.
So that's how you started out as a child, but then you met someone called Kim Fowley, who started The Runaways. Tell us about that.
Well I had been playing for five years when I met Kim Fowley and I was 16 and there was this little local band that was playing in my neighbourhood. And the bass player was a girl and she said she couldn't play that night because her boyfriend wouldn't let her play. So they called me and they said, ‘Lita, can you play bass for us?' And so I thought, ‘well, yeah, I can do this.’ You know, I love to play bass also, not just guitar. So I went down and I played bass for this little band and Kim Fowley heard about me. He heard that I was a bass player, and so he called and said, ‘I'm putting together this band called The Runaways and we need a bass player.’ And I thought, ‘well, that's great, but I'm a guitar player.’ And he said, ‘oh, we need one of them too.’ I was lucky. I got outta my car and drove down to Hollywood from where I lived, which was about an hour away, and auditioned for The Runaways. And at that time it was Sandy West on drums and Joan Jett and then me. So I fit right in. It was pretty cool.
And what was the dynamic in the group? I mean, who did the songwriting? Was it a team effort or was it one person in particular?
You know, Kim Fowley really made the ball go around in that band. He would take Joan into the back room, like we would have like a little side room or something, and he would say, play this and and Kim would sing, ‘do, do do do do do, do, do, do.’ And then Joan would play it and Kim would pretty much - you know, Kim knew what he was doing with the lyrics, with the song titles, with the image of The Runaways. You know, he had a vision. And he knew what the songs were gonna sound like. He knew what the titles were. You know, he really made it all happen for us and he was super creative.
So why did the group split?
Musical differences. You know, we were young and we really didn't even get a chance to think about what kind of music we liked and what did we wanna play and who did we wanna be in our lives. And, you know, there were a lot of drugs involved and management was sort of all over the place and not all of them were great. I mean, I loved Kim Fowley but he left after a while and pawned us girls off on another manager. And, you know, it was just a lot of issues, but really, the bulk of it, I like to say, is musical differences.
And is that why you thought, ‘you know what, I'm just gonna go solo’?
Well, when the band split up, I knew what I wanted to play, I knew what kind of music I wanted to play. By the time The Runaways split up, I thought, well, you know, I need to play like Lita. I need to play my riff rock and do what Lita likes and because now I have a chance to do that, rather than put together another all-girl band - because there was a lot of drama in The Runaways and I really didn't wanna be around it again.
B Side.
You had a very successful solo career through the eighties and nineties. I mean, I'm a big fan of Kiss Me Deadly. What was it like to be in such a male dominated music scene at that time?
You know, I like being with the boys. I really enjoyed working with a lot of male musicians. They really seemed to have my back, you know, whereas a lot of the press and media and record companies and just a lot of other people, they really didn't know what to do with me as a musician. That kind of came last on their checklist for Lita. You know, Lita was sexy. She was beautiful. And then last, she could play guitar. It's like, ‘well, why can't you connect those dots? She's sexy, she's beautiful, and she can play guitar.’ You know, sometimes those things do go hand in hand, but back then in the eighties, it didn't seem to - they didn't seem to get it. But working with male musicians and working with male record producers seemed to save me from all that because they always used to see me. They would see me as a musician and, you know, we would go in and record or sing something or write something and that was it. You know, there was no games or anything like that, it was just always playing with your fellow musicians. There was no drama. I don't know, teenage girls. There's a lot of drama around teenage girls and not just The Runaways, but I gotta think that most parents that have teenage girls could probably say, ‘yeah, Lita, you're right about that.’
Yes, mine are in their twenties and they haven't changed. Talking of working with the boys, you did a duet with Ozzy Osborne in the late eighties. What was that like?
Yeah, well there might have been a bit of drama around him.
I bet there was actually. What was he like to work with?
He's super talented. He was an amazing talent. And, you know, when he and I wrote Close My Eyes Forever together, that was the one thing you really had to focus on was the talent. And the ability to write a great song, get in the studio and record it. And that was tremendous. I mean, a lot of people have their opinions of Ozzy and, you know, mine - I like to remember him is a great talent because he was.
How does today's rock scene and touring compare to back then, and what is the current status of rock and roll in your view?
Well, I mean, a lot has changed. But you know, I like to think the only thing that really hasn't changed is me. I'm still the same, even though the world has changed and the cost of living has gone up, and no, you can't do this, and yes, you can do that. And it's just like, God, I mean, the old days, you know, we never had too many of those problems. We would just throw everything on a plane and go and play these shows. And the rules weren't as tight as they are now, but it's really nothing to do with the music industry itself. It's everything around it. So I'm grateful that I can still be Lita and I can still be badass and I still have a kick ass band and we can be together as a team and go out and kick ass. Not let the effects of the world get to us.
It sounds like you really, you know, love what you do, and you wouldn't wanna change that at all.
I'm grateful, I love my job. I'm just really grateful. I'm grateful, I’m healthy and still rocking.
Bonus tracks.
First record you bought?
I think it was The Monkees, with Davy Jones and, ‘Hey, hey, we're the monkees.’ They had the best songs on that record and The Monkees were so cute. And I think - I wanna try and remember - but I think I also had Who's Next? That was such an amazing record. It still is. It holds up in time.
First moment you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I always knew. From the minute I wanted a guitar, I just thought, well, I like this. But I have to say, the real moment I knew was - I was 13. My cousin Paul took me to a Black Sabbath concert in Long Beach, California. At the Long Beach Arena, I think it was about 15,000 people. It was packed, sold out. The room was full of smoke and of course Black Sabbath on stage. Wow. And I looked around and, you know, they're playing all their dark tunes. You know, I mean, this was like 1972, right. 1972 went to my first concert and I got there and I thought, ‘wow, this is what I wanna do.’
I think that would've changed everyone. I mean, that sounds awesome.
It definitely changed my life.
First time you got in trouble.
I don't know. I mean, my parents were amazing, so I never really was in too much trouble with them, you know? I don't know how my parents put up with a a lot of things, you know, bringing Ozzy home for Easter dinner and Judas Priest used to come over in their semis and after the shows.
What happened when he brought Ozzy home for dinner? What did they say?
Oh, my father asked him if he wanted to cut the lamb. He had an electric knife and Ozzy had just had a bunch of wine before he cut the lamb, and the lamb ended up on the floor underneath the table and my father laughed his ass off. He just stood there and watched Ozzy.
So you, let me get this straight. Your dad gave Ozzy Osborn an electric carving knife and asked him to cut the lamb, and he thought this was a normal thing to do, and it ended up on the floor? I just can't believe that. So they didn't mind about the lamb. I mean, what did you do? Did you just pick it up and wash it down or did you chuck it?
No. My mother put some fish on the barbecue.
You just started again?
Yeah, she just made something else and Ozzy said, ‘it’s alright, I don't eat lamb anyway.’ And I thought ‘well, I do!’ I mean, I would've eaten it anyway, I don't care. But, you know, my mother, she wasn't gonna have that.
And you said you had other musicians come to the house?
Yeah. You know, Nikki was a friend of the family and my mother loved Nikki, and she knew Tony Iommi. She knew Glen Tipton.
And did Tony Iommi come around as well then?
Yeah.
God, I'd love to have been at your dinner table, I bet that was great.
I know it.
If you could collaborate with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
Well, I always wanted to play Jimi Hendrix's guitars, even though he's left-handed, I think he strung them right-handed, and he was such a unique individual. I would've liked to tried on some of his clothes. You know, those leather jackets he used to wear with all the fringe hanging. Just to hang out with him and play with him and play in his clothes and stuff, you know? And I love Mick Jagger. You know, who doesn't? Or maybe one day I will put together another all-girl band.
Oh, I’d love that. I'll come be just a super fan and follow you round. I'll take the photos.
Okay, sounds like a plan.
Best city in the world?
I mean, I’m London born.
Oh yes, so have you got fond memories of London?
I do. I have a lot of fond memories.
What age did you leave?
Oh, when we came from London to the United States, I was four years old because the photograph on my passport was me when I was four years old. And I remember using that as long as I could. I mean, I think I was in The Runaways and finally they said to me, ‘Lita, you can't use this passport anymore. You're only four years old.’ But, you know, of course I've been back to London multiple times and been back with The Runaways and then been back with Lita and we were there in 2025. We played with Vixen at the O2. And, you know, we plan on coming back in 2026.
We'll definitely be up for that. What sort of month? A bit later on in the year?
Probably in the summer.
Well we look forward to that. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Well, I used to stay up all night until the sun came up, and then I would go to bed, like, ‘oh no, the sun's coming up,’ like a vampire. Yeah. But now living in Arizona, in the summer it's very, very hot here. And so you have to go to bed early and get up early before the sun comes up, so you can have those few hours of morning time where that intense heat doesn't kick in yet. I like to go out on my bike. I ride my bicycle and I ride through the mountains and stuff, but you gotta do it early morning.
That sounds nice, I’d love that. Most underrated musician or band?
I don't know, maybe me. Yeah. As an underrated musician. Like, ‘oh, that's great, who played that guitar?’ I'm like, ‘well, who the hell do you think played it?’ ‘That's a nice solo on Close My Eyes Forever, who played it?’ What?! Come here, let me slap you.
Favourite song by The Runaways?
Cherry Bomb. We play it almost at every show, and the audience loves it. The fans love it. I've got fond memories of it. It's been in different movies and soundtracks and I mean, how can it not be, you know, our favourite song. I still have the guitar that I used in The Runaways days. We still play that live too.
