Royal concert: Queen of Metal Lita Ford plays Pittsburg

Dec. 8—A royal excursion featuring the Queen of Metal will make a stop on Saturday in Pittsburg, Kansas. Singer and guitarist Lita Ford will perform in concert at Kansas Crossing Casino, bringing her blistering guitar talent to the stage.

Ford earned the title "Queen of Metal" from her success in the hair-band era. She was the most prominent and successful female solo artist of the era, earning gold records and Grammy nominations.

But her career started with a legendary rock band.

Ford was the guitarist of The Runaways, an all-women rock band that performed from 1975 to '79. The band also featured guitarist Joan Jett, singer Cherie Currie, drummer Sandy West and bassist Jackie Fox.

While the band earned critical support, it never caught on in the U.S., getting looped in as part of a growing punk movement. The band caught fire overseas, however, with "Cherry Bomb," "Queens of Noise" and "Hollywood" charting.

The Runaways broke up in '79 over musical directions: Ford and West were still interested in playing hard rock and heavy metal, while Jett was more interested in punk and glam rock. The split led to successful careers for both Ford and Jett — Ford in '82 launched a solo career that put her bold voice and guitar proficiency in the spotlight.

After two albums, Ford hired Sharon Osbourne as a manager and broke through with a more radio-friendly style. The first album from that pairing was 1988's "Lita," her best-selling album. The self-produced album spawned her most commercially successful song "Close My Eyes Forever," a duet with Ozzy Osbourne that reached No. 8 on Billboard's U.S. Hot 100.

Combined with "Kiss Me Deadly," "Falling In and Out of Love" and "Back to the Cave," the album was certified platinum.

Ford has released eight solo studio albums in her career, her newest one being 2012's "Living Like a Runaway." After she returned from a long hiatus between 1995 and 2008, she has continually toured, with previous appearances at Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Her current touring band features guitarist Patrick Kennison, bassist Marten Andersson and drummer Bobby Rock. In previous shows she has performed a handful of covers from other rock and metal legends, and has also performed the Runaways' "Cherry Bomb."

Follow Digital Editor Joe Hadsall on Twitter at @JoeHadsall.