On Thursday, August 1, Joan Jett will be the first female artist to receive the “Elmer Valentine Award” at the Sunset Strip Music Festival. West Hollywood, California, has also declared August 1 as “Joan Jett Day” to celebrate!
As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, Jett has 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.” Jett was recently able to see her story told in The Runaways, a film based on (lead singer of The Runaways) Cherie Currie’s book Neon Angel and starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project, serving as an Executive Producer.
This marks the sixth installment of the award ceremony and the Sunset Strip Music Festival, which celebrates the music and icons that have made an impact on the legacy of The Strip. The event debuted in 2008 with the recognition of Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri and Elmer Valentine, founders of cornerstone Sunset Strip venues The Roxy Theatre, Rainbow Bar & Grill and Whisky A Go-Go. In 2009, Ozzy Osbourne received the “Elmer Valentine Award,” which was thusly named after the passing of original honoree Valentine. The 2010 award went to Slash, in 2011 Mötley Crüe was recognized, and in 2012 The Doors were celebrated.
Joan has also been immortalized on one of the art guitars in Gibson’s GuitarTown exhibit. The exhibit will be on display August 3rd during SSMF, and then the guitars will be moved to the boulevard for everyone to see.
Gibson Guitartown on the Sunset Strip unveiled its third installment of art guitars last Wednesday, at Hornburg Land Rover showroom on 9176 Sunset boulevard.
The public art exhibit featured 10-foot tall art guitar sculptures celebrating artists and musicians who have influenced The Sunset Strip. The current selection includes works celebrating 2013 Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) honoree Joan Jett, Janis Joplin, Love, ZZ Top, Alice Cooper and Debbie Harry.
As in previous years, the 2013 Gibson GuitarTown art guitars will be auctioned for charity at the end of their “tour.” Proceeds from the auction will benefit Music For Relief, the nonprofit organization Linkin Park founded to support disaster relief, provide aid to survivors of natural disasters and support the prevention of such disasters via environmental programs.
Read more HERE for more info and the full list of guitars.
Tsipi Mani is a multi-media painter and sculptor with skills working in oils, clay, acrylic, bronze, aluminum and steel. Her paintings and statues fill her home and can be seen in a Beverly Hills gallery, as well as in a few commercial buildings in West Hollywood.
Every day is Joan Jett Day!
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New Joan Jett album OCTOBER 2013; first single AUGUST 2013!
I love Rock’n Roll 🎶🎵🎼 …congrats Joan Jett!!!