K E N N Y
L A G U N A
LEGENDARY SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER
BLACKHEART RECORDS
LAGUNA TUNES
LONGTIME MUSICAL PARTNERSHIP
with
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMER
J O A N J E T T
KENNY LAGUNA INTERVIEW
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN IN ITS ENTIRELY
Kenny Laguna has been in the music industry as a musician, songwriter, singer and producer for nearly five decades. His resume is as diverse as his talents, including Bubblegum, Punk Rock, Indie Rock, Blue Eyed Soul and more. He has produced Darlene Love, Bill Medley, Edwin Star, The Steve Gibbons Band (for Bill Curbishley and The Who), Bow Wow Wow-- including the band’s biggest hit, "I Want Candy,” the soundtrack to the Andy Warhol movie Lonesome Cowboys, and he wrote and produced for Beserkley Records with Jonathan Richman and Greg Kihn.
He is Joan Jett’s longtime producer, songwriting partner and partner in their label, Blackheart Records, along with his wife/high school sweetheart, Meryl Laguna, and their daughter, Carianne Brinkman. He has produced many Blackheart artists including Girl in a Coma, Cherie Currie and The Vacancies.
Starting at the tender age of 12 years old, Kenny was playing keyboards for New York radio high school hops, for twenty dollars a day, when he was recognized by an industry bigwig. This led to other doors that Kenny kicked open, and eventually he found himself producing and playing in Bubblegum bands like Tommy James and the Shondells, The Archies, Shadows of Night, 1910 Fruitgum Co., and the Ohio Express.
By 1972, Kenny had played and sung on over 50 Billboard Top 40 hits. After the demise of Bubblegum, he was given the opportunity to produce for The Who’s label in London, which would prime him for the next phase, Punk Rock.
Kenny was asked to help write and produce six songs in 8 days with a young singer named Joan Jett. Her former band, The Runaways, had broken up, but they were still contracted to do a project that was yet unfinished. Kenny and Joan immediately found they were kindred spirits and have collaborated on every Joan Jett album and hit ever since.
In 2015, Kenny, alongside Jett, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He "felt honored to be standing next to his best friend,” accepting the coveted award. After 35 years of creating music together, he and Jett are still touring the world, writing and recording new music.
JOAN JETT
BAD
REPUTATION
The life and career of Joan Jett from her early years ripping it up onstage as the founder and backbone of hard-rock legends The Runaways, to her solo career and the enduring presence as a rock 'n' roll pioneer and mentor.
For more information
about
K e n n y L a g u n a
and
J o a n J e t t
Visit
www.lagunatunes.com Laguna Tunes
www.kennylaguna.com/discography Kenny Laguna discography
www.blackheart.com Blackheart Records
www.joanjett.com Joan Jett official
Joan Jett (1980); re-released as Bad Reputation (1981) [solo]
I Love Rock 'n Roll (1981)
Album (1983)
Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth (1984)
Good Music (1986)
Up Your Alley (1988)
The Hit List (1990) [solo]
Notorious (1991)
Pure and Simple (1994)
Naked (2004)
Sinner (2006)
Unvarnished (2013)
ENTITLED
THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES
SERIES ONE
CHRONICLES, TRUTHS, CONFESSIONS AND WISDOM FROM THE MUSIC LEGENDS THAT SET US FREE
…Order yours today on Hardcover or E-book
at bookbaby.com and amazon.com
Featuring over 45 intimate conversations with some of
the greatest rock legends the world will ever know.
CHRIS SQUIRE... DR. JOHN... GREG LAKE... HENRY MCCULLOUGH... JACK BRUCE … JOE LALA… JOHNNY WINTER... KEITH EMERSON... PAUL KANTNER... RAY THOMAS... RONNIE MONTROSE... TONY JOE WHITE... DAVID CLAYTON-THOMAS… MIKE LOVE... TOMMY ROE... BARRY HAY... CHRIS THOMPSON... JESSE COLIN YOUNG... JOHN KAY... JULIAN LENNON... MARK LINDSAY... MICKY DOLENZ… PETER RIVERA ...TOMMY JAMES… TODD RUNDGREN... DAVE MASON... EDGAR WINTER... FRANK MARINO... GREGG ROLIE... IAN ANDERSON... JIM “DANDY” MANGRUM... JON ANDERSON... LOU GRAMM... MICK BOX... RANDY BACHMAN… ROBIN TROWER... ROGER FISHER... STEVE HACKETT... ANNIE HASLAM… ‘MELANIE’ SAFKA... PETULA CLARK... SUZI QUATRO... COLIN BLUNSTONE… DAVE DAVIES... JIM McCARTY... PETE BEST
THE ROCK STAR CHRONICLES
BOOK TRAILER
BOOK REVIEW
-By Literary Titan (5) STARS
The Rock Star Chronicles, by Ray Shasho, is a splendid book written by a music enthusiast who has poured their heart and soul into it. It’s a story of a boy who loved rock music, and his obsessive passion of it earned himself the name Rock Raymond. He went to school but instead was schooled in all matters of music while his peers were buried chin-deep in coursework. He then became a radio DJ and has now compiled a book on all interviews he held with Rock gods who raided the airwaves back in the 70s and 80s. It’s a compilation of interviews with outstanding vocalists, legendary guitarists and crazy drummers in the rock music scene. Each interview gives a reader an in-depth view into their personal lives and the philosophies that guide their lives which all serve to humanize these great icons. For readers who are old enough to call themselves baby boomers this book will bring old memories back to life. Millennials, on the other hand, may think of this book as a literal work of the Carpool Karaoke show.
The Rock Star Chronicles is a book I didn’t know I was waiting for. To come across a book that will talk me into trying something new. One brave enough to incite me to venture into new frontiers. This book made me a believer- I am now a bona fide Rock and Roll music fan.
Ray Shasho masterfully gets the interviewees talking. He smartly coaxes answers from them with crafty questions designed to get a story rolling out of them. The artists talk about diverse issues ranging from music, politics, and their social engagements. Having been on the music seen all his life, Ray Shasho knows the buttons to press, how to get them comfortable about talking about their lives.
The book’s cover is befitting of its subject matter with the leather look offering a royal background to the golden letter print. It speaks to how high a level rock music holds in the pecking order- arguably, modern music as we know it has originated from blues and rock music. The second noteworthy thing is the use of high definition pictures to reference the musician being interviewed in every sub-chapter. This ensures that the book is for both original rock and roll lovers and aspiring new ones. Together is makes for a refreshing and consistently enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to rock music enthusiasts, aspiring musicians wondering what it takes and all readers curious to learn new things by going back in time.
https://literarytitan.com/2020/05/03/literary-titan-book-awards-may-2020/ Gold Award Winner
