Career
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" released on the Live In Japan album in 1977 winning the Recording Industry Association of Japan Gold Record. The Woman"s International Music Network founded by Laura B. Whitmore gives cr to these pioneers, a genre that was once dominated mostly by mentor
After Venus and The Razorblades disbanded, Roni collaborated and performed with Randy California and Editor Cassidy (Spirit (band)) as well as Mars Bonfire and Jerry Edmonton (Steppenwolf (band) from 1977 to 1978.
After spending time recording and performing on the East Coast, Midwest and Montreal, Canada, Roni 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. In 2009 The Runaways (film)The Runaways was released.
The film depicts how difficult the music industry was during that era for women. The groundbreaking lyrics of the Fowley/Lee song "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are" is a running theme during the film and Roni Lee and is listed in the credits at the end of the film for her music contribution.
In 2013 Roni 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 She has been an invited guest to perform at the Los Angeles NAMM Show since 2012.
In 2014 "The Roni Lee Group" was nominated for "Best Hard Rock Band" at the San Diego Music Awards. Her current band is a Power trio consisting of bassist/violinist Lynn Sorensen, former bassist for Paul Rodgers and Bad Company and drummer Jeff Kathan. She has recorded on numerous gospel, funk and rock albums as well as her own recordings.
Her current original rock album "Heroes" was produced by Warren Huart and recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders Studios in Hollywood with Lynn Sorensen on bass and drummer Kenny Aronoff.