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Sandy West Biography

sandy-west
  • Born: July 10, 1959 in Long Beach, CA
  • Years Active: 1970s
  • Member of: The Runaways
  • Genre: Rock & Alternative

Drummer Sandy West co-founded the groundbreaking all-female hard rock band the Runaways in tandem with her friend Joan Jett. Born Sandy Pesavento in Long Beach, CA on July 10, 1959, West mostly grew up in nearby Huntington Beach, and started playing the drums at age 9. She remained with the Runaways throughout their 1975-1979 existence, and by all accounts never quite got over the band's breakup. Initially, she and Runaways guitarist Lita Ford attempted to form another project, which fell through when the duo failed to find compatible musicians. West subsequently formed the Sandy West Band and issued one solo EP titled The Beat Is Back. She continued to gig locally throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, but unlike Jett, Ford, or singer (and future actress) Cherie Currie, she never managed to parlay her Runaways notoriety into a full-time career. This was due in part to her battles with drug and alcohol addiction, which took their toll on her ability to make a living. In the 2004 Runaways documentary Edgeplay, West talked about trying to make ends meet through construction jobs, and alluded to a time spent as a money collector for drug dealers. Although she reunited with Currie and Jackie Fox for a one-off concert in 1994, the full-fledged Runaways reunion she'd hoped for never came together. In a tragic end to West's already sad post-Runaways story, she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2005, and succumbed to the disease on October 21, 2006., Rovi

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