Sandy West
As the powerhouse drummer and co-founder of The Runaways, she smashed the drum kit for a generation of girls who wanted to rock.
1959–2006 (age 47)·American rock musician·Birthday: July 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Sandy West wasn't just a drummer; she was the engine room of a rock and roll revolution. As a teenager in mid-70s California, she co-founded The Runaways with Joan Jett, providing the thunderous, unwavering beat that gave the all-girl band its formidable backbone. More than a musician, West was a true believer in the band's mission, her enthusiasm and skill helping to hold the volatile group together. Her life after the band's dissolution was a difficult contrast, marked by struggles to find a lasting place in an industry that had moved on. Yet, her legacy is indelible: she proved, with sheer force and talent, that the drummer's throne was not a boys-only club, inspiring countless women to pick up the sticks.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Sandy was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sandy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Sandy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2006Died at 47
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the pioneering all-female rock band The Runaways with Joan Jett in 1975.
- Co-wrote several songs for The Runaways, including 'California Paradise' and 'Playin' with Fire'.
- Her powerful drumming defined the sound on classic Runaways tracks like 'Cherry Bomb' and 'Queens of Noise'.
- Performed on all four of The Runaways' studio albums released during the 1970s.
Did You Know?
She taught herself to play drums at age nine using a makeshift kit of pots and pans.
Before forming The Runaways, she played in a cover band called The VIPs.
She was a skilled equestrian and often said she would have been a veterinarian if not for music.
A lifelong animal lover, she bred and trained Rottweilers.
“I just wanted to play drums and be in a band. I didn't think about being a girl drummer. I just thought about being a drummer.”
