Janet Gardner

Janet Patricia Gardner (born March 21, 1962) is an American rock singer. She is best known as the former lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the all-female glam metal band Vixen joining in 1983. She was the band's longest serving vocalist having performed on three of the band's four studio albums. When Vixen broke up in 1992 she took a hiatus from singing to pursue personal endeavors. She briefly unofficially reformed Vixen in 1997 with drummer Roxy Petrucci. She returned to Vixen in 2001, later studying to become a dental hygienist. In 2004 she took part in a Vixen reunion for a one-night-only gig as part of VH1's Bands Reunited TV show. She returned to Vixen full-time in 2012.

In 2017, she released her self-titled debut solo album and in 2019 decided to leave Vixen to focus on family and her solo career.

Early life Gardner was born in Juneau, Alaska, and her birthday is listed as March 21, 1962. Her parents were of the Latter-day Saint faith.

Musical career

Gardner became the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the all-woman hard rock band Vixen. She joined the band's early lineup in 1983, when it was a quintet. In 1984, the band appeared in the movie Hardbodies as Diaper Rash before moving to Los Angeles to further their career, playing in the pop rock genre. Gardner at the time was on lead vocals only. After some initial changes, the primary lineup of Vixen consisted of Gardner, doubling as the second guitarist, Jan Kuehnemund, Roxy Petrucci, and Share Ross, then known as Share Pedersen. Vixen signed with EMI's Manhattan Records and recorded their self-titled debut album which was released in September 1988. Gardner described the pressure of recording as "We were just girls from Minnesota and Montana who loved playing live, so it was a bit of a rude awakening." Consequently, in December, JSRG decided to carry on as Vixen to honor Kuehnemund's legacy.

Gardner released a self-titled solo album, co-produced and written by her and her husband, Justin James, on Pavement Entertainment on August 18, 2017. who handled guitar duties. So, only the couple served as personnel on Janet Gardner.

In late May 2018, after recovery from surgery for a subdural hematoma, Gardner toured the United Kingdom. Earlier in March, she was substituted by Femme Fatale's Lorraine Lewis during a show in Oklahoma.

On January 16, 2019, Gardner confirmed in a Facebook post her resignation from Vixen to devote more time to family and prioritize her budding role as a solo artist. Her last appearance with the band was at the Mohegan Sun Casino Wolf Den in Uncasville, Connecticut, during the previous November. Her final contribution on lead vocals was when the band recorded two studio tracks, their own cover of Ray Kennedy's "You Oughta Know by Now," titled "You Ought to Know by Now" and an acoustic version of "Edge of a Broken Heart" for the 2018 live album Live Fire. The first song was originally on his 1980 self-titled album. Her former bandmates eventually named Lewis as her successor. Gardner recorded her second album Your Place in the Sun with James. It was released on May 31, 2019.

Gardner and James released Synergy in May 2020 under the different band name Gardner/James which confirmed her eponymous solo project was officially considered a duo.

Personal life Sometime after Gardner was asked to leave Vixen during the tension-marred 2001 tour, she attended the University of Bridgeport and, from there, graduated with a degree in dental hygiene, becoming a dental hygienist in 2005. For almost 15 years she maintained a license that expired on March 31, 2020, and worked as a hygienist when not working on musical projects. Previously, during her former band's heydays in Los Angeles, Gardner worked at a golf course pro shop.

Gardner has been married to guitarist Justin James since 2016. She has a son from her previous marriage to Andy Katz, an engineer whom she met during the recording of Tangerine. She shares the same birthday with her former Vixen bandmate Roxy Petrucci. Live Fire (2018)

Solo album Janet Gardner (2017) Your Place in the Sun (2019)

Gardner/James Synergy (2020) No Strings (2023)

Filmography Video Vixen - Revved Up! (1990) MTV Unplugged (1990) played "Edge of a Broken Heart" and "Love Is a Killer"

Films Hardbodies (1984) as the band "Diaper Rash" (Janet Gardner, Jan Kuehnemund, Tamara Ivanov, Pia Maiocco, Laurie Hedlund) The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988) (Cameo interviews with Janet Gardner, Share Pedersen and Roxy Petrucci)